Human values and their meaning in life

In this article we will tell you:

Concept of human values
3 types of life values
Algorithm for generating a human value system
Factors influencing the formation of personal values
The meaning of the value system
A simple technique for determining your own hierarchy of values

A person's fully formed values have a strong influence on his entire life. Moreover, people are different from each other, which means they have different values. Some people put money first, others love, and others health. The list can be endless.

But one thing is absolutely clear: only those who clearly define their goals and choose their priorities correctly have the greatest chance of achieving success. And it is very difficult to do both without a clear understanding of your life values. Or even completely impossible.

Concept of human values

This term is usually used to refer to all things and phenomena that are useful and important. An object is not valuable in itself, but becomes valuable as a result of the internal choice of the individual and the assignment of this property to it. With the development of society, new human values appeared, and the list of concepts and objects for which there is a need expanded.

Everything that helps society solve life’s problems can be classified as values. They can be material and contain all the variety of objects created by human hands. There are valuable meanings and beliefs, without which the formation of an individual, as well as society as a whole, is impossible. All civilizations that have ever existed on earth have had their own set of values.

Developing in the society of adults, young children accept the value system that operates in this society. It shapes character traits, establishes norms of behavior and relationships with other people, and gives life meaning.

A person's values are as changeable as the society in which they exist. Over time, some phenomena and objects lose their significance, and others take their place. People from different generations, as a rule, have different values and, being their bearers, exist next to each other. This can be seen in the example of adult parents and growing children.

Thus, the value system is a set of vital concepts and guidelines necessary for each individual. Although the list of these phenomena changes and is supplemented over time, there are some significant things that have become an integral part of the human individual. Such values include freedom, having your own boundaries and choices, love, faith, health and others.

The importance of life guidelines cannot be overestimated. They determine the meaning of existence of all humanity and the choice of the sphere of activity of an individual, personal and social worldview, and are the inner core of every person.

Values, their types and hierarchy

Everything in our life has its own value, and we are talking here not only about material or monetary terms. But the value of objects and phenomena is different. There are things that are of fundamental importance, and there are those that we can easily abandon in favor of others that are more significant and valuable. This value system largely determines our life choices, our careers, hobbies, principles, and relationships with others.

Types of values

In psychology, values mean objects, phenomena, ideals, etc. that are significant for a person. Each of us has such significant things in different areas of life, and their content is also different. There are 3 types of values.

Material values

These include real objects of the surrounding world that are necessary for a person to feel comfortable. Some of them are vital, for example, clothing, housing, food. And others can be classified as luxury or increased comfort items - cars, household appliances, smartphones, jewelry, accessories, etc. A person can do without them, but for many these things are a symbol of well-being, and owning them is considered prestigious. That is, these things have a transitory value, which is determined either by fashion or by the subjective preferences of a person.

Spiritual values

They are often contrasted with material ones and are considered more sublime and significant for humans and humanity as a whole. However, this is not always the case. Spiritual values are a product of human consciousness, and their significance is determined primarily by cultural traditions, moral norms, ideological principles, etc. You must agree that the spiritual values of the Middle Ages were not always of a sublime nature, and not all of them are significant for modern man .

There are, of course, universal human values that are important in any society and in any historical era. These include freedom, family, love, friendship, loyalty and devotion, and a sense of duty.

From the point of view of human evolution, spiritual values were formed later than material ones and include several types:

life values associated with universal human norms and of fundamental importance for people’s lives: love, faith, freedom, family, health, protection of offspring, etc.;
moral values reflect a person’s attitude to the basic categories of morality: honesty and fidelity, humanism and compassion, duty and respect;
aesthetic values, perhaps the youngest of all types, associated with aesthetic experiences, such as a sense of beauty, enjoyment of form, sound, color, etc.; aesthetic values are determined by cultural traditions.

