Predictor Relationships between Values Held by Married Individuals, Resilience and Conflict Resolution Styles: A Model Suggestion

Abstract

Values have become as of late one of the more popular topics of interest in the social sciences. The concept of values has been discussed by a number of different branches within the social sciences, and a wide range of research has been conducted on this topic. It is observed that a variety of interpretations defining what constitutes values as a concept have been made by researchers in the literature. Although the structure of values and their relationships with other variables have been studied, it is difficult to clearly state what values include. Since the concept of values is an area studied by different disciplines, arriving at a single, shared definition remains difficult (Dilmac, 2007). Budak (2000) defines the values as common opinions and as standards about what is good, bad, wrong, right, desirable, or undesirable in a certain population. According to another similar definition, values are beliefs about what judgments are wrong, right, desirable, and undesirable according to an individual (Dilmac, Deniz, & Deniz, 2009). According to Akbac (2008), values indicate what is important, what should be preferred, and how an individual is to live. Values appear as a criterion in an individuals thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors and creates an indissoluble part of social integrity (Dilmac, Bozgeyikli, & Cikili, 2008). Dogan (2000) suggests that values are either a life style or an action accepted by an individual or a society. Dilmac (2007) defined values as body of beliefs that include features and basic characteristics specific to humans differentiating them from other living creatures. According to another definition, value is sensitiveness of the individuals produced against another person, creature, event, case etc. (Yaman & Peker, 2012). Values are related to humans' emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and have an essential importance in explaining human behaviors (Dilmac, 2007). Values play an important role in the preference of one behavior pattern over another. Another perspective suggests that values not only constitute the source of one's behaviors, but also determine the criterion for a certain behavior over another. (Dilmac et al., 2009).Since it is both safer and more effective to ascertain attitudes from one's values instead of the other way around, examining values is generally more functional than examining attitudes and behavior. Therefore, moving from observable and measurable values, attitudes may be discussed easily; even if value preference of the individual is determined, attitudes and behaviors may be predicted. We may, during this process, say that our values affect our lives and that values should be investigated in order to understand individuals' attitudes and behaviors (Yapici & Zengin, 2003).An increase in the number of studies conducted on the concept of values has occurred lately. Values have been explained by investigating many variables. Benzies and Mychasiuk (2009) mentioned in their study that values are associated with individual resilience and familial resilience. The results obtained from Bhana and Bachoo's research (2011) are consistent with this finding. In spite of these studies, no research has been performed on married individuals regarding values and the resilience of married individuals. Studies on resilience have been observed to be performed on children and adolescents in general, and a number of recent studies on adults' resilience has been associated with the resilience of families with disabled children (Bayrakli, 2010; Kaner, Bayrakli, & Guzeller, 2011; Ozbay & Aydogan, 2013). Resilience is the ability to overcome problems, it is not a natural characteristic, and it maybe improved over time. Accordingly, to explain the association between values of married individuals and resilience is important.Initial studies of resilience are based on the longitudinal studies of Werner and Smith (1992) focusing on children who faced problems or risks in Kauia and who successfully overcame it. …