Every aspect of our being is guided by our core values.
Hundreds of decisions are made every day, both by individuals and by businesses. Each choice we make is motivated by our deepest convictions and serves a certain end. We’re here for one reason, and that’s to have our individual and group requirements met.
You may wonder, “Why are values so significant?” If this seems redundant and obvious to you, it’s intended. The very definition of “value” is “something which is important.” However, this is not only a fair question but also a profound one that defies a simple or surface response. In order to provide an adequate response, we must delve into the very depths of the human psyche and into the field of ontology (being-ness). Practically speaking, it forces one to confront very personal queries like, “What are you living for?” “Why do you spend so much time, effort, and money on X?”
What are Values?
Values are what you hold to be of the utmost importance. We make choices in accordance with our values, which are what drive us. Depending on our contexts — as individuals, as members of families, groups, communities, etc. — we may have a wide variety of values, some of which may even conflict with one another. These might also intersect, and they might develop in different ways at different times.
Much like other aspects of the human condition, values can be found on several different levels.
Physiological
Food, water, shelter, sleep, sex, exercise, money, and so on are all at the bottom of our hierarchy of needs. The issue of why they are crucial is simple to answer. These are the things that ensure our physical well-being, mental well-being, and readiness to take on the adventure that is life. You may be wondering, “So what?” Finally, we’ve reached the next logical step and asked ourselves “why did we ask the first why?”
Now that first area of values offers its own challenges. And primarily because those items are real, tangible, and empirical items. You can see them, hear them, feel them, smell them, and taste them. Unwittingly that has seduced most of us into thinking that “values” are externally real “things.” But they are not. You may value an item that you can see-hear-and-feel, but the actual value is intangible—living and feeling alive to life. Another seduction: You might over-value any one of these tangible things. You may semantically load it up with too many values and try to transform it into “the purpose of life.” Many people do that. They make food “the purpose of life,” or sex, or money, or just about anything that contributes to survival.
Safety, Love and Belonging
The next levels of values, using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, involve the things we value in others, in family, friends, and society. Maslow named them safety and security, love and affection, worth and dignity. The values in these levels arise because we are social beings and we need each other. In fact, all of the higher intelligent and pack animals also have these needs/ values. As a social group, they provide protection and stabilization, bonding and attachment, and worth and recognition. I love what Maslow said about that. “Be a good animal; have healthy appetites for these needs.” Yet in the end, you have only achieved the status of a good animal.
We value the needs of these social levels, even though they are less tangible, because with these, we not only survive, we thrive. Psychological research in the past hundred years have demonstrated repeatedly just how much we need stability (safety, security) in order to be psychologically healthy. If you are insecure in your world, you will tend to be on guard, defensive, non-trusting, suspicious, paranoid, etc. Not good. If you do not have secure attachments with other people, you will lack the social closeness and bonding that makes you a good friend, a good parent, a good employee, a good leader. You will again, be defensive, over-sensitive to sleights, untrusting, feel like a victim, blame, etc. And if you do not have a sense of your social value and dignity in your groups and communities, you will never feel “good enough,” always feel that you have to do more, have more, be more in order to be okay.
What we require for our own bodily and mental health and well-being are, therefore, the primary values we hold in this life. That’s why it’s true for both you and me that we already possess the innate basis for a code of ethics. And that was a huge finding for Maslow.
Self-Actualizing
As a whole, the self-actualizing needs that make up the final level of Maslow’s hierarchy are often overlooked. These are the things we need to have in order to be really human, to transcend beyond just being excellent animals. In this place, we have a desire to learn and understand, to find harmony and beauty in the world, to love and help others, to strive for perfection and make a positive impact, and so on. You don’t need them to stay alive, and you don’t need them to maintain a sound mind; rather, you require them so that your spirit and heart can flourish.
Why is it Important to have Values?
Why do we need values? To survive, to thrive, and to become all that you can become, to unleash your highest potentials and live life to the full. The way we feel about ourselves changes when our actions reflect our values. People are happier, more confident, and more fulfilled when their actions are in line with their values. Simply reflecting on what we hold dear reduces anxiety and boosts happiness, according to studies. When we stay true to our core values, we are better able to nurture our personal and collective development. They aid us in bringing into being the kind of future we like to see.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- [Neurons] 2022 Neurons #42 VALUES — WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT? by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. Executive Director, ISNS.
- https://myonlinetherapy.com/what-are-values-and-why-are-they-important/
