"Personality traits are stable patterns in the way we think, feel, and behave (Johnson, 1997, p. 74). In a previous PT post, I explained how values are a particular kind of personality trait. Specifically, values are strong beliefs and feelings about what is good and important. Values are among the most stable traits across the lifespan. In another previous post, I explained how values guide our career choices and attract us toward others who share our values. Achieving valued goals makes life meaningful and satisfying."
"A new study by Wilkowski, DiMariano, and Peck (2025) reviewed the most widely cited value models in psychology and identified 359 short phrases that captured the full range of values across them. They then had two large samples of participants rate these phrases and used statistical methods to uncover the underlying structure. What emerged were five broad dimensions that appear to organize most of our value preferences. Think of them as the "Big Five" of human values."
"But for decades, psychologists struggled to agree on what the "basic" human values actually are. Different researchers created different lists, each with its own labels and categories. As a result, it was difficult to compare findings across studies. This situation was similar to personality research before the Big Five model unified the field. A newly published study aims to bring that same kind of clarity to the science of values."
Decades of value models were consolidated into 359 phrases rated by large samples, revealing five broad, evidence-based value dimensions that organize value preferences. These dimensions explain differences in goals, priorities, and motivations and connect values to career choices, relationships, and life meaning. Values are stable across the lifespan and strongly influence behavior and satisfaction. Identifying individual value priorities can guide decisions and improve long-term well-being by aligning actions with what individuals find important. Statistical methods were used to uncover the structure, enabling clearer comparisons across previous models and offering a unified framework to study human values.
Read at Psychology Today
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