Parents, friends, teachers and external reference groups can influence individual values. Indeed, a person’s values develop as a product of learning and experience in the cultural setting in which he lives. As learning and experiences very from one person to another, values differences are the inevitable result. Not only the values but also their ranking terms of importance differ from person to person.

A person learns and develops values because of the following factors:

(i)    Familial Factors. A significant factor influencing the process of socialization of a individual is role of the family. The child reading practices that parents use shape the individual’s personality. The learning of social behavior, values and norms come through these practices. For example, through reward and punishment, parents show love and affection to children, indicating the typical ways in which a child should behave in difficult conditions.

(ii)    Social Factors. Of the societal factors, school has a major role to play in the development of values. Through discipline in school, a child learns desirable behaviors important in the school setting. Interactions with teachers, classmates and others staff members in the educational institutions makes the child inculcate values important to the teaching-learning process. Other institutions that may influence the values are religious, economic and political institutions in the society.

(iii)    Personal Factors. Personal attributes such as intelligence ability, appearance and educational level of the person determine his development of values. For example, one’s higher level of intelligence may result in faster understanding of values.

(iv)    Cultural Factors. Cultural factors include beliefs, values and norms that are learnt and passed on from generations to gernation. An individual is a participant in social culture, group culture and organizational culture. Thus, he is known as a composite of many cultural elements. Culture is based on certain implicit and explicit values. For example, whether a person is co-operative, friendly or hostile depends upon the culture he belongs to. Individual relationships are different in different cultures and within certain groups of society also. Whether the individual values money making or doing services to the mankind, again depends upon his cultural background.

(v)    Religious Factors. Individuals, generally, receive strength and comfort from their religion. Religion comprises of a set fo values which are passed on from gernation to generation. However, advancement in technology has reduced people’s faith in traditional religious beliefs and values.

(vi)    Life Experience. A person learns the most form his own personal life experiences. Sometimes, one can learn from the experiences of others also. In the long-run, most of the values which influence our behavior are validated by the satisfaction we have experienced in pursuing them. Individuals work out their values on the basis of what seems most logical to them. Values carry importance in direct proportion to how much faith the individual has in them. He should have those values which can stand the test of reality. He should not have rigid values but flexible system which can change with the changes in the individual himself, his life situation and the socio-economic environment.

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