Values,motivations, and personal goals: Revisited

This article deals with the concepts of values, motivations, and personal goals. These concepts are first analyzed from a conceptual standpoint. In spite of numerous attempts to define them, clear-cut definitions have yet to be found. An empirical survey confirms this theoretical analysis. It shows that individuals structure these three concepts into four meaningful dimensions oriented toward success in one's private life, professional success, success in one's social life, and humanitarianism. These results are at variance with recent published research. It is suggested that using values in marketing studies may lead to ambiguous results and that a combination of values, motivations, and personal goals may prove to be superior. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.