Intergenerational Value Changing: The Representation of Values among the Characters of Iranian TV Serials

In the course of recent years, mass media and particularly television have an extreme effect in transmitting of norms and values to the societies. On the other word, they are considered as powerful means of making pattern attitudes to the societies. Due to binary roles of TV as a reflector of behaviors, patterns, and values of society and also as an effecting factor on society which in long term cause the some changes in the social values, it is very essential to evaluate of the sending messages through TV to the Iranian homes. Among the variety of TV programs, Iranian serials are selected for study due to their closeness to the audiences’ life and more possibility of model making as well as indirect massage sending. This article studies the represented values among the characters of 4 selected serials by classifying gender and the life period. The universe of this study contains 4 Iranian serials broadcasted on channel 1 & 3 in year 2001. And content analysis method is applied as the research method by the utilization of Ingelhart, Gerbner theories as well as representation theory. Findings indicate generally female characters do not have many differentiations in value system by the life period expect tiny differences only in economic values. On the other side, male characters have some differences in value system by according to the life period, in such a way that young male characters have less attention to economic worthies while elder male characters have more attention to wealth. Young male characters were shown more moral and less religious.