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Essay on Human Values

Category: Essays and Paragraphs On November 20, 2018 By Aparna

What are the human values?  Human values are the principles that one should follow to live a happy and positive life. Truthfulness, punctuality, etc. are all human values. Previously people could do anything to follow the human values as truthfulness, respecting elders, etc. was everything for people, but now, a very short percentage among them are following human values.

Basic human values: The basic human values include a lot of points and the most basic one among them is loyalty, love, peace, honesty, truthfulness , etc.

If someone can follow all these basic human values, we can say that he must be a great human being because very fewer people follow these values and those who follow the values become great personalities in the world.

Why are human values important?  Here are some points that tell us why human values are important:

• Human values teach us to move in the right paths as most of the people we meet today will provide us a fake help and when we get to choose between two stages, we should listen to our human values which will always help us to move in the right direction.
• People have forgotten the value of goodness and beauty , and when they get taught about the values, they will stop thinking about lust and start appreciating the goodness of beauty in anyone.
• Human values build our character ; if we attain good values, then it is quite sure that we will have good character because a good character always have decent human values and that is why we may get seen as a great human being after we acquire great human values.
• Some of the human values help us to preserve the heritage and culture of our city and country, and that is why when someone says to adapt good heritage and culture, one should start adapting good human values.
• Human values always help in promoting peace and harmony among countries and among societies within a country.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic values:  Intrinsic values are the values which are inbuilt in every human being, and it gets said that those are the values that a human being has due to the genes of his parents . If the parents have good human values, the children would have those human values too.

Extrinsic values are those values which we get to learn from our surroundings that is why our parents want us to live in a good society because they know that we will learn what we will see and if we see good things, we will get to learn good human values. Mixing the intrinsic and the extrinsic values of a person, one can have some great human values which can make one a great human being.

Conclusion:  If the human values get adopted by everyone in the world, then the number of riots and fights in the world will get reduced massively. And the world can live in peace and harmony after that. If you don’t want to adopt human values for world’s peace, then adopt them for your best because you will achieve lots of new heights if new human values get learned by you. Learn human values and enjoy a better life.

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Essays About Values: 5 Essay Examples Plus 10 Prompts

Similar to how our values guide us, let this guide with essays about values and writing prompts help you write your essay.

Values are the core principles that guide the actions we take and the choices we make. They are the cornerstones of our identity. On a community or organizational level, values are the moral code that every member must embrace to live harmoniously and work together towards shared goals. 

We acquire our values from different sources such as parents, mentors, friends, cultures, and experiences. All of these build on one another — some rejected as we see fit — for us to form our perception of our values and what will lead us to a happy and fulfilled life.

5 Essay Examples

1. what today’s classrooms can learn from ancient cultures by linda flanagan, 2. stand out to your hiring panel with a personal value statement by maggie wooll, 3. make your values mean something by patrick m. lencioni, 4. how greed outstripped need by beth azar, 5. a shift in american family values is fueling estrangement by joshua coleman, 1. my core values, 2. how my upbringing shaped my values, 3. values of today’s youth, 4. values of a good friend, 5. an experience that shaped your values, 6. remembering our values when innovating, 7. important values of school culture, 8. books that influenced your values, 9. religious faith and moral values, 10. schwartz’s theory of basic values.

“Connectedness is another core value among Maya families, and teachers seek to cultivate it… While many American teachers also value relationships with their students, that effort is undermined by the competitive environment seen in many Western classrooms.”

Ancient communities keep their traditions and values of a hands-off approach to raising their kids. They also preserve their hunter-gatherer mindsets and others that help their kids gain patience, initiative, a sense of connectedness, and other qualities that make a helpful child.

“How do you align with the company’s mission and add to its culture? Because it contains such vital information, your personal value statement should stand out on your resume or in your application package.”

Want to rise above other candidates in the jobs market? Then always highlight your value statement. A personal value statement should be short but still, capture the aspirations and values of the company. The essay provides an example of a captivating value statement and tips for crafting one.

“Values can set a company apart from the competition by clarifying its identity and serving as a rallying point for employees. But coming up with strong values—and sticking to them—requires real guts.”

Along with the mission and vision, clear values should dictate a company’s strategic goals. However, several CEOs still needed help to grasp organizational values fully. The essay offers a direction in setting these values and impresses on readers the necessity to preserve them at all costs. 

“‘He compared the values held by people in countries with more competitive forms of capitalism with the values of folks in countries that have a more cooperative style of capitalism… These countries rely more on strategic cooperation… rather than relying mostly on free-market competition as the United States does.”

The form of capitalism we have created today has shaped our high value for material happiness. In this process, psychologists said we have allowed our moral and ethical values to drift away from us for greed to take over. You can also check out these essays about utopia .

“From the adult child’s perspective, there might be much to gain from an estrangement: the liberation from those perceived as hurtful or oppressive, the claiming of authority in a relationship, and the sense of control over which people to keep in one’s life. For the mother or father, there is little benefit when their child cuts off contact.”

It is most challenging when the bonds between parent and child weaken in later years. Psychologists have been navigating this problem among modern families, which is not an easy conflict to resolve. It requires both parties to give their best in humbling themselves and understanding their loved ones, no matter how divergent their values are. 

10 Writing  Prompts On Essays About Values

For this topic prompt, contemplate your non-negotiable core values and why you strive to observe them at all costs. For example, you might value honesty and integrity above all else. Expound on why cultivating fundamental values leads to a happy and meaningful life. Finally, ponder other values you would like to gain for your future self. Write down how you have been practicing to adopt these aspired values. 

Many of our values may have been instilled in us during childhood. This essay discusses the essential values you gained from your parents or teachers while growing up. Expound on their importance in helping you flourish in your adult years. Then, offer recommendations on what households, schools, or communities can do to ensure that more young people adopt these values.

Is today’s youth lacking essential values, or is there simply a shift in what values generations uphold? Strive to answer this and write down the healthy values that are emerging and dying. Then think of ways society can preserve healthy values while doing away with bad ones. Of course, this change will always start at home, so also encourage parents, as role models, to be mindful of their words, actions and behavior.  

The greatest gift in life is friendship. In this essay, enumerate the top values a friend should have. You may use your best friend as an example. Then, cite the best traits your best friend has that have influenced you to be a better version of yourself. Finally, expound on how these values can effectively sustain a healthy friendship in the long term. 

We all have that one defining experience that has forever changed how we see life and the values we hold dear. Describe yours through storytelling with the help of our storytelling guide . This experience may involve a decision, a conversation you had with someone, or a speech you heard at an event.  

With today’s innovation, scientists can make positive changes happen. But can we truly exercise our values when we fiddle with new technologies whose full extent of positive and adverse effects we do not yet understand such as AI? Contemplate this question and look into existing regulations on how we curb the creation or use of technologies that go against our values. Finally, assess these rules’ effectiveness and other options society has. 

Highlight a school’s role in honing a person’s values. Then, look into the different aspects of your school’s culture. Identify which best practices distinct in your school are helping students develop their values. You could consider whether your teachers exhibit themselves as admirable role models or specific parts of the curriculum that help you build good character. 

In this essay, recommend your readers to pick up your favorite books, particularly those that served as pathways to enlightening insights and values. To start, provide a summary of the book’s story. It would be better if you could do so without revealing too much to avoid spoiling your readers’ experience. Then, elaborate on how you have applied the values you learned from the book.

For many, religious faith is the underlying reason for their values. For this prompt, explore further the inextricable links between religion and values. If you identify with a certain religion, share your thoughts on the values your sector subscribes to. You can also tread the more controversial path on the conflicts of religious values with socially accepted beliefs or practices, such as abortion. 

Dive deeper into the ten universal values that social psychologist Shalom Schwartz came up with: power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, and security. Look into their connections and conflicts against each other. Then, pick your favorite value and explain how you relate to it the most. Also, find if value conflicts within you, as theorized by Schwartz.

Make sure to check out our round-up of the best essay checkers . If you want to use the latest grammar software, read our guide on using an AI grammar checker .

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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Essay on Values for Students and Children

500+ words essay on values.

Importance of Values

For an individual, values are most important. An individual with good values is loved by everyone around as he is compassionate about others and also he behaves ethically.

Values Help in Decision Making

A person is able to judge what is right and what is wrong based on the values he imbibes. In life at various steps, it makes the decision-making process easier. A person with good values is always likely to make better decisions than others.

Values Can Give Direction to Our Life

In life, Values give us clear goals. They always tell us how we should behave and act in different situations and give the right direction to our life. In life, a person with good values can take better charge.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Values Can Build Character

If a person wants a strong character, then he has to possesses good values such as honesty , loyalty, reliability, efficiency, consistency, compassion, determination, and courage. Values always help in building our character.

