Introduction

Continuity of cultures over generations is affected by cultural transmission. On one hand, stability of the culture is linked to cultural anchorage and collective memory while, on the other, its evolution is elicited by adaptation to changing economic, social or technological dimensions of the environment (Trommsdorff, 2009).

The intergenerational transmission of culture refers to the way values, knowledge and practices that are prevalent in one generation are shared with the next generation. Earlier generations are responsible for the mental and physical conditions in which later generations are raised (Cigoli and Scabini, 2006). In this process, the family is the most influential source for young people; this is due to the relevance of the parent–child relationship to a child's development and to the ability of parents to monitor their children's actions and their acquisition of knowledge, norms, values, attitudes and behaviours (Collins et al, 2000).

This chapter focuses on values as a central content of cultural transmission (Cavalli-Sforza et al, 1982) and on the family as the primary ‘place’ of socialisation for younger generations. It begins by briefly introducing the concept of value with reference to Schwartz's well-known theory (1992), and continues by showing diverse approaches to the study of the value transmission process and outcomes. The final section sketches out routes to future research and gives a set of recommendations for family practices.

What values are: the definition

Due to the number and variety of definitions that have been given to this construct within the psycho-social field, as well as elsewhere, it is necessary to clarify what exactly is meant by the term value when addressing the issue of value transmission.

In the psychological literature, it is possible to identify five features common to most definitions of values: values are (1) concepts or beliefs (2) regarding desirable end states or behaviours (3) that transcend specific situations, (4) guide selection or evaluation of behaviours and events and (5) are ordered by relative importance. On the basis of these features, values can be defined as desirable, abstract, transsituational goals that serve as guiding principles in people's lives (Schwartz, 1992). Values contribute to determining how every person sees the world and play an important role in action, operating as guiding mechanisms for evaluations of the world and for choices made (Joas, 2000).