Speaking about the superiority of spiritual values over material ones, we should not forget about their subjective, individual nature. So, perhaps, for one person, fidelity to duty will be a significant value, but for another it will have no meaning at all. Some will be faithful to the chosen principles of humanism, while others will promote unprincipledness and misanthropy.

Social values

This type of values is associated with interpersonal relationships and a person’s idea of the role of society and his place in it. Social values include the following:

belonging to a particular social group;
circle of friends;
Friends;
communication skills;
political views and beliefs;
social status in the hierarchy of interpersonal relationships.

Man is part of society, and the normal life of even the most withdrawn and unsociable individual is impossible outside of society. Therefore, social values are objective and significant for any person, even if he is not always aware of it.

Terminal and instrumental values

In psychology, these two types of values were described by M. Rokeach (USA), the author of a well-known method of psychological diagnostics of a person’s value orientations.

Terminal values are understood as basic values that are significant in themselves. These include spiritual and social values, and vitally important material ones, for example, friendship, beauty, education, career, family, creativity, health, freedom, comfort, etc. Sometimes terminal values are compared with the goals of life that one sets for one’s life. yourself as a person. This is what we strive for.

Instrumental values, as the name suggests, are tools for achieving life goals. Terminal values include, first of all, personality traits, for example, perseverance, hard work, responsibility, creativity, curiosity, will, tolerance, open-mindedness, etc. This is what we value in other people and in ourselves, what we believe necessary to develop.

Hierarchy of values

Since values have different weights and different significance, in psychology it is customary to talk about a hierarchy of values. It can be presented in the form of a pyramid of several steps or levels, and the structure of the pyramid is different for each person.

For some, the pinnacle will be success, career, material well-being, expressed in a car of a particular brand or penthouse. And another person will have love and a happy family at the top of the hierarchy of values. It is believed that spiritual values are more important and significant than material ones, but not everyone has them at the upper levels of the pyramid.

No less important is what values underlie our lives and form the basis of the hierarchy. Some people consider family to be such a solid foundation, others consider material wealth, while others consider man as the measure of all things at the base of the pyramid.

Algorithm for generating a human value system

A person’s personality begins its development from birth. Gradually, she forms her own value system, which becomes stable in conscious adulthood. Although later the values in a person’s life may change. Scientists have derived a certain formula according to which principles are formed.

The whole process can be schematically represented as follows:

Aspiration > Ideal.
Aspiration > Goal > Ideal.
Aspiration > Values > Goal > Ideal.
Aspiration > Means > Values > Goal > Ideal.

Later, another point is added in the series of concepts - ethics. The scheme takes on a completed form:

Striving > Ethics > Means > Ethics > Values > Ethics > Goal > Ethics > Ideal.

First, an ideal and a desire to achieve it arise in a person’s thoughts. Aspiration speaks of the individual’s serious attitude towards the chosen ideal. If there is no such desire, then the chosen image is not a real ideal.

First of all, a sensory mental image simply appears in a person’s head, which is not yet clearly expressed. It makes you want to move towards your dreams. A person does not yet think about whether his ideal corresponds to the norms and rules accepted in society.

After some time, the ideal becomes not just a dream, but turns into a goal and acquires significance in the eyes of the individual. In order to take concrete steps in the right direction, you must understand certain conditions and rules that lead to achieving what you want. A person accepts values and norms from the external environment, having previously passed them through the internal filter of his consciousness. The final stage will be checking your own abilities and strengths, that is, the availability of means to achieve your goals.

A person is not completely free from the moral norms and principles accepted in the society of which he is a part. The choice of ideals, goals and means of achieving them is constantly monitored, taking into account ethical criteria.

Moral norms and rules are often the result of experienced knowledge of the world and reality. They are fixed in the consciousness of society and are perceived as immutable truths. Some ethical guidelines are being formatted and replaced with more modern ones that correspond to new ideals.

Internal values, which are formed from childhood according to a given algorithm, are of great importance for a person’s life. They determine preferences and choice of goals, personal relationships, professional activities and much more. Having your own ideals helps a person develop and stick to his path in this world.