Values Can Help in Building a Society

If u want a better society then people need to bear good values. Values play an important role in society. They only need to do their hard work, with compassion, honesty, and other values. Such people will help in the growth of society and make it a much better place to live.

Characteristics of Values

Values are always based on various things. While the basic values remain the same across cultures and are intact since centuries some values may vary. Values may be specific to a society or age. In the past, it was considered that women with good moral values must stay at home and not voice their opinion on anything but however, this has changed over time. Our culture and society determine the values to a large extent. We imbibe values during our childhood years and they remain with us throughout our life.

Family always plays the most important role in rendering values to us. Decisions in life are largely based on the values we possess. Values are permanent and seldom change. A person is always known by the values he possesses. The values of a person always reflect on his attitude and overall personality.

The Decline of Values in the Modern Times

While values are of great importance and we are all aware of the same unfortunately people these days are so engrossed in making money and building a good lifestyle that they often overlook the importance of values. At the age when children must be taught good values, they are taught to fight and survive in this competitive world. Their academics and performance in other activities are given importance over their values.

Parents , as well as teachers, teach them how to take on each other and win by any means instead of inculcating good sportsman spirit in them and teaching them values such as integrity, compassion, and patience. Children always look up to their elders as their role models and it is unfortunate that elders these days have a lack of values. Therefore the children learn the same.

In order to help him grow into a responsible and wise human being, it is important for people to realize that values must be given topmost priority in a child’s life because children are the future of the society. There can be nothing better in a society where a majority of people have good values and they follow the ethical norms.

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• Values Essay

Essay on Values

Values are principles or moral standards that define someone’s behavior and judgment about what is important in life. Human society cannot sustain itself if there are no values instilled in humans. They are the essence of our personality and influence us to make decisions, deal with people and organize our time and energy in our social and professional life. Values differ greatly among individuals. The character of each person is shaped by the set of values he cherishes. Along with our academic courses, we are also educated to follow certain values throughout life. This value-oriented education helps us to develop the temper of our mind, compassion in our heart, cooperation with others, tolerance towards others, respect for the culture of other groups, etc. Helpfulness, honesty, self-discipline are all examples of personalized values.

Inculcate Values from Childhood

People learn most of their values in the early years of their life from those they see around them. Children absorb these values from their parents and teachers. Families and educators play a crucial role in building values in children and students as they see them as role models. One can also learn about the morals of the good life from the holy and religious books. Childhood and the teenage period is the most crucial phase in a person’s life because it is at this time that one cultivates most of his normal principles or values. Human values are formed by different stages and incidents in one’s life, especially in teenage and college life. Education without values tends to make a man miserable. Hence, it becomes of the utmost importance to impart correct and positive values among children and students. 

Diminishing of Values in Modern Times

In modern times, people have become extremely self-centered and have forgotten their instincts. They run behind success and want to win at any cost. It has become a rat race and humans have become mechanical like robots without feelings and values. They have become heartless and lack morals. Success may come to us but in the end, we do not feel a sense of fulfillment because of the lack of values within us. It is very important to taste success in life by keeping values at the top of anything else. This will give us joy from the inside that can never be destroyed. Values such as sharing, patience, hard work, curiosity, politeness, kindness, integrity, and other good behavioral attitudes help us to get through in life. These positive instincts will bring true success in life. One can never feel happiness and peace if one tries to build a castle at the cost of someone else’s happiness. Good nature never allows one to perform under pressure or greed. It is important to have a sharp and bright mind but it is far more important to have a good heart. 

Importance of Values in Life

Value creation is an ongoing process. It also means amending one’s wrong behavior. Schools and colleges must conduct regular counselling sessions and moral education classes to help in this regard. Apart from this, since early childhood, parents and guardians should talk about the importance of values with their children. 

Teaching children to help in household activities, making them share their toys and other stuff with their siblings, teaching them to respect their grandparents, etc., help in inculcating some most important values like patience and sharing among them. 

Participation in school activities like organizing events, doing group projects results in students learning values like adjustment, cooperation, perseverance and tolerance. There are also values fundamental to identifying one’s culture. 

Values Important for Society

As human values play a vital role in society, they are regarded as the basis for human beings to lead better life. Hence, the importance of values in a civilized society is immense. People with the right values in life will be a pillar for the development of society and the nation. They will not only go in the right direction themselves but will also teach others to do the same. With the right beliefs and values, one can make the right decisions in life. Being humble, empathetic towards others, self-discipline, having courage and integrity will not help one to climb the ladder of success but also make one strong so that he can make breakthroughs in all obstacles and challenges in life.

An individual's values determine the decisions that he or she makes. Using these opposing things as a basis, an individual must choose between two things. The life of someone with good values is always prosperous, whereas a person with bad values is a liability to society. Individuals' values are shaped by the schools they attend, their parents, their homes, colleagues, and friends.

A child can be made into a good person by being molded and motivated. If one were to follow such a path, they would be prevented from engaging in corrupt practices. This prevents him or her from leading an unethical life. This gives him or her a deeper understanding of what is right and wrong. In an ideal world, a person should have all moral values in place, be disciplined, and have good manners. Life in an ideal world would be simple. Life is rich and luxurious in that respect.

Values should be instilled from a Young Age

Most people learn their values from the people around them in the first few years of their lives. Parents and teachers help instill these values in children. Educators and parents play an important role in the development of values in students, as the latter view them as role models. The holy and religious books can also instruct the reader about good morals. During childhood and adolescence, a person forms the majority of the values that she or he uses in everyday living. Values are formed by different phases and incidents in a person's life, especially as they develop in the teenage and college years. Man can become miserable without values. Educating children and students about correct and positive values becomes extremely important. 

Values have diminished in Modern Times

Modern society has become extremely self-centered and has forgotten its instincts. Success is the ultimate goal, and they will do anything to win. People are becoming more robotic and valueless like robots, and they have turned into a rat race. Their morals have become skewed and they have become heartless. Even if we achieve success, we may not feel fulfilled because we lack moral values. Keeping values at the top of our priorities is vital for tasteful success in life. Doing so will give us inner happiness that we can never lose. In life, values like supporting each other, being patient, hardworking, curious, being polite, being kind, being honest, being true, and having integrity will help us succeed. We must apply these traits to succeed in the world of work. Building a castle at the expense of the happiness of others will never bring happiness and peace. It is inconceivable for a good-natured person to perform under pressure or greed. The richness of a good heart far outweighs the importance of a sharp and bright mind.

Values are Important in Life

The process of creating value is ongoing. To create value, one must also rectify undesirable behavior. Counseling programs and moral education classes in schools and colleges are helpful in this respect. Moreover, parents and guardians need to talk to their children about values from early childhood. 

Children are taught some very important values including sharing and patience by helping with household chores, sharing their toys and other belongings with their siblings, respecting their grandparents, etc. 

Students learn values such as adjustment, cooperation, perseverance, and tolerance through school activities such as organizing events, doing group projects. Cultural values are also essential to understanding oneself. 

Society's Values

Considering that human values are regarded as a basis for achieving a better quality of life, they are considered an essential part of society. A civilized society, therefore, places great importance on values. In order to develop society and the country, people should have the right values in their lives. Those who follow the right course will not only lead themselves in the right direction but will also instruct others. Making the right choices in life is possible with the right beliefs and values. The attributes of humility, empathy, self-discipline, courage, and integrity not only enable one to succeed in life but will also help one to overcome obstacles and develop resilience in the face of challenges.

Values as Characteristics

The value of something is always determined by many factors. Although some values might differ from culture to culture, some values have remained intact for centuries. Cultures and eras may have different values. Women with moral values were previously considered to be expected to stay at home and not express their opinions, but this has changed over time. Values are largely determined by culture and society. Our childhood years are the time when we imbibe values that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

When it comes to valuing something, the family is our top priority. Our values influence our choices in life. They are rarely altered. You can always tell who someone is by the values they possess. An individual's personality and attitude are constantly determined by his values.

We learn about some good and bad actions through education, but we learn how to distinguish between them by virtue of values. An educational experience should be as rich in moral values and character as possible. Education filled with values can empower a student to become virtuous. With values-laden education, poverty, corruption, and unemployment can be eliminated while social ills are banished. Having high values instills self-motivation and helps a person progress in the right direction. 

Respect for elders, kindness, compassion, punctuality, sincerity, honesty and good manners are important values. Little ones are often seen throwing rocks and garages at animals, pelting stones at animals on the roadside, teasing animals, and bullying their friends and younger siblings. They might ultimately commit big crimes in the future if no steps are taken to check on these activities.

People with high moral values are respected in society. That contributes to their spiritual development. Valuable characteristics define a person as a whole. The path of righteousness motivates people to reach their goals by following all good values. A person is also responsible for instilling values in the upcoming generations. It is important that people never stray from their morals and always motivate others to pay attention to the same. 

