Human life value system: types of values ​​and system formation. The main values ​​in human life

Human life values play a key role in his fate, because decision-making, the realization of the right to choose, the realization of life's purpose, and relationships with other people depend on them.

Each person has his own system of life values, his own priorities. Everyone certainly has values. But, for the most part, people are not aware of their values. And this should definitely be done in order to, as they say, make life easier for yourself. After all, when making any decision, from the smallest to the most momentous, one should turn to the system of one's values, and then, it is quite likely, it will be possible to avoid painful doubts and worries.

Human life values- the basis of life choices of varying degrees of importance.

For some, material values ​​are important: money, food, clothing, housing. For some, spiritual values ​​are a priority: spiritual search, disclosure and realization of one's life purpose, creative self-development, the fulfillment of one's earthly mission. But there are so-called universal values ​​that are important for all people. Among these are the following:

1. Love for yourself (which has nothing to do with selfishness). Only self-love helps to show love towards other people.

2. Warm relationships with people on which our whole life is built.

3. A close loved one, a soul mate who has a special place in your heart. After all, only a couple living in love and harmony is able to realize themselves and leave a mark in life.

4. Creating a home.

5. Love for children.

6. Love for the Motherland - the place where you were born and spent your childhood. This is one of the most important factors in the formation of personality.

7. Work or other social activity. Of course, the work is very important. But in the modern world there has been a catastrophic bias in her direction. Too many people devote much more time to earning money than to their own health, sports, raising children, creating a home together.

8. Friends and associates. Communication with such people gives joy and self-confidence.

9. Rest. It is rest that allows us to find peace and balance, to concentrate on ourselves.

Too many people know the price these days
but do not understand their True Values
Ann Landers

A person's life is impossible without a system of values ​​- stable ideas about the goals that he strives for for his own and common good. Agree, the combination of these words - "value system" - in itself can cause feelings of something important and fundamental. Such impressions also visited me when I first heard about the value system. For a long time, I associated this expression with external, social standards, as a set of generally accepted moral norms that allow society to develop in a certain direction. As I understood later, for me, values ​​represent not only a system or set of rules introduced “from outside”, but a personally formed, own understanding of life and its moral foundations. From the whole variety of values, 3 categories are mainly distinguished: material, socio-political and spiritual. And most likely, my reflections here will concern the spiritual, individual values ​​of a person, contributing to the formation of the features of his inner worldview.

Personal values ​​are a much more powerful regulatory mechanism in our lives than they might seem at first glance. They guide a person on the path of his development, determine the specifics of his character, his behavior and type of activity, regardless of whether we realize it or not. In part, they are passed on to us from our parents and are individually laid down from childhood, thereby determining our ideals, goals, interests, tastes, behavior; practically everything that we are at the moment is a combination of various values ​​and “anti-values”. Everything that we know and subjectively perceive in life through books, communication, films, interaction with people - all this is transformed in self-consciousness into subjective experience and further - into a value basis, thanks to which a subjective view of the world, a holistic worldview is formed. Personal qualities that are preferred and significant for us, manifestations, events, ideas become values.. I put the concept of “anti-value” in quotation marks because it is not an opposite or opposition to existing values. By "anti-values" I mean only a set of other values, attitudes, actions or habits that weaken the main, priority values ​​for a person, or hinder his development in the desired direction. I will talk about them a little later, but for now we will continue. Our value system is made up of “little things”: from those mental states that we prefer daily, from the habits and patterns of thinking, thanks to which we perceive and evaluate the world around us through various filters. In addition, the value orientations of each of us determine what impact we have on the process of forming society as a whole. There is such an expression: "What are the values, such are both society and the individual."

