In order to ensure the maximum coverage on the grounds of either time or political significance, (or both), the following speeches were also included in the final analysis.
Table 13. Other speeches included in the study
YEAR Speech type Giver/Speaker
1894 Declaration of Ascension to the throne Nicholas II 1894 Declaration of an Additional Prayer Day Nicholas II 1899 Declaration of Finland’s Unity with Russia
1899,
i.e. the so called February Manifesto
Nicholas II
1908 (response to) Parliament Opening Speech Parliament Speaker Svinhufvud 1909 (response to) Parliament Opening Speech Parliament Speaker
Svinhufvud 1911 (response to) Parliament Opening Speech Parliament Speaker
Svinhufvud
1917 Declaration of Independence Senate
1918 Declaration of War of Independence Senate 1918 General call to assist the Senate’s troops
during the War of Independence
Senate 1918 General call to arms during the War of
Independence
Senate
1918 General exhortation to the population fighting Senate/H. Renvall 1918 Declaration of end of the War of
Independence
Senate
5 HYPOTHESES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Based on the theoretical background and the socio-political context, the following research questions and hypotheses have been formulated.
Given that leaders acting as gatekeepers of the societies they lead shape and uphold the social identity of the group (in this case, the nation) through rituals (such as recurring public speeches), voicing the prototypical beliefs and motivations of the group, i.e. value expressions.
Which values are mentioned in the rulers’ speeches? How are the values talked about? Will the values be talked about in such a way that motivationally related values will be talked about together?
Based on the universality135 of the requirements posed by the general human condition from which values in STV are posited to stem ( Schwartz, 1992), in this study it is hypothesized that SVT values are present in the speeches throughout the entire time period (1809-2000). I also assume that the Non-SVT values are similarly present throughout, only more so when the speakers are Finnish (Helkama, 2009; Helkama & Seppälä, 2006).
Based on the posited value congruence, I expect that values might be talked about in such a way that motivationally related values will be talked about together (Schwartz, 1992), but taking into account the nature of the speeches, the need to address varying audiences, and the way natural speech is structured, I expect there also to be instances in which co-occurring values are motivationally not close.
Are there differences between speeches or speakers?
There are two forces at work in the content of the speeches’ values. On one hand, the same ruler is the giver of all speeches in the same year, and therefore, it could be expected that there would not be any great variation between speech types, as values are a stable motivational disposition (Schwartz 1992). The differences between rulers’ values will also be influenced by life events (e.g. Sortheix et al. 2012).
On the other hand, taking into account the context of each of these speech types, it could be expected that there would be differences in speech types especially in regard to Spirituality values. Prayer Day Declarations, albeit not being sermons, yet occur in a formal ecclesiastical context; Parliaments Opening Speeches’ content are to a degree influenced by the law (Tiitinen, 2007) and their setting; while New Year’s Speeches seem to be free from any outer formal restrictions, yet their timing and origin (starting only in 1935 as a form of conciliatory efforts by the President) form a context influencing the expected content as well (Heikkinen & Hurme, 2006).
135 i.e. unbound by either temporal or geographical distinctions
Work has always been of great importance in the Finnish context (Helkama, 2009), and a basis for social approval and upward mobility, encoded even in songs and folk tales. Therefore it could be expected that Work-related values would show a greater frequency of mention as the speeches are held by people of Finnish origin (i.e. the Presidents), who have been socialized early on to this concept of emphasis on the intrinsic value of work.
In addition, due to the social stability produced by hard-working citizens, in can be assumed that Work-related values correlate positively with Conservation values during the Grand Duchy (due to the importance of the maintenance of the status quo associated with the autocratic polity under Czars), and more with Achievement during Independence, as democratization makes individualism more important, and increases the importance of Openness-to-Change values (Schwartz & Sagie 2000).
Therefore the Czars will speak of work in a different way than Presidents, even if the social stability produced by hard-working citizens would be important also from a non-Protestant ruler point of view.
Spirituality values will be present throughout, but as with Work-related values, the correlations will differ in time, so that Spirituality values will correlate in an increasingly positive manner with Benevolence as the socio-economic wellbeing increases (Saroglou et al., 2004). Based on Saroglou et al., it can be assumed that the rulers who score high on Spirituality also score high on Conformity and Tradition, but low on Stimulation and Self-Direction, Hedonism, Achievement and Power. The correlation with Universalism will be negative.