Education teaches about good and bad actions while values help us to differentiate between them. Real education should come with moral values and character. Education with values can lead a person to the path of virtue. Education laden with values can help to eradicate poverty, corruption, and unemployment and remove social ills. A person can be self-motivated and advance in the right direction only when he is instilled with high values. 

FAQs on Values Essay

1. What Do You Understand By Values?

Values are principles or moral standards that define someone’s behaviour and judgment about what is important in life.

2. How Can Parents and Teachers Help Children to Learn Values of Life?

Parents and teachers must teach children about values of life with their own life experiences. They should discuss the moral values taught in the holy and religious books. Teaching them to help each other by doing household chores, sharing toys and other stuff with their siblings and respecting their elders and grandparents will inculcate good values in their lives. Participation in school activities like organizing events, doing group projects result in students learning values like adjustment, cooperation, perseverance and tolerance.

3. What are the Behavioural Attitudes a Man Must Have?

A man must have humility, empathy, courage, integrity, kindness, perseverance, and self-discipline as behavioural attitudes.

4. How is Value Important for Society?

People with the right values in life will be a pillar for the development of society and the nation. They will not only go in the right direction themselves but will also teach others to do the same. With the right beliefs and values, one can make the right decisions in life. Being humble, empathetic towards others, self-discipline, having courage and integrity will not help one to climb the ladder of success but also make one strong so that he can make breakthroughs in all obstacles and challenges in life.

5. How can We inculcate Values into Young Children in Five Innovative Ways?

Children can be inculcated with values in five innovative ways:

Show movies and pictures that inspire.

Organizing.

Providing the opportunity for Service.

A self-reflection exercise.

Observation. 

6. What are the Most Important Values that Need to be Taught to Children?

Be respectful of elders.

A willingness to sacrifice.

Education is of great importance.

Love for the family.

The ability to persevere.

Embrace the spirit of religion.

The act of being charitable.

The ability to be honest.

Being self-disciplined can be rewarding.

 7. What is the Secret to Becoming Courageous?

A willingness to take on difficult tasks in challenging circumstances. A person's courage can be measured by how they deal with fear in difficult or unpleasant situations. Under unfavorable circumstances, it is about facing agony and pain with bravery. In order for this habit to be successful, children must also be involved.

8. How does it Result in a Prosperous Society?

Growing physically and intellectually.

A society free of crime is possible.

Social development.

A boon for the nation.

Make the world a better place.

Eradicating social ills.

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18 Values and the Human Being

Jan Cieciuch, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychology Cardinal Wyszynski University in Warsaw Warsaw, Poland

Psychology Department, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

• Published: 06 November 2017
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This chapter examines psychological and philosophical traditions in the study of values. It explores two perspectives on values that are useful for thinking about their role in understanding what it means to be human. The internal perspective focuses on the roles values play in the psychological functioning of people and how they relate to human essence. The external perspective describes how values are produced and acquired both in phylogenesis and in ontogenesis and how that contributes to human essence. It is suggested that the phylogenetic perspective explains the pan-cultural agreement in value hierarchies and the ontogenetic perspective explains both the assimilation of the cultural system of values and inter-individual diversity. The chapter also considers relations between personality and values and the metaphysical interpretation of values. Finally, it reflects on the relevance of values to human essence.

The concept of values frequently appears in everyday conversations and journalism and in the discourses of various social sciences and humanities. As a result, the term flickers with meanings. Nonetheless, these many meanings share a core connotation, the idea of importance. A value is an object that is, or is considered to be, important. Most users of the term in the various scientific and non-scientific discourses agree with this broad conception. This conception situates the category of values at the center of the debate about what constitutes the essence of being human.

This chapter differentiates two perspectives on values that are useful for thinking about their role in understanding what it means to be human. The internal perspective describes the roles values play in the psychological functioning of people and how they relate to human essence. The external perspective describes how values are produced and acquired both in phylogenesis and in ontogenesis and how that contributes to human essence.

The internal perspective refers to the unique role of values as the source of valuation in the psychological functioning of individual human beings. The category of importance is inherent in subjective human experience because people not only perceive reality but also evaluate it. Psychological research shows that pure cognitive insight, without assessment and valuation, is extremely difficult, if not impossible (e.g., Balcetis & Dunning, 2006 ). Thus, values and evaluation are already present at the elementary level of emotional and cognitive processes where things and events are treated as important or unimportant in a natural and automatic way. Moreover, because values define particular goals and other objectives as more or less important, they have a motivational power to propel or inhibit behavior and influence decisions.

The second perspective is external in the sense that it views values as external to the individual human being, as an element of the culture. Cultures and institutions provide socially shared definitions of what should be viewed as important and desirable and what should motivate individuals. People learn the language of values, the terms used to refer to what is important, through social interaction within a culture. Each culture promotes or discourages the pursuit of particular sets of values.

When people feel, think, act, make decisions, or justify them, they continually weigh the relative importance of objects. In so doing, they use values that have shared meanings in their culture. Most often, applying values takes place outside of conscious awareness. Values are especially significant as bases of extreme behaviors, whether heroic or horrific. We draw on values to understand and explain why people make radical life changes, donate their fortunes for a cause, or carry out terrorist acts that destroy their own lives and those of random victims. We assume that such people highly value extreme goals, whereas most of us consider such goals less important or even objectionable.

In the next section, we first present the non-psychological sources of the psychological concept of value and explain how they influence the contemporary psychological meaning and use of this concept. Then, we present a brief summary of current psychological knowledge about values. We focus on the content of values, the roles they play in psychological functioning, and how they relate to human essence. That is the internal perspective mentioned earlier. After that, we address the question of how values are produced and acquired. That is the external, cultural perspective. We distinguish phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives. The former describes human beings as creators of values; the latter describes human beings as influenced and to some extent created by the values that constitute a core element of their culture. In the final sections, we examine possible alternative interpretations of the external location of values and present conclusions about the relevance of values to human essence.

What Are Values?

The concept of values is less central in psychology than in such philosophical disciplines as axiology or ethics. Hence, psychologists have discussed and elaborated it less. What is specific to the approach of psychology? In principle, psychology does not talk about the nature of values or their justification and does not formulate any judgments about correctness or right and wrong. Such judgements are typical for axiology or ethics. Rather, psychology talks about evaluation , for which values provide criteria of judgment, or about generalized preferences, which are implicitly grounded in values. Social and cognitive psychology typically focus on evaluation as a kind of act whereas personality and individual differences psychology typically focus on preferences as a kind of latent disposition . Both concepts (evaluations and preferences) meet in the concept of attitude. Attitudes differ from values in that they vary on favorability rather than on importance and they refer to specific objects rather than broad, abstract goals. However, the valences attached to attitudes derive from their perceived consequences for underlying values.

The psychological approach to values is somewhat analogous to other phenomena that psychology studies. For example, psychology investigates how people use logical rules but does not concern itself with the validity of these rules. Similarly, psychology investigates the mechanisms that underlie people’s faith in God but does not seek to judge the existence of God. Psychology does not take it upon itself to decide what is right or wrong regarding the rules of logic or God’s existence, or various other ethical issues. When it comes to the psychology of values, however, the case is more complicated. Partly due to the philosophical heritage of this concept, researchers (especially from other social sciences) and lay people who read the psychological literature may infer that the study of values entails making right-wrong judgments. The concept of values resembles a palimpsest, a parchment or the like from which writing has been erased in order to reuse it. Because erasure is never perfect, as we note next for values, the old writing is still seen even if it is unwanted.

The Philosophical Heritage of the Psychological Concept of Values

The concept of values became widely used in philosophy in the nineteenth century ( Edel, 1988 ; Gebhardt, 1989 ). Therefore, when it entered psychology from philosophy, it was still a relatively new philosophical concept. Although the values concept already had various meanings, these meanings were just developing and poorly established. They were still taking shaped in dialogue with psychology and other social sciences. Thus, the emergence of this concept in philosophy and its current functioning in philosophical discourse has a certain psychological aspect. What philosophers previously simply called the “good” was multiplied and subjectified . Multiplying refers to a shift from the singular “good” to the plural “values” ( Joas, 1998 ). Subjectifying refers to a shift from viewing the importance of values as objective to viewing their importance as a product of each individual’s subjective choice.

The semantic core of the concept of values is importance, as noted. However, psychology has been more concerned with the process of valuation , that is, with individuals’ preferences among values. Thus, the psychological analysis of values always relates, perforce, to values in the plural. This follows from the multiplicity of values as understood in philosophy. In the modern period (starting in the 17th century), the idea that there is an objective, singular good began to be questioned (see Copleston, 1958 ). Instead, the idea took hold that what is good depends on who the judge is. Because different people consider different objectives good, the subjective view of values in philosophy led to their multiplication.

