This book answers fundamental questions about the nature of work in modern life based on the research from an innovative, cross-national project of the Work Importance Study (WIS). Part 1 presents the background for WIS. "Studies of the Meaning of Work" (Branimir Sverko, Vlasta Vizek-Vidovic) reviews the current state of understanding of the human aspects of work from the worker's perspective. "The Role Concept in Career Development" (David J. Gouws) summarizes a diverse body of theory on the roles people take throughout their lives. "Values" (Donald E. Super) seeks to place values within the more general schema of personality. "Developing the WIS" (J. Ferreira-Marques, M. J. Miranda) introduces the WIS. Part 2 describes the beginnings, methods, and findings of the national projects. The 11 chapters are: "Students of Work Importance in Australia" (Janice J. Lokan, Meredith Shears); "The Flemish WIS" (Pol Coetsier, Rita Claes); "The Canadian Study of Life Roles and Values" (Catherine Casserly et al.); "Life Roles and Values in Croatia" (Branimir Sverko et al.); "The Israeli WIS" (Edgar Krau); "Life Roles and Values in Italy" (Giancarlo Trentini); "Work Values and Role Salience in Japanese Culture" (Nobuo Nakanishi, Toshiki Mikawa); "The WIS in Poland" (Elzbieta M. Hornowska, Wladislaw J. Paluchowski); "The Portuguese WIS" (J. Ferreira-Marques); "The South African WIS" (Ronelle Langley); and "The WIS in the United States" (Dorothy D. Nevill). Part 3 takes up cross-national aspects of WIS through both macroanalyses and microanalyses. The ten chapters are: "The Structure and Hierarchy of Values Viewed Cross-Nationally" (Branimir Sverko); "Values in a Cross-Cultural Perspective" (Giancarlo Trentini, Giovanni Battista Muzio); "The Five Major Life Roles Viewed Cross-Nationally" (Alija Kulenovic, Donald E. Super); "Role Commitment and Values among Adolescents from Four Countries" (Janice J. Lokan); "Role Salience and Time Use in Canada" (Catherine Casserly, Andrew S. Harvey); "The Importance of Work in Two Waves of Cuban Immigrants to the United States" (Dorothy D. Nevill, Andres Nazario, Jr.); "Role Salience in Employment and Unemployment: A Cross-National Comparison of Canada, Belgium, Flanders, and Italy" (Rita Claes et al.); "Tests of the WIS Model of Role Salience" (Donald E. Super); "Homemakers and Employed Women in Belgian Flanders and the Southeast United States" (Rita Claes et al.); and "Perceptions and Expectations of the Worker and Homemaker Roles in Australia, Portugal, and the United States" (Dorothy D. Nevill). A final chapter, "The Findings of the WIS" (Branimir Sverko, Donald E. Super) attempts a synthesis of the reports. Six tables of the values scale data, five tables of the role salience inventory data, and name and subject indexes are appended. The book includes 54 other tables and 14 figures. (YLB)