Dominant Value Patterns in the Montenegrin Society

Abstract

Social value orientations and normative patterns within which individuals and groups are socialized are of vital importance for the sociological analysis of a society. Human behaviour is shaped, regulated and directed around these cultural imperatives, as well as are people’s interpersonal relations, their actions and creativity. People’s values influence their selection of desirable goals; they direct and design human actions and behaviours. Setting off from this definition of values, we have tried to identify the specificities of value patterns in the Montenegrin post-socialist period, during which numerous changes have taken place in all spheres of social life. This is considered as particularly important, having in mind that social values determine the level of acceptability of a certain social system. Numerous studies we have referred to indicate that the national culture of this area is characterized by a unique combination of high power distance, collectivism, dominant “feminine” values and high uncertainty avoidance. These characteristics must have profound effect on the structures and processes in various institutions and organizations, but also on the model of economic development, as well as the overall social relations. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p205