The idea of multiple, subjective values in philosophy is often linked to the relativistic view of values, the idea that all or many value hierarchies are equally justified. This idea is natural for psychology because psychology is concerned with how and what people decide is important, not with what should be important for human beings. However, in philosophy, the multiplicity of values does not necessarily imply relativism. Philosophers have continued to try to develop and justify an objective or true hierarchy of values. Some philosophers argue for the existence of such a hierarchy of values by grounding them in their explication of human nature. Scheler (1913) is one of the most influential examples.

Psychological Definition of Values

In contrast to the flickering meanings of values in philosophy and in the history of psychology, their definition in contemporary psychology is quite precise and careful. Values are defined and formulated in language that can be operationalized easily. Regardless of the definition, however, the semantic baggage of old meanings persists. It may not appear in empirical research papers that address specific issues of the psychology of values, but it crops up in discussions about values at conferences and in the reception of psychological knowledge outside of the world of science.

Definitions of values proposed by Rokeach (1973) and Schwartz ( 1992 , 1994 ) reflect the current psychological understanding of this concept. Rokeach (1973 , p. 5) defined values as “enduring beliefs that a specific mode of conduct or end state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end state of existence.” Schwartz (1994 , p. 21) defined values as “desirable trans-situational goals, varying in importance, which serve as guiding principles in the life of a person or other social entity.” Both definitions point to the question of the content of values, in other words, to the catalogue of values.

The Motivational Content of Values

Allport and Vernon (1931) proposed the first significant catalogue of values in psychology. They drew on the philosophical writings of Spranger (1914) who had suggested a personality typology based on six aspects of culture: economics, politics, ethics, art, science, and religion. Allport and Vernon specified values that express each of these aspects of culture (for example, economic values included usefulness, frugality, and practicality , and aesthetic values included harmony, beauty, and form) . Individuals’ preferences among these values were significant features of their personality.

Rokeach (1973) proposed a catalogue of values that contrasted with Allport’s in its cognitive emphasis on beliefs. Rokeach adopted a strategy more natural to the social sciences; he derived his catalogue of values inductively. The strategy consisted of two phases. In the first phase, he generated a long list of terms intended to include all of the concepts that represent values. He constructed this list by reviewing literature on values and by questioning a sample of people about what they value in life. In the second phase, he reduced this extensive list by eliminating synonymous, highly correlated, and extremely positive values. He assumed that people actually have only a limited number of values. Rokeach’s catalogue includes 18 terminal values (i.e., desirable end-states of existence, e.g., wisdom, true friendship, equality ) and 18 instrumental values (i.e., preferred modes of behavior, e.g., self-control, helpfulness, honesty ). Respondents rank each set of values in terms of importance. Both these catalogues consist of discrete lists of values but do not consider how values relate to one another in an integrated system.

Schwartz (1992) postulated that human values form an integrated conceptual system. His analyses of data based on Rokeach’s catalogue suggested that the conflicts people experience when pursuing different values give rise to a coherent structure of relations among the values. He then formulated a model of the values likely to motivate people across cultures. This model proposed that values are organized in a circular motivational continuum that encompasses the vast number of different values recognized by people everywhere. Motivationally compatible values are close together in this circle whereas values whose motivations conflict are distant from one another, on opposite sides of the circle. Compatibility between values decreases as distance around the circle increases. People differ in the importance that they ascribe to the different values, that is, in their own personal value hierarchies. But the same circular motivational continuum presumably describes the conflicts within every person’s value hierarchy.

The motivational continuum of values with different possibilities to divide the value circle (adapted from Schwartz et al., 2012 ).

The original version of the Schwartz (1992) theory suggested that it would be scientifically useful to partition the circular continuum of numerous values into ten basic values or four higher order basic values. Later, in their refined theory of human values, Schwartz and colleagues (Schwartz et al., 2012 , 2017 ) partitioned the circle into 19 more narrowly defined basic values. Respondents in ten countries discriminated the values and each value showed distinct relations with attitudes and behaviors ( Schwartz, et al., 2012 ; Schwartz et al., 2017 ). Figure 18.1 presents the circular representation of the 19 narrowly defined values in the refined theory. Table 18.1 defines each value. Based on these definitions, Schwartz generated sets of value items to operationalize each value.

The 19 narrowly defined values in the center of Figure 18.1 can be grouped into the original ten values plus two new values, face and humility. The first circular band from the center of the circle shows this grouping. These values can be further grouped into four higher order values, shown in the second circular band, with hedonism, humility, and face on the boundaries. The higher order values form two dimensions. The first, openness to change versus conservation, represents the conflict between valuing independence of thought, action, and feelings and readiness for change (self-direction, stimulation) and valuing order, self-restriction, preservation of the past, and resistance to change (security, conformity, tradition). The second, self-enhancement versus self-transcendence, represents the conflict between valuing concern for the welfare and interests of others (universalism, benevolence) and valuing pursuit of one’s own interests and relative success and dominance over others (power, achievement).

The third circular band from the middle of Figure 18.1 divides the values based on the interests that value attainment serves. The values on the left primarily regulate how one expresses personal interests and characteristics. Values on the right primarily regulate how one relates socially to others and affects their interests. The outermost circular band distinguishes values that express motivations concerned with self-protection and avoiding or overcoming anxiety (bottom half) from those that express motivations for growth and self-expansion without anxiety (top half). This division of the value circle corresponds to the distinction between intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation proposed by Ryan and Deci (2000) and, in part, to Higgins’ (1998) two basic systems of self-regulation (see Schwartz, 2016 ). Values concerned with self-protection relate to extrinsic motivation and avoidance of punishment; values that express a growth motivation relate to intrinsic motivation and pursuit of rewards.

The circular model of values proposed by Schwartz (1992) changed the thinking about the catalogue of values that are important to people. Previous catalogues viewed each value as an independent entity and sought to specify a limited set of values that would adequately describe a person’s value system. Things look very different with a catalogue of values that array themselves as a motivational circle. Metaphorically speaking, the circular value space is closed, finite, and filled with all possible values. The values listed in any particular catalogue of values are all located within this space. Their locations reflect their motivational compatibility or conflict with all the other values.

Cieciuch, Schwartz, and Davidov (2015) formulated four far-reaching implications of the circular structure of values: (1) All values recognized across human cultures are located on the motivational continuum of values. (2) Researchers can divide the motivational continuum into as many or as few specific values as useful for their objectives, but the circular order predetermines the relations among these values. (3) The circular structure of values reflects the similarities of adjacent elements of the circle and the dissimilarities (or conflicts) between elements on opposite sides of the circle. (4) The structure of values provides a matrix that can reveal the motivational meaning of any particular value by examining its location relative to the other values in the circle.

The circular arrangement of values reflects both the internal and external perspectives already differentiated. The circular structure is a product of the types of motivation that the values express. At the same time, the circular structure is a matrix for the values that the culture promotes and transmits. The motivational meaning of the values is defined by their location in the value circle, but the language or terms used to articulate the values are products of the culture.

Analyses of data from over 75 countries, including 40 national representative samples, has supported the circular structure of values ( Cieciuch et al., 2015 ; Schwartz, 1994 , Schwartz et al., 2012 ). These data were gathered using several different measuring instruments. It is not always possible to distinguish every one of the values ( Davidov, Schmidt, & Schwartz, 2008 ). However, the data consistently support the circular structure (Bilsky, Janik, & Schwartz, 2011 ) even among 6-year-old children ( Döring et al., 2015 ).

As expressions of basic motivations, values are relevant to what people think and feel and how they behave. Research demonstrates the impact of individual differences in value priorities on cognitive processes of attention, perception, and memory, on emotional processes, and on attitudes, well-being, and behavior (see summaries in Cieciuch et al., 2015 , Schwartz, 2016 ). People act in order to attain, affirm, or preserve the goals that their important values express. The impact of values on cognition, emotion, and behavior often occurs outside of conscious awareness. This is especially so with regard to everyday behavior, which many other factors influence as well. The more significant an action in terms of its potential costs and benefits, the more likely it is that people will consciously draw on their values in making decisions and in planning how to accomplish their goals.

Expressing one’s values is itself a type of behavioral act. Stating, for example, that one holds freedom more important than equality (or vice versa) presents a worldview that differentiates people and affects one’s relations to others. Such value preferences have consequences for subsequent decisions (e.g., support for civil rights; Rokeach, 1973 ). Expressing one’s value preferences can also affect interpersonal relationships. It can help to establish relationships and draw people together, strengthening group solidarity. It can also lead to and justify exclusion and enmity, increasing alienation, resentment, or aggression.

The Schwartz model of values posits the universality of the circular structure but treats the hierarchy of value priorities as a matter of individual differences. However, cross-cultural studies have revealed widespread consensus across almost all countries in the average value hierarchies of individuals. Average value hierarchies exhibit the following pattern: values of benevolence, self-direction, and universalism are consistently the most important; power, tradition, and stimulation are the least important; and security, conformity, achievement, and hedonism are in between ( Schwartz & Bardi, 2001 ). At the same time, there is a great deal of variation in value hierarchies among individuals and subgroups within countries (Fischer & Schwartz, 2011 ). This raises two questions. What explains the pan-cultural similarity of value hierarchies at the country level and what explains the variation of value hierarchies at the individual level? Both these questions relate directly to the issue of human essence and culture.

