The Rokeach Values Survey measures two types of values: terminal values (end goals you want to achieve) and instrumental values (the behaviors and qualities you use to get there).
Milton Rokeach created this survey in 1973 as a way to make values visible and rankable. Instead of asking you to describe your values in the abstract, it gives you a concrete list of 36 values and forces you to order them by importance. That constraint is the point. When you have to choose between ambition and honesty, between security and excitement, between wisdom and pleasure, you learn something true about yourself that a yes-no checklist never reveals.
The terminal values on the Rokeach survey are the destinations: a comfortable life, an exciting life, a sense of accomplishment, world peace, self-respect, true friendship, wisdom, inner harmony. These are what you actually want your life to look like. The instrumental values are the routes: ambition, honesty, courage, imagination, responsibility, independence. These are the qualities you believe in using to get what you want.
Why ranking matters more than rating
Most modern values assessments ask you to rate each value on a scale. Rokeach's method is different. You sort all 36 cards and decide which matters more than which. This forces trade-offs that reveal your real priorities, not your idealized ones.
If you could have everything, you might say honesty, success, happiness, security, and adventure are all important. But if you have to put them in order, you discover that you will actually sacrifice honesty for security in a real situation. Or that you claim to value family time but rank career accomplishment higher. That gap between the ranking and the story you tell yourself is where actual self-knowledge begins.
The survey was built on Rokeach's theory that behavior follows from what you actually rank as important, not from what you think you should value. If your actions don't match your stated values, it's not because you're weak or dishonest. It's usually because your true ranking is different from what you assumed. The survey surfaces that ranking.
What the survey tells you that observation cannot
You already know some of what you value. You know you care about family or freedom or competence. What you often don't know is how those values rank against each other, or where your behavior actually aligns with your stated priorities.
Someone might say they value personal growth and family equally. But when forced to rank 36 values, they might discover that achievement ranks number three while family is number eleven. This doesn't mean they're lying about family. It means that in practice, when time and resources are scarce, growth and achievement win. That information changes how you interpret your own choices and whether you want to change them.
The Rokeach survey also makes visible the clusters of values that tend to go together. People who rank self-respect high often rank honesty and responsibility high too. People who rank pleasure and excitement high sometimes rank inner harmony lower. These patterns aren't rules, but they show you how your values form a system, not a collection of isolated ideals.
How to use the ranking in your own life
The value of the Rokeach method is not in the ranking itself but in what you do with it. If you rank professional accomplishment at number four and family at number nine, you can stop wondering why you work late and miss your kids' events. That's not a moral failure. That's your actual priority structure. Now the question becomes: is this the ranking I want to live by, or do I need to change how I spend my time?
The same applies to recurring conflicts. If you rank independence high and your partner ranks security high, that tension isn't new information about incompatibility. It's a map of where you'll disagree about money, plans, and risk. Knowing that in advance gives you the chance to talk about it instead of being surprised when it shows up.
The survey also helps you make better decisions about work and direction. If you rank wisdom, inner harmony, and self-respect high, a job that pays well but requires dishonesty or constant stress will eventually pull you apart. If you rank accomplishment and recognition high, a stable job with little visibility will feel hollow. You can't change what you rank as important. But you can choose work and relationships that align with your actual ranking instead of your idealized one.
For a more personalized look at your values and where you're living them, consider taking a core values assessment. It builds on the Rokeach foundation and shows you not just what you value, but how consistently you're living according to those values right now.
What's the difference between terminal and instrumental values?
Terminal values are end goals you want to achieve—a comfortable life, wisdom, self-respect, world peace. Instrumental values are the behaviors and qualities you use to reach those goals—honesty, ambition, courage, responsibility. Terminal values answer "what do I want?" Instrumental values answer "how will I get it?"
Is the Rokeach Values Survey still used?
Yes. It's considered a foundational measure in psychology and organizational research. Many newer values assessments build on or adapt Rokeach's framework, including core values and strengths-based assessments. The ranking method itself has proven more revealing than rating scales.
Can your Rokeach ranking change over time?
Yes. Life experience, major decisions, relationships, and reflection can shift what you rank as important. Taking the survey twice—years apart—often reveals how your priorities have moved. That change itself is meaningful information about how you've grown.
What if my ranking doesn't match how I actually live?
That gap is normal and common. It often means either your ranking was wrong—you chose based on what sounds good rather than what you actually prioritize—or your behavior needs to change. The survey doesn't tell you which. That's the work you do with the result.