Just imagine if each person tried to sincerely weigh their lives and reconsider their current values, allowing/realizing their involvement in the processes and trends that are now taking place in the world. It is difficult for many to admit that in order to resolve the destructive and aggressive tendencies of the present time, efforts are needed from each of us - to pay attention to and harmonize our own weaknesses and destructive states. It seems to me that after this, many problematic situations in different countries would be resolved peacefully. But today we still live in a society of consumer orientations, which is not so often concerned with the issues of correcting existing interpersonal relationships for creative and humane ones. Unfortunately, it still seems to people that the world around us and all situations that do not directly concern us exist separately, and there is little we can do to change it.

Is it true? Don't the values ​​of one person affect the existing system of values ​​of the whole society? These questions began to worry me in my youth, when I learned to realize my own individual value system as the primary stage in determining my life purpose.

At the age of 15, it became clear to me that the range of interests of my peers is limited only to enjoying life and wasting their time and energy. Even then, the search for a broader meaning of further existence began to emerge in my mind. But before finding a use for myself in life, it was important for me to learn a lot about myself: what is my inner world, what gives me joy in life, why something does not suit me, what I aspire to and what ideals inspire me. At that time, bookstores were filled with esoteric literature, workshops on self-development, psychology and a mass of information about what a person is and what opportunities each of us has. Books became my source of inspiration, in them I found answers to many exciting questions and tried to know myself better. At that time, I understood that neither work, nor success, nor relationships in a couple could provide those internal processes of self-disclosure, thanks to which genuine states of joy, love for life and people, internal and external harmony appear.

I saw people who lived “not their own” life and were unhappy: they went to an unloved job, got married, raised children, then got divorced and suffered not because they sincerely wanted such a life, but because it was accepted to live like that, it happened in everyone. Perhaps one of the reasons for this was not their own, but someone else's value system - this is how their parents lived, this is how they "should" live. Without creating their own value base, a person is often faced with the fact that he is forced to either agree, or oppose and resist the demands that society promotes, which are authoritative and significant for many, but not for himself.

For many years I was unable to understand and accept the choices and life principles of the people I met, which forced me to experience a lot of different non-positive states: condemnation, arrogance, criticism, hostility, disappointment in myself and in others. And only much later it became clear why it was difficult for me to understand the behavior, actions and preferences of other people - the reason was hidden precisely in the difference in our systems of personal values, in the priority of individual goals and outlooks on life. But how many destructive non-positive states, quarrels and heavy conflicts arise on the basis of such automatic rejection!

One story that I was lucky enough to hear from my good friend helped me to see myself from the outside in such manifestations, which at that time caused a number of reflections and reflections on this matter.

He told one incident that happened to him. Once a friend of mine was in a hurry for a very special meeting for him and was a little late. He admitted that although outwardly he kept calm, he was internally worried about this, because he considers punctuality an important feature of human character. On the way, he had to stop at a gas station to fill up the car. He immediately warned the dispatcher that he was late and asked to serve him as quickly as possible. A few minutes later, a young tanker approached him and clarified the amount of fuel he wanted. "Full tank. Also, I'm very late. Please, could you serve me as soon as possible,” answered my friend. Watching the young tanker slowly do everything, he was seized by a wave of indignation and indignation. In order to balance himself and get out of the states of growing negativity, he began to look for motivation to justify the sluggishness of this guy. And that's what he realized then for himself. In the personal value system of this young tanker, such qualities as alertness, punctuality, mobility, empathy, assistance, and others were not so significant for him that he could and wanted to show them to other people. Who knows, perhaps the very specifics of working at a gas station with flammable substances, which does not imply fuss, determined the behavior of a young employee: he took his duties responsibly and served without too much haste. On the other hand, he could take his time if he was not happy with his work; usually the perception of time in this type of activity changes and every hour stretches in anticipation of the end of the shift. My acquaintance at that moment felt the value of time in a completely different way: every minute was important, because important meetings and meetings were scheduled one after another. And being late among his acquaintances was regarded as disrespect and irresponsibility.