Values as a Core Element of Culture and of Human Beings

To answer these questions we differentiate between phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives on the human-culture relationship. In the phylogenetic perspective, human beings create culture; in the ontogenetic perspective, culture largely co-creates human beings. We suggest that the phylogenetic perspective explains the pan-cultural agreement in value hierarchies and the ontogenetic perspective explains both the assimilation of the cultural system of values and inter-individual diversity.

The Phylogenetic Perspective on Human Values

The basic imperative of the human being as a biological entity is to live and survive. However, survival is possible only by coordination among people living in groups. Consequently, coordinated social interaction and insuring the survival of groups are universal human requirements. Schwartz (1992) therefore suggested that every value is grounded in at least one of three universal requirements of human survival: (a) needs of individuals as biological organisms, (b) requisites of coordinated social interaction, and (c) survival and welfare requirements of groups.

According to Schwartz ( 1992 , 1994 ), values are the language through which individuals can communicate their goals and coordinate in pursuing them and in preserving their group. Values are translations of the three universal requirements into goals that are socially acceptable. The development of this value language is a product of the culture, understood as a shared meaning system ( Hofstede, 2000 ). The culture, in turn, is built on a biological basis and ultimately functions to ensure the survival of the species.

Another function of culture is to generate and communicate a prescriptive hierarchy of values that can maximize the fulfillment of basic individual and group needs. This perspective views needs as the biological facts that precede and underlie culture and values as the core element of culture. Schwartz and Bardi (2001) explained the pan-cultural hierarchy of values by considering the functions of the ten basic values for individual and group welfare and survival. They suggested that benevolence is typically the most important value because it is most critical for the smooth functioning of the family, the primary group on which the survival of the young individual depends. Benevolence values promote cooperative and supportive relations among family members even when they do not share interests. Self-direction is usually the second most important value because the survival and prosperity of individuals and groups requires that individuals take independent initiatives and generate new ideas and solutions to the inevitable challenges that arise during task performance.

These explanations correspond with Grossberg’s (1987) suggestion regarding the requirements for the successful operation of complex information processing systems in changing environments. Such systems need to incorporate two different subsystems, one responsible for maintaining stability and the other for enabling plasticity and adaptation to new inputs. Individual human beings must also integrate these two systems in order to survive and preserve their well-being. They must maintain personal and social stability while, at the same time, adapting to changing environmental conditions. Basic personal values and their hierarchical order promoted by the culture contribute to achieving these goals.

The Ontogenetic Perspective on Human Values

The phylogenetic perspective presented previously explains why there is substantial consensus in value priorities across societies and cultures. However, within societies, there is substantial variation in value priorities across individuals ( Fischer & Schwartz, 2011 ). Value differences and conflicts are a common feature of everyday life. Many factors account for individual differences in value priorities, beginning with each person’s unique genetic heritage and extending to the person’s location in the social structure of society.

Kluckhohn and Murray (1953) wrote that every person is like all other persons, like some other persons, and like no other person. By identifying needs shared by all people, the phylogenetic perspective points to the way every person is like all other persons. The ontogenetic perspective points to the way every person is like some other persons. Each of us is born with a set of genetic tendencies, physical capacities and potentials, and temperaments that affect what becomes important to us. Equally critical, we spend our lives in social and cultural settings that influence what we value more or less. We share the inborn tendencies and life experiences that shape our motivational tendencies with some others and to some extent.

To grasp how life experience shapes values, consider that humans are embedded in sets of social institutions, families, peer groups, education systems, and so on, which mediate their contact with the physical and cultural environment ( Schwartz, 2014 ). The latent normative value system of the surrounding culture influences each of these institutions, but each institution adapts the values to fit its own objectives and circumstances. Within the limits set by the culture, institutions specialize in transmitting particular values. Families give extra emphasis to benevolence values, universities to self-direction, the military to conformity, small businesses to achievement, and corporations to power. People are exposed to the variety of institutions in their society to different degrees. And people respond to institutional pressures and contingencies in unique ways that reflect their inherited traits, their past experience, and their current values and goals.

Consider, for example, people born with a biologically based motivational tendency for sensation seeking. They may transform that tendency into a high priority for stimulation values. However, whether, and to what extent they do so depends on the reactions of family and others. Moreover, how they express their stimulation values, whether in crime or dangerous sports, for instance, depends upon the availability of such outlets in the society and their acceptability in the culture. In sum, individuals’ value systems are the product of interaction between the latent culture transmitted by the institutions with which they come in contact and the motivational tendencies and experiences they bring to that contact. And the expression of values in action is dependent on the social and cultural environment.

The model of three levels of personality proposed by McAdams and Pals (2006) is a useful way to describe values from an ontogenetic perspective and to demonstrate the importance of values for human essence. The first level consists of dispositional tendencies. McAdams and Pals (2006) describe the Big Five personality traits as one example of a construct located on this level. The second level of personality consists of constructs that refer to specific patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are contextualized in time, place, and/or social roles. These patterns are a product of the interaction between dispositional traits and situational variables. Human individuality is located at the third level of personality. It consists of the unique identities that people develop that make them different from all other people.

Individual values are located primarily at the second level of personality. People’s value systems take shape through the interaction of their motivational tendencies and the social and cultural circumstances to which they are exposed. This gives rise to individual differences in value priorities. Some people prefer liberty, others equality, some tradition, others self-direction, etc. People commonly view values as part of personality. They use values to characterize themselves and other people, to describe their personalities and to infer the motivations that underlie their behavior. “Knowing” someone implies having some sense of his or her value priorities. Thus, values are not only an abstract component of being human but also a concrete part of our everyday understanding of the essence of particular people.

Values are also linked to the first and third levels of personality. The motivational orientations underlying the value system, described by the two outermost circular bands in Figure 18.1 (growth vs. self-protection and personal vs. social focus), specify the linkage of values to the first, dispositional level of personality. Cieciuch (2012) suggests that these basic motivational tendencies complement a static description of personality in terms traits. These motivational tendencies refer to individual differences in the intensity of needs, which are then transformed into differences in the importance of particular values. Thus, at the first level of personality, the motivational basis for values plays a crucial role in understanding the human being.

People’s values are also linked to the third level of personality because people create their unique personal identities as they apply their systems of value priorities to evaluate objects, events, other people, and themselves. At this level, each person’s system of value priorities is unique. This is because people’s understanding of each value and the priority they ascribe to it are a product of the unique combination of their social locations and contacts, genetic heritage, and most off all the life stories and life experience they do not share with anyone else.

In the ontogenetic perspective, the motivational bases for values are located at the first level of personality, but the values themselves are a product of interaction between these motivations and the values promoted by the external culture. The phylogenetic perspective explains how culture develops and contributes to the successful adaptation of human communities through the promotion of value priorities suited to their social niche. From the more general perspective of the social sciences and humanities, however, there are also other possible interpretations of the nature of values. We present the metaphysical interpretation of values as an example in the next section.

Alternative (Metaphysical) Interpretations of Values

As an empirical science with philosophical provenance, psychology uses the language not only of the social sciences but also of the humanities. In social science language, the sphere of values can be located in the latent culture and, especially, in the language and institutions that promote values. Philosophy, however, also offers other interpretations. Some are consistent with perspectives that see individual values as grounded in biology and personal experience or as a product of socialization within a surrounding culture while others are not. A metaphysical interpretation of values, for example, is an alternative that is incompatible with these perspectives. It views the domain of values not only as internal or external to the human but as transcendent.

In this view, human beings are open to the transcendental sphere and able to relate to it. Religious traditions describe this as openness to and the capacity to receive God ( Copleston, 1958 ; Heschel, 1955 ). The key issue in this interpretation is the differentiation between biologically rooted motivation and the axiological frame in which the motivation may be placed. People can select value preferences that conflict with their motivations. In classical philosophy, this is analogous to the distinction Kant proposed between duties and inclinations ( Copleston, 1958 ; Joas, 1998 ). Thus, people can recognize the importance of a value as an obligation that goes against their inclinations.

In this philosophical tradition, Frankfurt (1982) distinguished between two types of desires. The first is simple desire for things that derives from biologically rooted motivations. The second is a desire that refers to desire. This second type of desire can include values that oppose one’s biologically rooted motivations. People can feel a desire or motivation for something which, at the same time, they view as undesirable or unimportant, and which they do not want to fulfill. A decision to consider a felt motivation undesirable or unimportant must come from somewhere, of course. But the source of such motivation is neither internal nor cultural. It is in the axiological sphere. Metaphysically, this sphere is independent of and beyond human beings and their culture. Human beings can discover it, but they do not create it. The capacity to discover this transcendent metaphysical reality is uniquely human and a defining human characteristic.

