What Personal Values Actually Are
A personal value is not a preference or a goal. It's a principle that guides how you make decisions when the stakes matter. Schwartz (1992) identified 10 universal value types across research in more than 80 countries. These values form a circumplex structure: adjacent values are compatible (self-direction and stimulation reinforce each other), while opposite values create tension (power and universalism rarely coexist in one person's priority list). This framework has held across cultures, making it one of the most robust maps of human motivation ever built.
The reason you might struggle to articulate your values is not that you lack them. You're experiencing the difference between values that look good in theory and values you actually live. This page gives you 60 concrete examples across Schwartz's 10 categories so you can recognize what's actually steering your choices.
The Ten Value Types and What They Look Like in Real Life
Self-direction is the value of autonomy and choice. If you have high self-direction, you make decisions for yourself, resist being told what to do, and feel constrained by rigid rules. Examples: independence, creativity, choosing your own path, setting your own goals, questioning authority, learning on your terms, refusing a job that dictates your schedule.
Stimulation is the need for variety, excitement, and novelty. You might travel frequently, change jobs for new challenges, avoid routine, seek out intense experiences, crave spontaneity, or feel drained by predictability. Examples: adventure, trying new things, risk-taking, seeking thrills, unpredictability, breaking patterns.
Hedonism is about pleasure and enjoyment. This is not selfishness; it's the direct pursuit of what feels good. Examples: good food, physical comfort, leisure time, rest without guilt, sensory experiences, comfort in your environment, taking breaks without productivity pressure.
Achievement is the drive to succeed and be recognized. You set high standards, compete, want to be skilled at what matters to you, and measure progress. Examples: winning, excelling at your craft, being promoted, building a successful business, mastery, status, recognition from peers, visible improvement.
Power is the need for control, authority, and influence over others or resources. Examples: leadership positions, decision-making authority, financial security, status symbols, managing teams, determining outcomes, having a say in what happens to you.
Security is safety, stability, and predictability. You want to know what's coming. Examples: a stable job, savings in the bank, consistent routines, loyal relationships, health insurance, living in a safe neighborhood, avoiding major surprises, loyalty itself as a value.
Conformity is adherence to social norms and group expectations. Examples: following the rules, respecting tradition, doing what's expected, not standing out, honoring your family's way of doing things, politeness, restraint, not making waves.
Tradition is respect for customs, heritage, and the way things have been done. Examples: religious practice, family rituals, cultural customs, preserving what matters to previous generations, respecting elders, honoring heritage, stability through continuity.
Benevolence is care and concern for those close to you. Examples: being a good parent, loyalty to friends, helping family, trust in close relationships, forgiveness toward people you love, reliability, service to your inner circle.
Universalism is concern for all people and the world. Examples: social justice, environmental protection, equality, human rights, fighting discrimination, reducing suffering globally, fairness to strangers, sustainability.
Where Your Values Likely Conflict
The circumplex structure shows which values naturally pull against each other. Power (control and influence) conflicts with benevolence (concern for others' welfare) and universalism (equality). Achievement pulls against security because advancement often requires risk. Self-direction conflicts with conformity and tradition. Stimulation conflicts with security. The tension you feel when making a major decision often reflects these genuine incompatibilities, not weakness or confusion.
You can hold opposing values. Someone can prioritize both achievement and family time. But when you do, one of them will eventually require sacrifice. The point is not to eliminate the tension but to know it's there and choose consciously. If you've never named the conflict, you'll keep making the same incompatible promises to yourself.
How to Use This Framework
Read through the 60 examples above and notice which ones appear in your decisions. Not which ones sound noble. Which ones actually show up when you choose your job, your partner, how you spend money, what you say no to. The values you live are not the ones you wish you had. They're the ones that win when something real is at stake.
Notice the circumplex. If you scored high on achievement and also feel guilty about ambition, you might be holding a value (perhaps conformity or benevolence) that conflicts with it. Neither is wrong. But naming the conflict is better than feeling divided.
Use this as a starting point. The My Values assessment surfaces your actual values, ranks them, and shows you exactly where you are living them and where you're not. That's where the real work begins: not in identifying your values, but in noticing the gap between what you claim and what you do.
What's the difference between values and goals?
A goal is something you achieve and finish. A value is a principle that guides you across your whole life. Achievement is a value; getting a promotion is a goal that expresses it. The same goal can express different values for different people. One person might pursue a promotion for status and power; another for security or self-direction.
Can you have too many values?
Everyone has all 10 value types to some degree. The question is which ones you prioritize when you have to choose. If you feel confused about your values, it's usually because you haven't ranked them under pressure. The My Values assessment does this by showing you what matters most when there's actual conflict.
Do values change over time?
Core value rankings tend to be stable in adulthood, but they can shift significantly after major life events. Parenthood often raises benevolence and security. Career changes sometimes raise self-direction. Loss often raises universalism or benevolence. The framework itself has held consistent across generations and cultures for 30+ years.
What if my values don't match my life?
This is the most common situation. You live by security and benevolence but value self-direction and achievement. You can change your life, change your stated values, or accept the gap and be honest about it. The clarity itself is useful. It tells you why you feel stuck, and it shows you what would have to shift for that feeling to change.