Personal Values

Identifying your values is essential because it provides a foundation for decision making and helps guide your actions in alignment with what truly matters to you. It increases self-awareness by offering insight into your core beliefs, motivations, and priorities, enabling you to live a more authentic and fulfilling life. In the workplace, knowing your values enhances your ability to navigate challenges, maintain integrity, and build stronger relationships with colleagues.  

Identifying Personal Values 

 

Basic Values: The Shwartz Theory of Basic Values identifies 10 universal values grouped into four higher-order categories. Here’s a brief overview of the 10 values and their categories: 

Openness to Change 

  • Self-Direction: Independent thought and action. 
  • Stimulation: Excitement and novelty. 

Self-Enhancement 

  • Hedonism: Pleasure and sensuous gratification. 
  • Achievement: Success through personal competence. 
  • Power: Social status and control over people/resources. 

Conservation 

  • Security: Safety and stability of society, relationships, and self. 
  • Conformity: Restraint from actions that upset others or violate social norms. 
  • Tradition: Respect for customs and traditional practices. 

Self-Transcendence 

  • Benevolence: Caring for the welfare of close others. 
  • Universalism: Understanding, tolerance, and concern for all people and nature. 

 

  • Review a list of human values (including but not limited to the ones listed above) and choose the ones that resonate most with you. It might help to select between 5 and 10 values that you feel define your core beliefs, guiding principles, and actions. 
  • Think about times in your life when you felt most fulfilled or proud—these moments often reveal your core values. 
  • Write down the values you identify, and ensure they reflect your true self rather than societal or external expectations. 

Value 

Definition 

Value 

Definition 

Accepting my position in life 

Submitting to life’s circumstances 

Forgiving 

Willing to pardon others 

Ambition 

Hard working, aspiring 

Freedom 

Freedom of action and thought 

Authority 

The right to lead or command 

Health 

Not being sick physically or mentally 

Beautiful world 

Beauty of nature and the arts 

Helpfulness 

Working for the welfare of others 

Broadmindedness 

Tolerant of different ideas and beliefs 

Honesty 

Genuine, sincere 

Capable 

Competent, effective, efficient 

Honouring of parents and elders 

Showing respect 

Choosing own goals 

Selecting own purposes 

Humble 

Modest, self-effacing 

Cleanliness 

Neat, tidy 

Independence 

Self-reliant, self-sufficient 

Creativity 

Uniqueness, imagination 

Influence 

Having an impact on people and events 

 

 

Value 

Definition 

Value 

Definition 

Curiosity 

Interested in everything, exploring 

Inner harmony 

At peace with myself 

Daring 

Seeking adventure, risk 

 

Intelligence 

Logical, thinking 

Detachment 

From worldly concerns 

Loyalty 

Faithful to my friends, group 

Devout 

Holding to religious faith and belief 

Mature love 

Deep emotional and spiritual intimacy 

Enjoying life 

Enjoying food, sex, leisure, etc. 

Meaning in life 

A purpose in life 

Equality 

Equal opportunity for all 

Moderation 

Avoiding extremes of feeling and action 

Exciting life 

Stimulating experiences 

National security 

Protection of my nation from enemies 

Family security 

Safety for loved ones 

Obedience 

Dutiful, meeting obligations 

Peaceful world 

Free of war and conflict 

Sense of belonging 

Feeling that others care about me 

 

 

Value 

Definition 

Value 

Definition 

Pleasure 

Gratification of desires 

Social justice 

Correcting injustice, care for the weak 

Politeness 

Courtesy, good manners 

Social order 

Stability of society 

Preserving my public image 

Protecting my ‘face’ 

Social power 

Control over others, dominance 

Privacy 

The right to have a private sphere 

 

 

Social recognition 

Respect, approval by others 

Protecting the environment 

Preserving nature 

Spiritual life 

Emphasis on spiritual not material matters 

Reciprocation of favours 

Avoidance of indebtedness 

Success 

Achieving goals 

Respect for tradition 

Preservation of time-honoured customs 

True friendship 

Close, supportive friends 

Responsibility 

Dependable, reliable 

Unity with nature 

Fitting into nature 

Self-discipline 

Self-restraint, resistance to temptation 

Varied life 

Filled with challenge, novelty and change 

Self-indulgence 

Doing pleasant things 

Wealth 

Material possessions, money 

Self-respect 

Belief in one’s own worth 

Wisdom 

A mature understanding of life 

  • Once you have your list, try to align each value with one of Schwartz’s 10 universal values. Some of your personal values may align directly, while others may be more nuanced, but try to categorise them as best as possible. 
  • Example: 
    • Value: Creativity Category: Self-Direction (Openness to Change) 

values Model

Change Wheel

Understanding your personal values helps guide decision-making and actions, ensuring you align with what matters most to you both at work and at home. It creates consistency, integrity, and authenticity, enhancing relationships. By staying true to your core principles, you can navigate challenges more confidently and maintain a sense of fulfilment.