A human being without values is unthinkable. In that sense, values are essential to being human. Thinking is not exclusive to humans—machines also think. Feeling is not exclusive to humans—animals also feel. However, perhaps only humans use the category of values. And the importance of values can sometimes prevail over other motives and lead people to behave in otherwise inexplicable ways. Perhaps, too, only humans create cultures in which values and norms are a core element that, in turn, influences individual value priorities. Metaphysical interpretations that locate values in a transcendental sphere, independent from human beings, also assume the importance of values for human essence: Only humans can discover the axiological truth. We cannot categorically exclude the possibility that machines or animals can develop shared values that individuals then acquire and use to regulate their motivations. Empirical research has falsified the once-accepted thesis that thinking and feeling are unique to human beings. Nonetheless, we cannot conceive of what it means to be human without mentioning cognition and feeling. Similarly, we cannot conceive of what it means to be human without mentioning values and valuation.

Acknowledgments

The first author contributed to this chapter within the University Research Priority Program “Social Networks” of the University of Zurich. The second author contributed to this chapter within the framework of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University, Higher School of Economics (HSE) and supported within the framework of a subsidy granted to the HSE by the Government of the Russian Federation for the implementation of the Global Competitiveness Program.

Further Readings

Schwartz, S. H. ( 2011 ). Values: Individual and cultural. In F. J. R. van de Vijver , A. Chasiotis , & S. M. Breugelmans (Eds.), Fundamental questions in cross-cultural psychology (pp. 463–493). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

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Exploring the Universality of Human Values: Truth, Love, Peace, Responsibility, and Justice

Table of Contents

Human Values

(relevant for ethics, integrity and aptitude).

Values are an inevitable and crucial component in making significant decisions within the realm of human affairs. They serve as the bridge that connects personal perceptions, judgments, motives, and actions. This principle also holds true when it comes to comprehending social and political aspects of life. It is imperative to recognize that values, perceptions, and their practical implications play an equally fundamental role in understanding both individuals and societies, comparable to the often emphasized physical necessities. Furthermore, these values are indispensable for the betterment of individuals and societies.

Although the prevalence of violence, war, hatred, and crime in many societies throughout history might seem to challenge the universality of human values, it is noteworthy that values have their origins in the earliest documented human societies and religions, persisting across eras and cultures. In this sense, they possess a universal quality. Additionally, the nature of human beings and civilization is characterized by evolution, which leads to a gradual establishment and reinforcement of these values. Today, this process has reached an interactive global level through international laws and practices.

What do Human Values consist of ?

Human values can take diverse forms, ranging from concrete illustrations to overarching moral principles. Nonetheless, authentic human values are not theoretical concepts crafted by scholars or religious leaders. Instead, they are intertwined with life itself, comprising ideas and perceptions that are grounded in the realities of existence, along with their respective justifications. Being inherently human, values are not rigid rules of conduct imposed by a divine authority; they are not commandments etched in unyielding stone. Rather, they are intertwined with distinct cultures, individuals, and circumstances. These values emerge, evolve, and find expression in human terms, reflecting the collective aspirations and objectives of humanity.

Some of the human values that possess a broad and perhaps even universal significance include:

• Love and Caring

Responsibility

The validity of truth in any situation is not influenced by an individual’s will or desires, but remains unaffected by personal interests and opinions. The existence of truth as an intrinsic value in human nature is evident from the fact that no one appreciates being labeled as a liar, even those who engage in falsehood. Moreover, maintaining a lie requires much more effort than upholding the truth, as lying often leads to a web of deceit that becomes increasingly difficult to manage.

Love-Caring

The term ‘love’ should be understood in a broad context, encompassing the notions of ‘care’ and ‘concern for’. It can be regarded as a fundamental category or universal human value that revolves around showing consideration and reverence towards others and the environment.

In this context, the term ‘love’ is used in a broader sense than its conventional interpretation, which often associates it with personal or romantic love. Its essence can be described as “selfless care and concern for the well-being of others and the world as a whole. The more selflessness it embodies, the more it enriches life.” Love, in this universal sense, is not a mere sensation, emotion, or abstract concept, but rather something that can only be identified at the very core of human consciousness. It represents the defining characteristic of the human soul or psyche. Additionally, the broader term ‘love’ often encompasses altruism, understanding, and forgiveness, although it may lack precision and clarity in its usage.

Being universally acknowledged as a positive value, peace signifies the state of harmony—a balanced yet ever-evolving mental condition. The presence of peace in an individual’s life, within society, and on a global scale is contingent upon the collective functioning of all positive values. Truth, caring concern (referred to as ‘love’) , and justice are essential components that, when adequately integrated, prevent conflicts and safeguard the existence of peace. While peace manifests as the absence of disturbance, violence, war, and wrongdoing, it becomes tangibly present when experienced at an individual level as peace of mind, along with the mutual respect and enjoyment derived from friendliness and tolerance.

Peace of mind is an individual experience, whereas peace in society is a result of positive actions that prioritize tolerance and constructive approaches, avoiding violence and destruction.

The human value of fulfilling one’s duty is closely intertwined with non-violence, which entails a rational inclination to avoid causing harm to living beings and their environment whenever possible. By acknowledging the intrinsic interconnectedness of ecosystems and the social-natural environment, and by actively countering the detrimental effects of pollution, misuse, and excessive exploitation, we embody the essence of non-violence . This aligns with the concept of ‘Ahimsa’ in Hindu philosophy, as extensively expounded by Gandhi. Non-violence is an inherent value that urges us to refrain from unethical interference in the processes of life.

Duty, also understood as ‘acting rightly,’ is founded upon the combination of true knowledge and discernment of what is morally good. Beneath every conscious action lies a thought. If that thought is nourished by a genuine aspiration towards truth and goodness, rather than solely self-centered motives, the resulting action is deemed ‘right.’ This principle is also reflected in the Eastern notion of ‘dharma,’ which encompasses acting in accordance with the universal laws governing both the physical and human realms of existence.

The European tradition has long upheld justice as one of the highest human values, with figures like Socrates and Plato regarding it as the pinnacle. However, providing a satisfactory definition of justice proves challenging. At its core, justice is rooted in fairness, emphasizing the fundamental equality of every individual under the law. As a social value, it seeks to address and minimize conflicts, guided by principles of care and non-violence , where the use of force is kept to a necessary minimum. The pursuit of social justice for the greater common good has a longstanding history as a central concept in human societies. The Classical Greek notion of justice eventually gave rise to the concept of ‘human rights,’ formally enshrined in the 1948 Geneva Convention. Since then, it has undergone continuous development and expansion.

The value of justice also holds significant political relevance, particularly in the pursuit of egalitarianism within political democracies and other governing systems. As such, justice encompasses a wide range of aspects in social life. Its understanding aligns with the profound Vedic concept of ‘Ahimsa,’ signifying universal respect for all living beings.

To master these intricacies and fare well in the Sociology Optional Syllabus , aspiring sociologists might benefit from guidance by the Best Sociology Optional Teacher and participation in the Best Sociology Optional Coaching . These avenues provide comprehensive assistance, ensuring a solid understanding of sociology’s diverse methodologies and techniques.

Best Sociology Optional Teacher, Best Sociology Optional Coaching, Sociology Optional Syllabus, Human Values, Universality of Values, Truth, Love, Peace, Responsibility, Justice, Social Value, Personal Value, Moral Principles, Non-violence, Ahimsa, Dharma, Human Rights.

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Essay on Ethics and Values for Students in 1000 Words

In this article, we have published an Essay on Ethics and Values for students. You will also read its definitions, sources, importance and uses in this essay. This essay is written in 1000 Words for school and college children.

So, Let’s start the Essay on Ethics and Values for Students…

Table of Contents

Importance of Values and Ethics

The human being as a social animal has to follow certain social norms. Truth, non-violence, benevolence, humility, and truthfulness are many qualities in these limits of society. Ethics and values are very crucial for a human being when it comes to personal and professional success .

The ways an individual or any groups discusses with others express their real character because actions always speak louder than words. Those who have strong values and ethical standards of the highest degree are easily remarkable by their actions.

Ethics and values come and develop from the place, family, beliefs, and school; professional values and ethics are bare developments of what one learns prior to joining the personnel. So, the attitude and habits one picks up early in his life follow into the experienced world and show an impact either a positive, or negative over career success.

Definitions of Ethics and Values

1. ethics definition.

The word ethics is derived from an ancient Greek word ethos which means habit, custom or character. That is morality in the real sense. The habits and character of a person talk about the moral values ​​he/she holds. In other words, a person’s moral values ​​define his character. We are all told what is good and what is bad based on moral norms set by society.