He told me this story as his own example for finding justification motivations in difficult situations in relationships with people. Of course, the reasons for this behavior of a young tanker could be many and varied: concentration and responsibility, accuracy and calmness, and possibly a bad mood, well-being or other problems in life. But it's not that. This story prompted me to recall many similar situations from my own life, where internal and external conflicts with people arose for the same reasons: differences in views, ideas, upbringing, goals, beliefs, point of view, internal qualities. I was not able to accept people as they have a full right to be. This is the right of freedom of choice, the definition of our own needs, priorities, views and beliefs that give each of us individuality in self-expression. I became interested: how does the value system affect the specifics of perception of oneself and others? Why do we tend to have a negative attitude towards people with a value system different from ours?

As I wrote above, the significance of certain things for a person is determined by a whole set of ideas that he was able to build for himself under the influence of many factors: heredity, upbringing, culture, religion, social circle, field of activity and much more. From these vast spheres of life, values, like filters, allow a person to choose the most important thing: they make the important “visible” and perceived, and the unimportant, vice versa. For example, if cleanliness, order, and neatness are not of great importance to a person, then he will not notice untidiness or slovenliness in another person. Or absolutely the opposite: having excessive pedantry, exactingness and bias towards people, a person sees different details in others that do not correspond to his ideas, which causes misunderstanding and indignation in him. A person automatically “attaches” skills and qualities that are important for himself to others, believing that they are equally significant for them and, as a result, he is faced with the result of his own delusions as disappointment and censure of the actions of these people.

When we interact with someone, we automatically compare and contrast our own values ​​with theirs. Also, this process can take place alone with ourselves, when our choice begins to fluctuate in the direction of one or another value. For example, such a quality as laziness often manifests itself as an internal conflict between two values: the value “pulls” in one direction, prompting the achievement of goals, and in the other, enjoying a pleasant pastime. The first value encourages daily study of a foreign language (a long-standing goal), and the other - to do cleaning, watch a movie or chat with friends, which also seems important and necessary.

It happens that people do not clearly understand their personal values. It only seems to them that “correct”, generally accepted moral norms and qualities are significant for them: benevolence, tact, delicacy, respect, tolerance, and others. But most often, these are not real, but “potential” values, initiated by the subconscious desire to “be better”. And only in practice it becomes clear what is really significant and valuable for a person, and what is only his desire to be such. There are people who love to skillfully give "useful" advice to others, but they themselves do the opposite. This is precisely one of the reasons for dissatisfaction with oneself and the life around - a person does not realize his real value system or is mistaken, thinking up and attributing certain features and properties to himself. As a result, in such cases there is an inconsistency or discrepancy between external actions and internal ideas about oneself, which leads to a feeling of disappointment. In order to be able to understand your personal qualities, it is necessary to consciously study them in yourself, analyze and put them into practice, so that the best of them become our good habits, and the far-fetched ones are eliminated.

But what prevents us from living like this? And the reason lies in the so-called "anti-values". By themselves, "anti-values" cannot be called something "bad", it is a part of our life - they are very different and everyone has their own. For example, for one person, watching films is an “anti-value”, because he watches them a lot and often, and, accordingly, other areas of his life “suffer”; for another person, watching movies is a value that allows him to switch and relax after work, relieve accumulated stress.

To my own "anti-values" I include such bad habits and qualities that prevent me from achieving my goals. First of all, it is laziness, self-pity, superficiality, impulsiveness and incontinence, duplicity and fawning, irritability, condemnation and all kinds of other negative manifestations and weaknesses that still need to be changed in oneself.

Most often, people are more or less aware of their shortcomings, observe them in themselves, manifest them, and then suffer and regret it. Or they do not see the reasons in themselves, but refer to the injustice of life or individual people in relation to them. And this happens day after day, until a person understands that it is the world of “anti-values” that becomes a magnet for attracting misfortune, disappointments and unfavorable situations in his life.

