Which term refers to abstract ideas about what is good, right, and desirable in a society?

• A. Norms
• B. Role of Values
• C. Values
• D. Mores

Answer: (C)

Values are the beliefs about what a society considers desirable, good, and worth pursuing. They function as guiding principles that shape judgments, priorities, and choices across a culture. Because values are abstract and broad, they influence a wide range of social expectations, goals, and institutions.

Norms, by contrast, are the concrete rules about how people should behave in everyday situations, and mores are stronger norms with moral significance and harsher social sanctions. The phrase “role of values” isn’t a standard label for the concept itself. So, the abstract ideas about what is good and desirable in a society are best described as values.