What Are Human Values?
Human values are our fundamental guiding principles–they shape our perceptions, influence our choices, and direct the path of our lives. They flow beneath the surface of every decision, conversation, and ambition. Psychologists and organizations measure these values using tools such as Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), the Rokeach Value Survey, and Barrett Values Centre assessments. The impact is profound: shared values can predict as much as 40% of team cohesion variance (Smith et al., 2020), shaping group culture and individual fulfillment alike.
History & Origins
The scientific journey into human values began in earnest in the 1970s. Milton Rokeach’s research marked a turning point, proposing that values were central to attitudes, motivations, and behaviors (Rokeach, 1973). In the 1990s, Shalom Schwartz advanced a cross-cultural model, identifying 10 broad value domains relevant in nearly every society (Schwartz, 1992). Since then, values research has expanded into leadership, organizational development, personal coaching, and even social justice movements, showing that clarified values are not just philosophical luxuries but drive tangible change. Contemporary studies now link value alignment to well-being, ethical resilience, and more effective collaboration.
The 10 Basic Human Values at a Glance
Schwartz’s model distills our complex motives into ten core values:
- Self-Direction: Independent thought and autonomous action
- Stimulation: Seeking novelty, variety, and excitement
- Hedonism: Pursuit of pleasure and sensual enjoyment
- Achievement: Personal success, competence, and ambition
- Power: Influence, social status, or dominance
- Security: Safety, harmony, and stability of self and society
- Conformity: Restraint of actions likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations
- Tradition: Respect and commitment to cultural or religious customs
- Benevolence: Preserving and enhancing the welfare of close others
- Universalism: Understanding, appreciation, and tolerance toward all people and nature
Research highlights the power of these values: high benevolence correlates with greater life satisfaction and social trust (Caprara & Steca, 2005). Similarly, those who value self-direction often report higher lifelong learning and adaptability (Schwartz, 2012).
Strengths & Pitfalls of Values Work
Strengths:- Boosts motivation: When actions align with core values, motivation becomes intrinsic and enduring (Ryan & Deci, 2000).
- Clarifies tough decisions: Knowing your values cuts through uncertainty; as one executive put it,
“A clear sense of values is the ultimate filter for big choices” (Barrett, 2017).
- Builds resilience: Value alignment buffers stress and predicts higher optimism under pressure (Schnell, 2009).
- Aligns ethics and behavior: Consistent values-action bridges the gap between intention and conduct (Schwartz, 2012).
- Values conflict triggers stress or paralysis: Competing values (e.g., achievement vs. benevolence) can cause indecision or internal strife.
- Cultural bias: Many value surveys unconsciously reflect the assumptions or “center of gravity” of their creators, risking mis-fit across cultures or backgrounds.
- Superficial adoption: It’s deceptively easy to list values, but without concrete behavioral change, the benefit remains theoretical.
Cross-Domain Parallels (“Integration Map”)
- Big Five Personality: Openness to Experience often travels hand-in-hand with a strong self-direction value, a curiosity for what could be.
- Enneagram: Type 2 (The Helper) is deeply motivated by benevolence, mapping values onto archetype.
- CliftonStrengths: “Achiever” is the embodiment of the Achievement value, fueling drive and persistence.
- Zodiac / Mythic Archetype: Leo’s mythos mirrors the drive for power and leadership, reminding us how values echo across cultures and symbolism.
Human Values in Lifemap’s 12 Life Categories
Career:
Insight: Values are the engine of purpose at work, shaping fulfillment more than any perk or promotion.
Prompt: “What task lights you up, even when no one’s watching?”
Relationships:
Insight: Shared or clashing values set invisible boundaries.
Prompt: “When did you last feel truly ‘in sync’ with someone, and which value linked you?”
Family:
Insight: Core values are both glue and friction in family life.
Prompt: “Which family disagreements actually reflect different core values?”
Emotional:
Insight: Values serve as a compass for making (and making sense of) tough feelings.
Prompt: “What emotion shows up when your core value is side-stepped or ignored?”
Spiritual:
Insight: Practices deepen when anchored to your transcendent values.
Prompt: “Which of your values feels connected to something bigger than yourself?”
Health & Fitness:
Insight: Values transform routines from chores to self-respect rituals.
Prompt: “How would your approach to health shift if self-care was a value, not a to-do?”
Lifestyle:
Insight: What we choose daily, how and where we live, mirrors our deepest held values.
Prompt: “What does your home or calendar quietly say about what you value?”
Financial:
Insight: Spending and saving habits are values in action, not just numbers.
Prompt: “Which purchase in the past month made you feel…proud?”
Community:
Insight: Shared values knit communities together, making belonging possible.
Prompt: “Where in your life do you already feel ‘part of something,’ and why?”
Creativity:
Insight: Authentic expression flourishes when aligned with core values.
Prompt: “When did you lose track of time creating, and which value was at play?”
Learning:
Insight: Deep learning is desire-driven, rooted in curiosity and self-direction.
Prompt: “What topic have you learned purely for its own sake?”
Life Vision:
Insight: Core values are the scaffolding for our longest-range ambitions.
Prompt: “Imagine five years forward–how does living your values change the story?”
The Lifemap Holistic Coaching Perspective
Clarifying what matters most—your deepest values—is powerful, but clarity alone is not enough. People often discover that knowing their values doesn’t always translate to real change or fulfillment. That’s why, in Lifemap’s holistic approach, we “stack” value insights with other powerful assessments: the Enneagram, the Big Five, VIA strengths, and more. By viewing ourselves through multiple lenses, we build a truly multidimensional map. Picture your core values as a north star, orienting your hero’s journey and shining steady light on every fork in the road. Integration, making sense across domains, turns insight into ongoing evolution.
Conclusion & Coaching Call-to-Action
Living by clarified values is more than wise counsel–it is scientifically linked to higher well-being and life achievement (Sagiv & Schwartz, 2020). Still, our values are not fixed. As context shifts and we grow, our inner compass adapts. The wise journey, then, is not only to name your values, but to let them fuel ever-new chapters of your story.
Ready to map your own legend? Lifemap invites you to join a free 7-day Hero’s Journey email quest, a guided exploration to bring your values from the page into daily