By the age of 30, I began to worry about the question: what is it to be a right, worthy person. What kind of life would I like to see around me? What values ​​are important to me now? Having moved away for a while from external social generally accepted values, I discovered my own qualities, skills, goals, priorities - all that thanks to which I can realize myself as a full-fledged person. Of course, all values ​​are interconnected with each other and grow one from the other. For example, the desire to be a good daughter, friend, wife and mother, as well as to be a kind, wise, intelligent, strong woman living among the same people, are the constituent needs and prerequisites for comprehending a more global value - to achieve an ideal human image, which I managed to imagine for yourself. This is the image of a perfect man, personifying wisdom, generosity, knowledge, the creative power of kindness and love. Of course, this process never stops, and as we get better, we see (understand) that we can be even better, and this goes on forever. It is important to understand here that the main thing is the process itself - and not the end result. The process of constant change and transformation of mental states, ideals, needs in the desired direction; you need to learn to accept and rejoice in your achievements, even if they are very small steps.

Now I try to be especially sensitive to things that are significant to me, interests, hobbies and internal processes; I try to observe what “anti-values” appear in me and prevent me from developing further. Moreover, the people around us are our good helpers in self-observation. If something in our behavior causes misunderstanding and a non-positive attitude in another person, then this is the first sign of the presence in us of some kind of inconsistency in our system of views, which requires internal harmonization. Thanks to the practice of conscious living, which I am now trying to learn, more and more people with similar interests and values ​​\u200b\u200bbegan to appear in my environment. And such wise sayings: “Like attracts like”, “What you sow is what you reap”, “We ourselves deserve the world in which we live” began to be confirmed in practice in my life. Then I realized that each of us is personally responsible for the society in which he lives. As long as we are “interested” in showing discontent, experiencing fears, being lazy, putting our own interests above the needs of others, we will be in a society that can reflect such desires or unwillingnesses. Numerous internal conflicts, suffering, quarrels that fill the lives of many people, sooner or later force them to admit their own imperfection, as a result of which the main goal arises - to become more humane and build genuine harmonious relationships with people based on understanding, kindness, love and patience. After all, a person is not just a biological species. This is a high rank that still needs to be earned.

They can be briefly expressed as follows:

• Self-development and self-improvement. The ability to devote time and attention to revealing the inner potential, their noble sides. Understanding and adequate assessment of their shortcomings in order to change them.
• A responsibility. Responsibility for your life, decisions, for your successes or mistakes. Awareness of belonging to everything that happens in your life and in the world.
• Awareness. The ability to be an observer of one's mental states and behavioral motives; to accompany with consciousness their current states, actions, the course of their lives.
• Will and intelligence. Overcoming difficulties to achieve the set goals, thanks to the understanding and analysis of situations for their reasonable settlement.
• Constructiveness and self-discipline. The habit of actively seeking solutions rather than complaining. Own fulfillment of those requirements that are imposed on others.
• Optimism and positive thinking. The ability to be happy, confident in success. Gratitude and the ability to forgive other people's mistakes. Joy for the success of others.
• Openness and honesty. The ability and desire to be yourself, to “give” the best part of your inner world to others without duplicity, pretense and closeness.
• Trust in life. Perception of any situations, processes, as necessary, fair and expedient. Understanding cause and effect relationships.
• Faith in people. The ability to see the shortcomings of people, but at the same time always find their strengths and talents. The desire to please and inspire others.
• Altruism and concern for others. Sincere desire to be useful to others. Assistance, empathy, creative participation in the life of people and society.
• Humanity. The highest dignity of man. Possession of the best qualities that can change not only your own life, but the world as a whole.

The above values-goals are only part of a whole ensemble of qualities and virtues that I would like to develop in myself along with other life values: to be a caring wife, a good friend, a tactful interlocutor; engage in creative projects, be healthy and financially independent, and so on.

Our value system can often change radically, but we do not always understand this, catch it and can control it. In my opinion, this happens when a person is ready and open to these changes. The revision of old values ​​and the formation of new ones in many people is accompanied by complex mental processes associated with the restructuring of perception. In my case, radical changes in the personal value system at this stage occurred due to the study of books on human psychology and iissiidiology. Both of these directions helped to expand the usual boundaries of perception of one's own existence and to learn about the deep interconnections of each of us with the surrounding reality.