The importance of personal values

Values are what people value, what they extol above all else. These are phenomena, ideals or objects from different areas of life that are significant for each of us.

Values highlight what we stand for. It is a part of us, our unique, individual essence. Life priorities reflect our behavior ; they provide each of us with a code of conduct. And we get satisfaction if we follow and honor personal values.

Otherwise, bad habits begin to prevail, the person degrades or returns to childhood to raise self-esteem.

Factors influencing the formation of personal values

The development of a person’s personality begins in childhood, when a child, observing his parents, repeats their behavior, words, and learns their values, norms and rules. The formation of thinking, speech and self-awareness is impossible in isolation from society. Only by interacting with other people does a person create his own system of values and self-awareness. It is very difficult for an adult to change established beliefs and habits. This requires serious work with your inner world. It is important to lay down the right ideals and aspirations at a young age that will help you become happy.

A person’s values are formed as a result of the influence of several factors.

Family education. Relationships with parents are extremely important for a child's development. It is in the family that a child understands how to behave in society, learns a lot of new things, learns to speak, think, and acquires traditions and values. Interests, behavior, inclinations and habits - all this is formed in the family.
Educational establishments. The formation of values and norms of behavior also occurs when communicating with peers and other adults in schools, kindergartens and additional education institutions.
Social rules. The norms and rules of behavior existing in society encourage a person to follow them so as not to cause a negative attitude towards himself.
Introspection. The methods of modern psychotherapy and the study of one’s own thoughts, emotions and behavior allow a person to get to know himself better, as well as set his own boundaries and prevent the influence of alien values and attitudes on his own mind.

Do values change throughout life?

A person, as a rule, enters adult life with an already formed system of values. But this does not mean that until the end of his days it will remain unchanged. Life changes - priorities change, experience accumulates. All this leaves an imprint on the value-semantic sphere.

How do a person's priorities change? Most often this happens without his conscious participation. For example, due to age-related changes. Yesterday's teenager and a person who has crossed the 30-year mark are very different in their views, lifestyle, and habits. If for the first the main things in life can be pleasure and entertainment, then the second is more focused on family and career.

Also, accumulated negative experience can lead to the breakdown of the existing system of priorities. For example, a person was in a relationship for a long time, made plans to start a family, but his partner betrayed him. Having experienced severe pain and fearing a repetition of the situation, our hero decides to reduce the importance of the value “love” for himself and focus on his career. Or rather, his brain decides this for him, and he himself simply feels frustration in this area of life.

The meaning of the value system

The basis of personality is life values. His character and life depend on what things a person puts first. At the same time, the individual is responsible for his choice and its consequences. People with completely different life principles can come from the same family, as can be seen in the example of the children of Adam and Eve.

A person’s internal attitudes determine the choice of friends, profession, and life partner. People with different life values are unlikely to be able to find a common language and coexist peacefully. There will always be disputes and clashes of opinions. For example, a woman who puts relationships first will not be able to understand a man who only thinks about money.

What are life values?

So, a person’s life values can be called the scale of assessments and measures with the help of which he verifies and evaluates his life. During various periods of human existence, this scale was transformed and modified, but certain measures and assessments were always present in it and continue to be present now.

A person’s life values are absolute values - they occupy the first place in his worldview and have a direct impact on which areas of life will be a priority for him, and what he will perceive as secondary.

Are you living your chosen personal values?

When you have 5 to 10 core values left, see how you live them. How well do you live each of the values. Rate each on a scale from 1 to 10. Where 10 is the optimal rating.

Determine your level of satisfaction with each priority. You can write it down in a notepad or PDF document. Write the date at the top of the column. Do this assessment once a month or quarter. This way you can evaluate your progress.

For example, you scored 7 points for one of the values. What changes need to be made, what needs to happen in order to respect this value more?

This is where self-coaching invites you to come into play: