- Reasons why values are important
- 1 - Personal acceptance
- 2 - Clear communication
- 3 - They help make decisions
- 4 - They allow you to enjoy life
- 5 - Personal development
- 6 - Individual expression
- 7 - Relationship with others
- 8 - The heart of a culture
- References
Values are important because they regulate human behavior and help guide the aspirations that each individual has and their attitude towards life. In this sense, the values seek the development and well-being of people in a particular or group way.
Values can govern a person's behavior individually or collectively. When values are analyzed individually, they are said to be human values. When you talk about the community, you talk about social values.
Human values are important because they motivate the human being to cultivate and continue to seek the perfection of their individuality. On the other hand, social values are essential to regulate collective actions, common to all individuals that make up a group.
There is a third group of values known as cultural values. These are important to lay the foundations of the identity with which a group of people identifies. In this way, cultural values govern the customs and forms of interaction of a people.
In other words, the importance of values lies in their ability to contribute to the support of society, since all human beings are guided by these concepts in order to coexist with other human beings at all times.
Reasons why values are important
1 - Personal acceptance
Values are important for communicating to other people who we are and what our preferences are. When we feel that we are not appreciated, values help us to express our point of view and ask for what we think we deserve.
In this way, the values contribute to the process of acceptance and personal development. When we respect ourselves and are capable of making positive judgments about ourselves, we are being part of a process of personal growth that is only possible thanks to values.
2 - Clear communication
Values such as conscience, trust, sincerity, kindness, or education help us to establish clear communication with other people. For this reason, they become essential for human beings to interact with each other.
When people are able to recognize what their core values are, they are more likely to communicate clearly with other individuals.
This happens because awareness is acquired about what is really important for each person and to this extent it becomes possible to include these aspects within personal discourse.
3 - They help make decisions
When the alternatives are multiple, the values are what help to make decisions, since they determine the preferences of each person. In this way, it is possible to affirm that there will always be options, but it is the values that make it possible to choose one thing over another.
In this sense, values play a fundamental role in the daily life of human beings, since every day we are constantly in situations in which we must make simple or complex decisions.
This concept is applicable individually or collectively, since a group of people can also make decisions based on their social or cultural values, such as the democratic election of a leader.
4 - They allow you to enjoy life
Values regulate our behavior. They are the ethical argument that we learn from childhood.
For this reason, we often share the same values with our family, friends or close people in different environments. Some values may change throughout life, but those that are essential to each individual tend to remain intact.
This is how our personal values are directly connected with our conscience and ability to make decisions. In this way, most of our decisions will always be oriented towards the enjoyment of life in all contexts.
There are different investigations that indicate that there really is a relationship between our values and the sense of satisfaction with life.
This happens because they allow us to find common denominators with the people around us. These common points provide a sense of satisfaction for what is done, therefore, allow you to enjoy life more.
5 - Personal development
Values are the engine that gives human beings the motivation to take part in a process of continuous improvement. An example of this is ambition when you have a stable job.
Many people choose to take one job over another because it offers the possibility of eventually achieving a better position.
As they are in charge of regulating our behavior, values are constantly telling us what direction to take to become better people.
On the other hand, they give us concentration and motivation to achieve what is important to each one. In other words, values allow us to create the future we hope for and desire.
6 - Individual expression
Personal or individual values are essential to show ourselves as we are and how we are in society.
They are the essential support of the personality and individual interests. It can be said that our values are the letter of introduction that we use to express to others who we really are.
7 - Relationship with others
Values allow us to relate to other human beings. In fact, they are responsible for determining how we relate to other human beings according to what we consider important individually.
Generally, when cultural or social values are different, so will the way we relate to others.
Values such as trust, tolerance, generosity, or openness to diversity, among others, greatly affect the way we establish contact with those individuals around us.
It is important to clarify that a person can relate in different ways according to the context in which they are, however, the values will always reveal what matters most to them regardless of the context.
8 - The heart of a culture
Values are the heart of a culture, and can vary from one to another depending on multiple factors.
In this way, they are fundamental principles that allow us to understand the social dynamics of a group of individuals, according to what is most important to them collectively.
References
- B, Z. (August 20, 2012). Simple Life Strategies. Obtained from Why Personal Values are Important for Successful Living: simplelifestrategies.com
- Center, BV (2017). Barrett Values Center. Obtained from WHY VALUES ARE IMPORTANT: valuescentre.com
- Harkness, S. (February 18, 2013). Mercurytide. Retrieved from Why are your company values important ?: mercurytide.co.uk
- Naumann, K. (February 2, 2016). Huffpost. Obtained from Feeling Stuck? 5 Reasons Why Values Matter: huffingtonpost.com
- Peterson, G. (August 14, 2013). Forbes. Obtained from Three Reasons Why Values Matter, And I'm Not Talking The Money Kind: forbes.com