For myself, I drew a direct analogy with how my life values ​​determined my direction in life, as well as my worldview. Our own values ​​grow from within, depending on maturity, potential, aspirations, plans for the future, and many other factors. I was convinced that spiritual values, like the garden of our soul, are collected bit by bit, grains that ripen for a long time and only then give fruits that bring the true taste of deep happiness. But we also have our “anti-values,” which we define as flaws and imperfections. Both values ​​and “anti-values” form the range of our interests from the most ordinary, everyday to the most highly moral. And in favor of what we make a choice, it determines the path of becoming ourselves as a person. And now I am deeply convinced that if it is important for me to see healthy, joyful, noble and grateful people around me, then it is necessary to start first of all with myself, with maintaining in myself those values ​​that I would like to see in others.

We rarely ask ourselves questions like “Why do we live”, “What is life value for us”, etc. Without talking about it, we, nevertheless, are guided by certain principles, we choose for ourselves the most important thing, if it is impossible to save everything. For example: “love”, “freedom” or “work” is more valuable to someone than “family”. If you don't have to choose between them, everything coexists peacefully. What if you need to make a choice? It will be done in favor of what is most important for a person, no matter how it may seem from the outside it is a wrong or thoughtless decision. Of course, it is possible that over time a person will blame himself for having once made the “wrong” choice. Only he always chooses in the present, and in this present there are already other values.
Are there such life values ​​that are equally important for people regardless of their age, gender and in which country of the world they live? Of course have. This is family, health, work. In addition, people name other values, such as: education, love, friendship, self-respect, career, power, money, sex…
It would be interesting to compare the values ​​of "fathers" and "children", because their difference can interfere with mutual understanding between generations.
What our teenagers choose, we learned from their answers 130 students of the 5th and 9th grades from school No. 3 in Konakovo. 45% of respondents put "a happy family" in 1st place among the other 17 life values. 85% of children included "family" in the top five most important values. The 2nd place was taken by “friendship” (58%). Although relationships with peers during adolescence play a major role, only 6% gave her an honorable first place. Indeed, the family continues to play a crucial role in the process of growing up a teenager. He needs wise mentoring from adults, but does not show this and rebels against his parents, striving for communication on an equal footing.

Not all, but only 54% of schoolchildren, consider "education" a life value. Among fifth-graders, only 45% share this opinion. An even smaller number of schoolchildren (only 18%) strive for high achievements in sports or the arts.
Some boys and girls line up the following series of values:
Education - work, career - money, wealth. Or even "cooler": work, career - money, wealth - fame, admiration and respect of others.
Among adolescents aged 10-11 and 15-16, there is an equally small number of those who begin to realize the “welfare of the state” as a value. “Science as knowledge of the new” occupies almost the very last places in the list of values ​​(from 9th to 17th). Only one young man considers "science" a priority value for himself, along with such as "power" and "success".
36% of teenagers choose such a value as "the happiness of loved ones."
The answers of adults (and they were interviewed 30 people) were very diverse. Almost all the values ​​listed in the questionnaire were named by them, with the exception of such a value as “food”. And for 13% of teenagers, food is worth talking about as a value. Actually, it has long been known that there is a hierarchy of needs, and the first place in this pyramid is occupied by physiological needs. These include food, clothing, sleep, rest. A person is able to think and strive to meet higher needs only when his primary (physiological) needs are satisfied. No wonder there is a saying: "An empty belly is deaf to learning."
For 13% of adults, housing is a similar primary need: their own apartment or house.
The main values ​​of the interviewed men and women aged 22 to 52 are “family” and “health”. In second place is "work". For 66% of respondents, the category “happiness of close people” is very significant. The number of choices in favor of "love" and "friendship" is an order of magnitude lower. 26% of people name them as important life values. The rating for education is not very high. Only 20% of adults consider education an important life value. Approximately the same number (20-25%) choose the "welfare of the state", striving for self-respect. For 15% of adults, the respect of others is necessary. No more than 5% aspires to a career, power. The attitude to money as a kind of life value was revealed in 20% of adolescents and 10% of adults.
It turns out that the values ​​of "fathers" and "children" are very similar, although in each case this is far from being the case. And how exactly, you can discuss after reading this material. I wish you happy discoveries.

