Definition: Personal Values

Value is a concept that describes the beliefs of an individual or culture. A set of values may be placed into the notion of a value system. Values are considered subjective and vary across people and cultures. Types of values include ethical/moral values, doctrinal/ideological (political, religious) values, social values, and aesthetic values. It is debated whether some values are innate.nnPersonal valuesnPersonal values evolve from circumstances with the external world and can change over time. Integrity in the application of values refers to its continuity; persons have integrity if they apply their values appropriately regardless of arguments or negative reinforcement from others. Values are applied appropriately when they are applied in the right area. For example, it would be appropriate to apply religious values in times of happiness as well as in times of despair.nnPersonal values are implicitly related to choice; they guide decisions by allowing for an individual's choices to be compared to each choice's associated values.nnPersonal values developed early in life may be resistant to change. They may be derived from those of particular groups or systems, such as culture, religion, and political party. However, personal values are not universal; one's genes, family, nation and historical environment help determine one's personal values. This is not to say that the value concepts themselves are not universal, merely that each individual possess a unique conception of them i.e. a personal knowledge of the appropriate values for their own genes, feelings and experience.nnPersonal values of other persons is dignity of that other person.nnWikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia Contributors (Disclaimer)nThis article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.