VALUE CRISIS

 What do you understand by "value crisis"? Discuss various strategies for

controlling value crisis in contemporary society.

Value crisis is when the practice of members of the society starts deviating from the values
we hold dear. When there is a general acceptance of corrupt practices and unethical activities,
then the society as a whole is in value crisis. It creates a new normal of acceptance of
dishonesty, lies and immoral behavior.
In the contemporary world, there has been gradual deterioration of moral and ethical moors.
Things are being justified in terms of ends and opportunities. In India, we have started
accepting retail corruption as normal and in fact justifying it.
Strategies to control value crisis in the contemporary world are as follows:
1. Parents should be made aware of the importance of raising children with right values
and that they should themselves become role models for their children.
2. Schools should have value lessons embedded in syllabus.
3. Code of ethics for organizations. Right ethical conduct should be rewarded.
4. The cost of unethical behavior should be made high by increasing punishment. Just
increasing the punishment will not do. Implementation should also be proper.
5. People who are generally the victims in the society should be made aware of their
rights. Dalits and women should made aware of their rights and ways to register complaints
and get justice.
6. Popular leaders should use their appeal to inculcate good values in the society.
The downward spiraling ethical stock of the society need to be stopped and ethical standards
should be raised. A prosperous society with no ethics is no good for anybody.
Value crisis is being observed at various levels such as-
 Individual level
 Societal Level
 Intellectual Level
 Cultural Level
For instance, at the very individual level, a person is running behind to attain success at any
cost. The ‘any cost’ factor has led to erosion of values. Quest for worldly success, acquisition
of money, power and prestige are some reasons which are eroding an individuals’ values.
Therefore, life values which give meaning, worth and fullness to human existence, appear as
roadblocks to ones success.
This leads to a situation of value crisis.
To counter this situation of value crisis, some the few strategies which can be applied are-
1) Good parenting.
2) Value Education at all levels – primary, secondary and university.
3) Code of Ethics and morality be imbibed at workplace through ways such as seminars,
 workshops,etc.
4) Awareness through mass media.

Discuss about Value Spectrum of Good Life:

A good life can be lead in a society with peace, harmony, well-
being and fellow feeling. Just like light has seven distinct spectrum
colour expressed as “VIBGYOR”, similarly a good life comprises of
seven important values. They are

1. material values
2. social values

3. aesthetic values

4. physiological values

5. ethical values

6. spiritual values

7. ethical values

The above seven values are known as the spectrum of good life.

Good Life:

A good life can be lead in a society with peace, harmony, well-being

and fellow feeling. Just like light has seven distinct spectrum colour
expressed as “VIBGYOR”, similarly a good life comprises of seven
important values. They are material values, social values, aesthetic
values, physiological values, ethical values and spiritual values. The
above seven values are known as the spectrum of good life.

Characteristic of Good Life:

 Creative thinking is one of the most prized endowments of

human beings. It helps people to think, to dream and to create
visions of a good life, and the civilization moves up from one tier to
next higher tier. It is an on going process
 Every generation thinks dreams and finally articulate the ways
and means to better their life.

 Civilization after civilization has simply vanished from the

earth, because they became complacent and stopped dreaming.
 Simply thinking or dreaming do not guarantee ‘good life’ it
wants, it has to create conditions and capabilities to translate the
dreams into reality

 There are difference in these dreams over different

individuals , groups and culture

 Some may be matter of details, some more fundamental.

 Yet there is a large quantum of commonality in the

conceptions of values which constitute a ‘good life’ [ example – the
chariot wheel, bullock cart wheel, Mercedes Benz]

Types of Values: Elements of Value Spectrum

Physiological/Material Values:

 Values associated with material aspect/comfort of living are

called material values.

Societal Values:

 Good life can be lived only in a good society

 Such society provides peace, harmony and general well-being
with overall growth

 This is necessary to ensure social cooperation for production

of material and social goods

 In a good society everyone is aware of their rights, earning a

livelihood and freedom to blossom to their potential

 Societal values refer to making a good society. They are

operatives in social structures and the basic social institutions
created by society

 Larger concept which includes social capital as well as the

subjective aspects of the citizens’ well-being, such as their ability
to participate in making decisions that affect them.

 Justice
 on one hand it means people getting their rightful dues,
reward, recognition, respect for rights, liberties, meeting valid
demands, on the other hand the area of law, legal justice is a formal
procedure followed by courts adjucating conflicting claims of
litigants.