Albeit there are conflicting theories and findings on secularization, it can be assumed that based on the concept of differentiation (Martin 2005) that references to Spirituality become increasingly disassociated from their legitimating function and also from Conservation values towards the end of the period under scrutiny, as also Saroglou et al. (2004) imply based on their meta-analysis.
Based on previous research on education (see e.g. Schwartz et al. 2001), I expect Education values to correlate positively with Self-Direction and Stimulation values due to the component of learning being associated with intellectual openness, and with active acquisition of new skills. The relation to Conservation values is less clear, as in Schwartz et al. education correlates negatively with Conservation values, but if in Finland Education values are part of national identity (Roccas et al, 2010), it could be hypothesized that they then correlate positively with Conformity or Tradition values.
Given that values are hierarchically organized, which values are prioritized?
Based on Schwartz & Bardi (2008) it can be assumed that Benevolence and Universalism values would be the most important throughout, but that the order of other values would fluctuate in accordance to historical/political events, especially that of the sc. deficit values, Security and Power.
Security values will be higher when there are threats to national security (Verkasalo et al, 2006), whereas Power values will be higher when there is a war or a similar threat to national sovereignty or economy (Bilsky &
Schwartz, 1994).
Overall the value priorities are expected to follow the pan-cultural order (Schwartz & Bardi, 2001), but modified by the twin forces of socio-economic growth and democratization (see below). Based on previous Finnish studies (see Table 4) it can be expected that Self-Direction occupies a lower position in the value hierarchy than it does in the pan-cultural hierarchy. The importance of Work-related values will grow (see above), whereas Spirituality values will be more important during the Grand Duchy period.
What kind of change can be detected in the values?136 To what historical periods are the changes connected?
Based on Schwartz & Sagie (2000), I assume that Conformity, Tradition, Security, and Power values decrease in importance as the Finnish society move towards a higher level of socio-economic development and a greater measure of democratization, whereas the importance of Stimulation, Self-Direction, and Hedonism values will increase.
Schwartz & Sagie (2000) also found that, “once economic development reaches a threshold (about $4,195 in 1986 terms), Self-Transcendence values are highly endorsed by the vast majority of the population, resulting in high consensus” (p.488). This sum corresponds to ca. 8,350 $ in 2010 (Williamson, 2013137), which in Finland would have been achieved during 1968-1969 (Maddison, 2010). Therefore it can be hypothesized that both Benevolence and Universalism values have an upsurge from 1970s onwards.
Due to democratization promoting individualism and freedom of choice, there should be greater value pluralism after 1907 (the year the first Parliament was elected based on universal suffrage) and in general the period of the Independence, i.e. after 1917, than during the Grand Duchy (1809-1917). Based on Schwartz & Sagie (2000), it can also be hypothesized that there would be an increase of Openness-to-Change values.
There is a positive correlation with national identification and Conservation values (Roccas et al. 2010). Therefore it can expected that during times of e.g. war, when national identity is under threat, there would also be an increase in other Conservation values, apart from Security, which is a deficit value.
I also expect that due to the emphasis of Education as part of the Finnish nationalistic movement (e.g. Savolainen, 2006), Education values would decrease with onset of the Russification period of the late 19th /early 20th century, and would in general be higher during the Independence than Grand Duchy.
136 For value change typologies see e.g. Rescher, 1969
137 http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/relativevalue.php. Accessed 4.8.2013
Can Schwartz theory of values be used also to explain pre- or non- modern societies? Will the structure it posits be reproduced throughout the period of this study (1809-2000)?
SVT structure will be reproduced more closely in the 20th century data than in the previous century, based on the impact of both economic growth and democratization (Bilsky et al., 2011; Fontaine et al., 2008, Strack &
Dobewall 2012;).
As there are no previous lexical studies showing a reproduction of a structure either similar or dissimilar to the one proposed by the SVT138, no direct hypothesis can be formed based on them. However, based on the general directions of previous research it can be assumed that the structure of the Grand Duchy period is less close to SVT and the structure of the values during Independence is closer to SVT.
138 But see Bardi et al., 2008.
6 RESEARCH METHODS
In the context of research methodology, a pragmatic perspective proposes that research methods and designs must be judged on the basis of what they can accomplish.
Karasz & Singelis, 2009, p.910