INTERPERSONAL PERCEPTION OF VALUES: FURTHER STUDY

This researcher investigated the perception of 69 conservative and 69 liberal undergraduate studeno regarding traditional American values by means of the Interpersonal Perception Method (Linder, 1977). The direct perspectives between these groups, the meraperspecrives (how each group perceives the other), and the meta-metaperspectives (how each group views the other's perception of itself) were analyzed. According to Laing, et al. (1966) the comparison of a group's direct perspective and its own metametaperspective discloses the feeling of being understood or of being misunderstood. The present analysis of these comparisons used the original data (Linder, 1977). The Kendall correlation between liberals' direct perspective and meta-metaperspective (T = .61, p .05) indicates that conservatives feefundmtood by liberals regarding their priorities. Chi-squared tests (df = I), based on a comparison of the proportion of conservative vs liberal students who accepted and rejected each value at the direct and meta-meta levels of perspective, further indicated specific values about which each group felt understood or misunderstood. The probability level accepted was less than or equal to the .01 level. For example, conservatives feel misunderstood by liberals on the following values: Live (x" 5.25 ) , Be free (xa = 19.76), Pursue happiness (x' = 6.32), Accrue goods and wealth (xa = 16.57), Be religious (xa = 7.07)), Know the right people (x' = 6.62), Live in the right places (x' = 26.86). Help your fellow man = 13.43), Be tolerant (x" 21.11 ), Explore (x3 = 18.78). Win (x' = 10.86), Influence other countries to become democratic (x2 = 18.12). Save time (xa = 3.91), Find a better way (x2 = 14.92), Adjust to the prevailing social norm (x" 13.25), Stand up for what you think is right (x3 = 23.85). Several observations mag be made. An overwhelming majority of conservatives accept the value "Be free" but believe liberals will say they would reject this value. The resulr was true for the values Live, Pursue happiness, Help your fellow man, Be tolerant, Explore, Find a better way, and Stand up for what you think is right. Conservatives reject the values Accrue goods and wealth, Know the right people, Live in the right places, Win, and Adjust to the prevailing social norms but believe liberals will say they would accept these values. Liberals feel misunderstood by conservatives on these values: Be honest (xk 39.10). Work hard (xa = 19.66), Be clean (x' = 25.88), Honor one's parents (Xa = 42.42), Be loyal to your country (x' = 14.71), Become educated (x' = 25.43); Be religious (x' = 19.88), Be productive (xa = 29.61). Help your fellow man (x- = 23.85). Be tolerant (x' = 26.62), Win (Xg = 10.74), Obey the law (xa = 24.011, Know your heritage (x3 = 10.48), Find a better way (xu = 4.88), Be proud of your city, state, section (xa = 14.77). The values liberals accept but believe conservauves will say they would reject are Be honest, Work hard, Be clean, Honor one's parents, Become educated, Be Help your fellow man, and Be tolerant. Liberals did not feel misunderstood about values they rejected. The data suggest that liberals feel misunderstood regarding their rank-order priorities whereas conservatives feel understood concerning these priorities. Both groups have an almost equal number of specific values about which they feel understod or misunderstood.