The 10 types of values: principles that govern our lives

Each person has a series of abstract ideas that define his or her way of behaving and ideals.

Human beings do not act in a totally unpredictable way; behind our actions there is a series of goals, objectives, most of which are shared and can be expressed in words.

But what moves us to act need not be simply a specific need related to our physiological state, such as hunger or cold. As rational animals, we are capable of creating new forms of motivation through abstract thought. This is precisely what we will talk about in this article: about the types of valuesThe ideals we defend on a daily basis.

What are values?

The values are concepts that guide our way of behaving. and that link abstract concepts to a positive or negative emotional charge, serving as references about what is desirable and what is undesirable. Each person has a scale of values that expresses how certain aspects of life are prioritized over others, and which are defended with greater vehemence.

Thus, a person who holds the value of peace in high esteem will have a very different way of looking at things from another person who values survival above peace, or another who defends respect for traditions first and foremost, for example.

There are many types of values, and these are are investigated by cognitive sciences and social psychology as well as by ethical philosophy.The concept of values is not merely descriptive, but is associated with the ideas of "good" and "bad".

Types of values

Below you can find a classification of the main types of securities. Note that some of these categories partially overlap with each other, and that the same value may belong to more than one of them.

1. Personal values

This type of values is defined by being applied in everyday life through the simplest actions and, especially, through habits. Therefore, personal values are characterized by the fact that they apply to practically all areas and contexts of life.They are not limited to a single place or type of activity.

For example, respect for a son or daughter is usually a personal value, since it is valid in all contexts, but innovation is usually not, since under certain conditions it can be relegated without special internal conflicts.

2. Work values

Work values are related to the way we act in a professional context, i.e. in the work environment.l, i.e. in the work environment. For example, it is understood that if a person's work values do not fit with the values of the company, an implicit conflict is created that generates discomfort in the worker and problems in the operation of the company.

Some examples of work values are perseverance, innovation, effort, adaptation to change, etc.

3. Company values

What characterizes company values is that they are intended to be both a production style and a component of the company's values. both a production style and a marketing component of an organization. of an organization. They are not attached to a natural person, but to a legal entity, and therefore do not arise naturally from a real person, but are a social construct that influences how the company works (not only in the office, but also in PR activities).

4. Religious values

Religious values are linked to a belief system based on the faith of a given religion. of a given religion. By definition, religions include a system of symbols, religious dogma and certain rituals shared by several people, so that religious values are also related to this social factor by which some believers influence the decisions and assessments of others, often punishing those who think differently in a conflicting aspect.

5. Family values

This type of values is related to the experience of belonging to a family. With the establishment of strong affective bonds that characterize the family, there are also values used to put order in the way in which we relate to the rest of the members of the family.

For example, respect for the elders may be very present in one family, while in another the value of "protection of the weak" may be above which makes the grandfather or grandmother be treated with greater paternalism.

6. Social values

Social values are not limited to a specific social circle as is the case with family members, but can be extended to the entire population. Respect for the rest of others, which translates into trying to make little noise at night, is a social value, as is respect for the right to privacy.

7. Political values

Political values have to do with the ideal political model for a person, which has to do with the public management of the country. has to do with the public management of resources.. Individual freedom, for example, tends to be one of the values most defended by the liberal political tendency, while universal access to basic goods tends to be claimed by the left.

8. Aesthetic values

This set of values has to do with forms of sensory perception and the way in which and the way in which these induce particular aesthetic appreciations. For this reason, they are especially important in art, but are not limited to this field, since they are also relevant in craftsmanship and in design in general, whether artistic or not.

Simplicity, harmony or a taste for the strange are aesthetic values.

9. Ethical values

Those values related to morality are the aesthetic values, principles that serve to distinguish in a relatively clear way between good and evil. between good and evil and which are, in a sense, aprioristic: they are not so much related to a given context or to the usefulness of one strategy over another, but have value in their own right.

Respect and peace are ethical values.

10. Material values

Material values designate which material aspects of life have value over others. For example, there are people who voluntarily live with very little, while others, despite being middle class, feel great frustration at not being able to afford a large number of great luxuries.

Bibliographical references:

• Kelly, E. (2006). The Basics of Western Philosophy. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Press
• Miller, C. (2009). The Conditions of Moral Realism. The Journal of Philosophical Research, 34: pp. 123 - 155.
• Paul, R.; Elder, L. (2006). The Miniature Guide to Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning. United States: Foundation for Critical Thinking Free Press.
• Tong, R.; Williams, Na. (2009). Feminist Ethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Metaphysics Research Lab.