You might use the word security to describe what you want, but you're not sure if it's actually a value or just what you think you're supposed to want. The distinction matters because how you spend your time and money looks very different depending on which one it is.
Who This Is For (and Who It Is Not)
This page is for someone who has said or thought "I value security" but then felt a nagging doubt about whether that's true. Maybe you said it in a conversation and it didn't feel right in your mouth. Maybe you noticed you're making decisions based on security but they're leaving you restless. Maybe you're comparing yourself to someone else's choices and wondering why security doesn't activate the same resolve in you. If you're questioning whether security actually matters to you, rather than just assuming it should, this is worth your time.
This is not for someone who has no ambivalence. If you've genuinely examined your life and seen that security consistently shapes your choices, and you feel at peace with that, you already know your answer. This page is also not for someone who hasn't yet considered the difference between values and fears, or between stated values and lived values. If that's you, the My Values assessment will surface that difference in a way a page cannot.
The person who benefits most from this work is someone in the messy middle: you use the word security, you sometimes act on it, but something doesn't add up. You might be earning well but still anxious. You might be avoiding a risk that logically doesn't need to be avoided. You might feel trapped by choices you thought you were making freely. You're not confused about what security means. You're confused about whether it's actually yours.
What You Will Discover
Once you've done this work, you'll be able to distinguish between security as a genuine value and security as an anxiety response. That sounds simple, but it changes how you read your own behavior. A decision based on genuine security-as-a-value looks like active preference, not panic. It comes with a feeling of directedness. A decision based on anxiety looks like avoidance, even when it's rational. You'll start noticing which one you're actually doing. You'll see which of your choices are genuine and which ones you're defending because they're supposed to be good.
You'll also see where security actually sits in your system of values. Schwartz's research, developed across 80+ countries, mapped ten universal value types and showed how they relate to each other in a circle. Values that sit next to each other in that circle are naturally compatible. Values opposite each other are in tension. Security often sits adjacent to conformity and tradition, but it can sit in tension with stimulation and self-direction. Once you know where security actually ranks among your values, you can see what trade-offs you're actually making. You might find you're sacrificing exploration or autonomy for security you don't actually need, or that you're not protecting the security that matters to you because you're chasing the security you think should matter.
Common Reasons People Wait
The first reason is that you think you already know the answer. You've said you value security so many times it feels settled. But knowing a word and knowing whether that word describes you are different things. People often confuse frequency of thought with actual priority. You might think about security constantly because of anxiety, not because it's a core value. The My Values assessment separates signal from noise in a way reflection alone usually doesn't.
The second reason is that examining this feels risky. If security isn't actually a core value for you, then some of your life choices become harder to justify. You might have organized your career, your relationships, or your location around security, and questioning it opens up questions you'd rather not face. That discomfort is real. It's also usually the sign that this work matters. The assessment doesn't force you to change anything. It just shows you the actual map instead of the one you've been following.
The third reason is that you're waiting for a better time, when things are more stable. But stability is what you're trying to figure out in the first place. You don't need perfect conditions to know what you value. You need clarity, and clarity often arrives in conditions that are anything but perfect. If you're feeling the question now, that's the time to answer it.
The My Values assessment surfaces your actual values, ranks them, and shows you where you're living them and where you're not.
Is security a core value for everyone?
No. Schwartz's research shows that people differ significantly in how central security is to their value system. Some people prioritize security highly. Others prioritize self-direction, stimulation, or achievement much more. The fact that you're asking the question suggests it might not be equally central for you as it is for someone else.
What's the difference between security as a value and anxiety about security?
A value is something you choose and move toward. Anxiety is something that happens to you and moves you away from threat. You can feel anxious about security and not have it as a core value. You can also genuinely value security and experience anxiety separately. The difference shows up in your behavior: values are consistent and directional. Anxiety is reactive and defensive.
Can security be a value if I want change in other areas of my life?
Yes. Schwartz's circular model shows that security and change can coexist, though they sit in tension. Someone might genuinely value both stability in relationships and stimulation in work, or safety in finances and exploration in how they spend time. The assessment shows you how you actually balance these competing values, not which one you're supposed to choose.
Will this assessment tell me I shouldn't care about security?
No. It will tell you where security actually ranks among your values and whether you're honoring that ranking in how you live. If security is genuinely important to you, the assessment confirms that. If it isn't, you'll see what you're actually prioritizing instead. Either way, you're not being told what to value. You're being shown what you actually do value.