Ethics and morality are usually stated in relation to values, as they are the moral and social idealogy and application of one’s values. Professional or personal ethical codes renders the ability to understand what is right, fair, honorable and righteous. Misc. organizations and businesses have established codes of ethics and having an ethics committee also by which they conduct business.

The code of ethics or rules of ethics is the standards to which employees are expected to abide and follow the same.

2. Values Definition

Values are of extreme importance to a person. This is because they determine their behavior, temperament and overall behavior towards life and other people. The decisions we make in our lives are largely based on our values. A value or ethics is, according to Ozment, “an enduring belief or trust that a specific mode of conduct and dealing or end-state of its existence is personally or socially likable to an opposite or converse mode of dealing or end-state of existence”.

Further, we see, a value system is all these beliefs placed and used to precedence, serving as a guide for everything from choice-making to dispute resolution. Skillful values are the same as explained above but in the reference of a company, any organization, or group and what they would want their expected end-state to be.

The efficient value system of group entities is shown in their business practices and habits; from their communication with other companies to how well taken care of the old and new employees are.

Sources of Values and Ethics

The first and important source of professional values and ethics are parents or guardians. Grand p arents and Parents teach their kids right from wrong, not to have false or steal, and may explain them to a particular religion where values are reinforced.

These are the moral rules that stay with someone always; not only does the individual use these social ethics as guidelines in their lives, but they also teach their children the same values.   Besides moral values, families teach their children to do the job ethic. They provide children with few chores to do, such as cleaning their room, taking out the trash, and generally serving around the home.

If they finish the tasks on time, they will receive money for this service. These regular jobs not only show kids the value of earning money but also show them that hard work with honesty is always rewarded.

After home or parents, another source of values and ethics in the school. Children learn in the school on time, complete their homework, and study hard to earn good grades. Just as with chores and allowances at residence, schoolwork teaches that by studying and working hard, one can get a success good category and get into good schools and colleges.

Being on time for school regularly is the beginning of one’s time on management skills. They should learn the importance of discipline in life and budget them after school activities, parent’s time and homework time teaches one to prioritize what he or she values.

Uses of Ethics and Values in Life

Currently, everyone knows the value of ethics and values. Every individual should have manners and ethical principles to live a life, and in all the areas ethics and values are being used to work smoothly.

A sample of the value as can be seen if one wants to make a friend with another they must have values with them they should be a hard worker and honest with one another and forever be truthful with them.

Also, ethics can be said as if someone has stolen someone’s things so we should help the people whose things have been stolen and not to run away from the situation. Ethics and values are very important and necessary in our lives, and we should always follow them all through our lives.

Expert values and ethics are bare extensions of the values and ethics which a person learned from family, spiritual leaders and teachers. Whatever is taught in school and colleges to value growing up will carry over in the professional world.

Experienced with upstanding values and ethical or moral standards are easy to recognize, as is the company that employs them. Values-based business decisions and ethical guidelines adhered to by all are the benchmarks for success. Those who agree to accept less can have an adverse effect on their company and maybe, the rest of society.

The Final Thought

If we want to evaluate a social community that has a no or very less corruption rate and where all persons can live happily, we all have to look into the social values and the ethics that our carve and religious masters preach.

We should take ownership of making our society and in turn our planet a beautiful world where all persons can live a life with respect and dignity without any fears in their mind. Once we all start following the rules of ethics and values the world will be a great place to live long. I hope you like this Essay on Ethics and Values.

2 thoughts on “Essay on Ethics and Values for Students in 1000 Words”

Great speech btw loved some of the concepts like the sources of ethics: school and home. ????☺️

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Reflection Paper About Values Essay

Almost every culture and society has a certain set of values which are inculcated in individual ever since they are young. Despite the stark differences in cultures and communities, there are certain values which are common to all. It is these values of humanity, kindness, love, respect, friendship and brotherhood, which I bid on, because I consider the human community as a whole which should co-exist without hatred and animosity. I feel that if every individual holds strongly to the above values, life will be much more peaceful.

The values which I actually bought were love, respect, honesty and kindness because of their importance in my life. I firmly believe that love and respect for a person enables us to see the good side of any character and kindness enables us to do to others as we would like them to do to us. These values are the core and essence of my self-identity and what I am today is solely due to these core attributes which I possess. As a person I am loving and kind and respect the feelings of others which is why I am very thoughtful of my actions with others and think deep of the possible repercussions before doing or saying anything.

Personal values often come from not one single source in life but are a result of an entire life cycle and upbringing. The family, parents, culture and the society within which we live and function are the sole contributors to our value system and the manner in which we think and behave. Surroundings and the environment which exist when we are young children have a crucial impact on our basic values in life and the most important people in our lives who influence our positive and negative values are those with whom we are in close contact during the early part of our lives, parents, family and school teachers, by virtue of the amount of time we spend with them.

I am not a completely perfect person and I have my flaws; as such there are times when my values conflict with the actions I desire to take. There are times when I meet selfish people in life who treat other with disrespect and are biased in their opinions and at such times I feel my values going weak due to the desire to treat them back in a similar manner. However, I decided that I will deal with this positively and treat even mean and selfish individuals kindly so that they feel ashamed of their acts and behaviours and can try to change themselves for the better.

My values affect everything I do in life and my career will obviously be one which does not demand me to change my core personality. Choosing a profession or career where honesty will not be compromised will be one of my major concerns in life. My values reveal the kind of person I am and the kindness and respect with which I treat individuals reflects my upbringing. My honesty is something which I am extremely proud of and I believe that this is one of the most important traits of my character which contributes substantially to my individuality and my career identity.

In all of the previous jobs which I have done, I have been true and honest not only to myself but also to the people whom i worked with. As such I have developed healthy and long-lasting relationships with my peers due to my sincere contribution to my work and the manner in which i dealt with people and my peers. I believe that the development of values occurs not through one single entity but is dependent upon a range of factors, the most powerful of which are parents, family, caretakers and teachers, all of whom impact us strongly. Culture and surroundings also have a major influence on the way in which values are shaped.

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• Essay On Values

Essay on Moral Values

500+ words essay on moral values.

Moral values are considered an essential aspect of human life. Moral values determine one’s nature, behaviour and overall attitude towards life and other people. In our lives, our decisions are primarily based on our values. The choices we make in our lives impact us and our society, organisation and nation. It is believed that a person with good values makes wise decisions that benefit everyone. On the contrary, people who have no moral values think only of themselves. They don’t care about others’ needs or society and make choices based solely on their needs. They create an unfriendly and sometimes unsafe environment around themselves.

Importance of Moral Values

The value of a person reflects their personality. Moral values help us understand the difference between right and wrong, good and evil and make the right decisions and judgements. They empower and drive a person to be a better human being and work for the betterment of society. Some moral values a person can inculcate in themselves are: dedication, honesty, optimism, commitment, patience, courtesy, forgiveness, compassion, respect, unity, self-control, cooperation, care and love. A person becomes humble and dependable with good values. Everyone looks up to a person with good values, whether personally or professionally.

If a person has good values, he spreads love, joy, and positive vibes. A person with good values works for the upliftment of society, along with taking care of their life. Such people are always considerate of the needs of others and understand the importance of unity and teamwork. They don’t lose their temper very easily and forgive others. People with good values are an asset to the organisation they work in and the society they live in.

Values Must Be Imbibed

We need to imbibe good values to function as humans and live in a society. Good values include dedication towards work, honesty, respect, commitment, love, helping others, taking responsibility for others’ deeds and acting responsibly. All these values are essential for the positive growth of an individual.

If you want to become a true leader and inspire others, you need to have good values. People always show respect and love to a person with good values. Additionally, they’ll trust and depend on a person of good values because they get proper advice and opinion from such a person.

Ethics Must Be Followed

A person with good values behaves ethically. We often hear of an ethical code of conduct. These are a set of rules or codes an individual is expected to follow. For example, talking politely with others, respecting elders/co-workers, handling difficult situations calmly, maintaining discipline and acting responsibly. Following these ethics helps create a healthy and safe work environment. So, it is essential for everyone to follow the ethical code of conduct.

The Role of Parents and Teachers

Moral values are not just born in a person but must be taught and inculcated right from childhood. When we talk about raising or nurturing children with good values, the credit goes to parents and teachers. It is their responsibility to teach children good values and should make them understand why it’s necessary to follow ethical behaviour. Schools should also take the responsibility to have a separate class dedicated to teaching ethics and moral values from the beginning. They should also train the students so that they imbibe these values.

An individual should imbibe good moral values to do well both in their professional and personal lives. A person with good values is also recognised among the crowd and is always appreciated for his behaviour and attitude towards others. On the contrary, people who lack good values often get into trouble and are not accepted in society. So, we should make sure that we teach our children good values and ethical behaviour from an early age. It is our responsibility to make our future generation learn moral values and ethics. This will help them become good human beings and upstanding citizens of the world. Additionally, it will give them the strength and courage to achieve great things in their lives.