 Rules of Law

 Democracy

 Secularism

Psychological Values:

 One must possess sound mental health, maturity for a good

life.
 There should not be any stress, psychological conflicts. The
value determinants of a good life can be grouped into 2 categories.

 Internal – These values are concerned with the quality of

emotional and mental life of an individual. It is the attitudes and
myriad of mental processes which covers the world of our feelings,
desires, impulses, motives and goals.

 They collectively shape our personality, external behavior and

our sense of well – being, happiness and harmony.

 Integrated Personality

Aesthetic Values:

 Creation and enjoyment of beauty are part of a good life. A

careful cultivation of taste for appreciating beauty in art, nature and
life leads to bliss and is called Aesthetic values.
 A good person must be a moral person, his personal conduct
and social interrelations must be based on ethical principles.

 Ethical and moral values occupies the centre stage in good

life.

Perception:

Perceptions vary from person to person. Different people perceive

different things about the same situation. But more than that, we
assign different meanings to what we perceive. And the meanings
might change for a certain person. One might change one’s
perspective or simply make things mean something else. It is a
mental tool for appreciation of beauty.

Spiritual Values:

The values of truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence are

found in all major spiritual paths. These spiritual values are also
human values and are the fundamental roots of a healthy, vibrant,
and viable work career.

The following table contains a number of Spiritual Values:

Peace Joy Love

Forgiveness Compassion Faith

Hope Charity Happiness

Spreading Happiness Affection Serenity

Consideration Contentment Contribution

Helpfulness Honesty Humility

Impartiality Integrity Modesty

Kindness Patience Satisfaction

Self-actualization Simplicity Sincerity

Sympathy Thankfulness Tranquility

Truthfulness Understanding Warmth

Value crisis and its effects in our society and
individual’s life:

INTRODUCTION:
 Human values are the virtues that guide us to take into

account human element when one interacts with one

other human beings. They are our feelings for the

human essence of others.

 It’s both what we expect others to do to us and what

we aim to give to other human beings. These human values give the effect of bonding,
comforting and reassuring.

HUMAN VALUES:
Value guides the selection or evaluate policies, people and events. That is, values some as
standard or criteria.

SOME BASIC VALUES ARE:

1. Self direction
2. Hedonism
3. Stimulation
4. Achievement
5. Power
6. Security
7. Conformity Tradition
8. Benevolence
9. Universalism
TYPES OF VALUES:
1. Moral Value
2. Ethical Value
3. Professional Value
4. Social Value
5. Aesthetic Value
6. Psychological Values

Value Crisis In Various Level:

1. Individual Level
2. Societal Level
3. Intellectual Level
4. Cultural Level

At Individual Level:
1. Personal Success & Selfish Individualism.
2. Following “Higher the quantity of consumption,

better the quality of life.”

3. Overlaying of importance of material values of life .

4. Downplaying of other life values like moral values etc.
5. Rise in rights consciousness but decline in duties.
6. Adoption of Double Standards.

At Societal Level:
1. Group oriented society but limited to caste, clan &

village community.

2. Communitarian feeling declined but social

consciousness reminds that individual attainments are

related to society.
3. No attention on social problems like poverty,

injustice, caste and gender inequalities.

At Intellectual Level:
1. Value Climate is linked with society's intellectual

temper and it's tone is set by writers, academicians,

other intellectuals.

2. Generate New ideas & solutions to human problems

but contemporary intellectual temper is critical,

imitative & reactive.

3. Academic compartments produce only narrowly

focused specialists.

4. We want stamp of degree from prestigious inst.,

awards, recognition, but not the virtues of character

displayed.

At Cultural Level:
1. Due to socio economy cond. & copying western modes,

affect food habits, dress, forms of greetings, modes of

entertainment.

2. Ambivalent and confusing attitude of educated Indians

towards culture.

3. Peculiar characteristic of our culture is tolerance of New

ideas with old ideas which create two opinions.

4. 'Unity in diversity '.

5. contradictory ideas.
6. one pole has pride in Indian culture while other pole take it

as a burden, source of conf licts & roadblocks to progress

acc. to English educated society 'Dharma - Religion' but it

is partly true.

7. Dharma is concerned with all aspects ,individual, social,

family, political, administration.

8. It promotes welfare of all beings not only of humans.

9. Poojas, fasts, rituals, going to temples for selfish end and

keep away evil forces.

10. Multi-cultural is way out and will provide meaning to "

Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam" - THE WORLD IS FAMILLY.