The importance of moral values cannot be overstated. A nation with a high proportion of good values will undoubtedly progress and develop more rapidly than where people lack values. Moral values nurture us individually, build strong character and help create a better world around us.

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Essay on Role of Human Values in 21st Century

Students are often asked to write an essay on Role of Human Values in 21st Century in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Role of Human Values in 21st Century

Introduction.

Human values are essential elements that guide our behavior and decisions. They are the foundation of our character and influence our actions.

Importance in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, human values like honesty, respect, and empathy are more important than ever. These values help us to communicate effectively, understand others, and build strong relationships.

Role in Society

Human values guide us in making ethical decisions and contribute to a harmonious society. They encourage us to respect diversity and promote peace.

In conclusion, human values play a critical role in shaping our world. They help us to live together in harmony, making the world a better place.

250 Words Essay on Role of Human Values in 21st Century

In the 21st century, characterized by rapid technological advancements, globalization, and cultural amalgamation, human values hold paramount importance. They serve as the foundation for building harmonious societies and foster a sense of responsibility, empathy, and respect among individuals.

The Necessity of Human Values

The significance of human values has escalated in the contemporary world due to the increasing interdependence of societies. Values like empathy, respect, and tolerance are vital in fostering global harmony. They facilitate understanding and acceptance of diverse cultures, thereby mitigating conflicts and promoting peaceful coexistence.

Human Values and Technology

With the digital revolution, the world has witnessed a surge in ethical dilemmas. Issues like data privacy, digital discrimination, and cyberbullying have raised concerns about the role of human values in technology. Upholding values like honesty, integrity, and respect for privacy is crucial in ensuring ethical use of technology.

Human Values in Education

Incorporating human values in education is instrumental in shaping responsible global citizens. Education should not just focus on cognitive development, but also on fostering values like honesty, empathy, and social responsibility. This holistic approach can help shape a balanced society, ensuring sustainable development.

In conclusion, human values are the bedrock of a harmonious 21st century society. They guide our actions, influence our decisions, and define our relationship with technology and each other. As we stride towards a more interconnected world, the importance of nurturing and upholding these values cannot be overstated.

500 Words Essay on Role of Human Values in 21st Century

The 21st century, characterized by rapid technological advancements and globalization, has brought about significant changes in the way we live, work, and interact. However, amidst these transformations, the importance of human values has not diminished but rather increased. Human values, such as honesty, respect, compassion, and responsibility, serve as the foundation for a harmonious society. They guide our actions, shape our interactions, and influence our decisions, playing a pivotal role in personal development and societal progress.

The Need for Human Values in the 21st Century

The 21st century has seen a surge in technological innovations, leading to increased connectivity and communication. While these advancements have brought about numerous benefits, they have also ushered in challenges such as cyberbullying, privacy invasion, and misinformation. Herein lies the importance of human values like respect for others’ privacy, honesty in communication, and responsibility in using technology. These values act as a moral compass, guiding individuals to use technology ethically and responsibly.

The globalization of economies and societies has also led to increased cultural diversity. In this context, values like respect for diversity, tolerance, and empathy become crucial for peaceful coexistence. They help in bridging cultural gaps, fostering mutual understanding, and promoting social harmony.

Human Values and Sustainable Development

The 21st century has underscored the need for sustainable development to address environmental issues and ensure the well-being of future generations. Values like respect for nature, responsibility towards the environment, and commitment to sustainable practices are essential to achieve this. They motivate individuals to adopt eco-friendly lifestyles, businesses to implement sustainable practices, and governments to enact environmentally friendly policies.

In the 21st century, education is not just about acquiring knowledge but also about nurturing responsible and compassionate individuals. Incorporating human values in education helps in developing critical thinking, empathy, and ethical decision-making skills among students. It prepares them to face the challenges of the modern world and contribute positively to society.

In conclusion, human values hold immense significance in the 21st century. They guide us in navigating the complexities of the modern world, foster social harmony, promote sustainable development, and shape the future leaders of our society. Despite the rapid changes brought about by technology and globalization, the importance of human values remains constant. They are the pillars that uphold the fabric of society and the guiding light that leads us towards a better future.

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What Is Human Values Essay

Humans have the unique ability to describe their identity, select their values and set up their beliefs. All three of these directly persuade a person’s behavior. Values are our principles and guides. Morals and the values are the basis of human values. Just as a building has a foundation of concrete, the building of human values rests on morals and values. Human values can also be defined as the values of life. A good action performed today remains a good action forever. So, human values are the values of human being for the human beings and by the human beings. 3.1.2 Definition of Values People have moved out to great lengths to express the validity of their beliefs, including war and sacrificing their own life. On the contrary, people …show more content…

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• © 2004

Human Values

New Essays on Ethics and Natural Law

• David S. Oderberg (Professor of Philosophy) 0 ,
• Timothy Chappell (Senior Lecturer in Philosophy) 1

University of Reading, England

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University of Dundee, UK

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25 Citations

• Table of contents

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

• David S. Oderberg, Timothy Chappell

‘Our Natural Guide…’: Conscience, ‘Nature’, and Moral Experience

• John Cottingham

Basic Goods, Practical Insight, and External Reasons

• Christopher Tollefsen

The Fact/Value Distinction

• Christopher Martin

Incommensurability and Basic Goods: A Tension in the New Natural Law Theory

• Henry S. Richardson

The Polymorphy of Practical Reason

Timothy Chappell

The Structure and Content of the Good

David S. Oderberg

Harming and Wronging: The Importance of Normative Context

• Suzanne Uniacke

Law, Liberalism, and the Common Good

• Jacqueline A. Laing

‘Double Effect’ or Practical Wisdom?

• Gerard J. Hughes

Beyond Double Effect: Side-Effects and Bodily Harm

Intention, foresight, and success.

• Mark C. Murphy

Back Matter

• ethical theory
• moral philosophy

Book Title : Human Values

Book Subtitle : New Essays on Ethics and Natural Law

Editors : David S. Oderberg, Timothy Chappell

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230524149

Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan London

eBook Packages : Palgrave Religion & Philosophy Collection , Philosophy and Religion (R0)

Copyright Information : Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited 2004

Hardcover ISBN : 978-1-4039-1810-9 Published: 20 October 2004

Softcover ISBN : 978-1-349-51392-5 Published: 20 October 2004

eBook ISBN : 978-0-230-52414-9 Published: 14 October 2004

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : VIII, 272

Topics : Ethics , Moral Philosophy

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Essay On Human Values For Students In Easy Words – Read Here

• October 10, 2021

It is very important to have a clear idea of what your values are. Your values are the things that you believe in and stand for, whether it’s being honest or being kind to others. These are the things that you want to pass on to your children so they know how to live their lives.

The moral values speech for 2 minutes is a short essay that discusses the importance of human values.

Introduction:

The worth of a person is shown by their conduct, personality, and actions in their daily lives. These life principles may be instilled in a kid by their parents or teachers.

Values of Different Kinds

Parents may start instilling ethical principles in their children at a young age. The following are some of the values:

Responsibility: At a young age, a person should learn to be responsible. A young child should take responsibility for his academics and grades.

Caring and loving should be taught to a kid, as well as caring and loving for family, friends, and belonging.

Sympathy: A kid should be educated to have a kind heart rather than a harsh one.

Forgiveness: One should be able to forgive others and allow them the opportunity to make up for their past mistakes.

Helpful: One should always be willing to assist others if they are in need.

Respect: It is important to have self-respect as well as respect for others, regardless of whether the person in front of us is a young child or an elderly person.

Honesty: A person should have a fair disposition and look at everyone with the same eye.

The most essential thing in life is to be disciplined. These values should be instilled in a kid from an early age.

Confidence: You should constantly be confident in what you’re saying or the job you’re doing.

Values-Based Personality Development

A person with high human values always has a positive outlook on life. These individuals are constantly willing to assist others. A person with excellent human values is trustworthy; they are ready to confront any challenge, but they will not betray others’ commitments. These people’s personalities are distinct from those of others. Others regard them with great admiration.

The Nation’s Development

These people’s motivation is to remain on the straight track, to obey the rules and the law, and to not betray others.

It Isn’t Enough to Be Educated

Talking nicely with people, listening to what they have to say, and maintaining a cool demeanor in a difficult circumstance are all examples of ethical conduct.

Conclusion:

A person who exemplifies both excellent ethical and human principles. They are regarded all around the world. Every parent and teacher must instill moral principles in their children, which will bring renown to both the parents and the children in the future.

You may post any additional questions regarding Essay On Human Values in the comment section below.

The moral values in english for students is an essay that discusses the importance of human values. It is meant to be read by students who are studying English.

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