For each of us, life values ​​are a fundamental guideline in various activities. They contribute to personal growth, the creation of a comfortable life, the formation of creative thinking, etc. Everything is achieved by a person thanks to the hierarchy of values ​​\u200b\u200bbuilt by him, which determines which of the priorities comes first. This is the measure of human happiness.

Some put the family in the first place, others do not think of their well-being without others give to interests, hobbies. Some representatives of mankind, refusing material goods, see their happiness only in spiritual self-improvement. In general, life values ​​are the goals and priorities that, managing a person's life, determine his essence. The choice of fundamental guidelines is carried out by people depending on the level of development of their consciousness. However, either material ones should not be extreme, as this will inevitably lead to excessive materialization or, conversely, illusory nature. Therefore, it is very important to achieve a balance in the system of life priorities.

There are universal human life values ​​that are equally important for all people. Each era establishes its own system of priorities for the individual. In today's society, values ​​include health, family, work and education. The implementation of priorities that are significant for a person is very important for his recognition and self-affirmation.

Starting to form in the family, life values ​​further determine the image and their worldview. After analyzing them, one can determine the scarcity or richness of a person’s inner world, the diversity of his interests and individuality. In the formation of a person's value attitudes, a significant role is played by his close environment (friends, family), religious beliefs, as well as national and social traditions.

The main life can be divided into several groups:

• A family. Assumes long-term relationships (with parents, children, marriage partner, relatives and friends), which are considered as a value. Thanks to the improvement of a person in a pair, his personal growth is more effective. And warm relationships with relatives allow you to feel the fullness of happiness.
• Career. It involves purposeful actions aimed at achieving a certain one, thanks to which new opportunities and spheres of influence open up before a person.
• Favourite buisness. Promotes the disclosure of the inner world of man. With a reasonably built hierarchy of life guidelines, a favorite pastime, hobby and many other interests will help strengthen the state of spiritual harmony and happiness.
• Money, comfort. An orderly life is considered as a value that requires certain financial costs.
• Education. Improving professional skills contributes to personal development and represents a certain value. Thanks to the acquisition of certain knowledge and skills, high-quality and competent performance of work, career growth is possible.
• Health and beauty. Body values ​​(tight figure, developed muscles, well-groomed skin) are considered as an important component of a healthy lifestyle that requires systematic exercise.
• Personal growth. It includes certain social and psychological skills that contribute to the formation of maturity in views, attention to other people, the manifestation of wisdom, control of one's feelings and emotions.

Thus, life values ​​are a way of self-affirmation of a person, regulating his behavior.

In order to feel like a full-fledged person and live a full life, you must be able to see the beauty of the world around you. In addition, it would be useful to make for yourself a list of life values ​​that will be an integral part of your life, and somewhere even its meaning. If there is something to live for and something to strive for, life will not seem like a boring, dull existence.
from M. S. Norbekov help to streamline their strengths and weaknesses, learn to independently determine the system of values, identify their goals and unrealized dreams. Taking the Life Values ​​course will also help you reassess your values, rethink and change your being.

The main priorities of human self-consciousness

Each person has his own basic life values, which are firmly included in his daily life. Often they are determined over a fairly long period of time and depend on the way of life of a person, his upbringing and environment.
Very often, a person’s life values, the list of which is formed absolutely unconsciously, change with age, due to changes in priorities or circumstances. Many may not even strive for any particular goal or preference, acquiring inclinations and habits according to their life perception.

In addition, some of life's values ​​can be determined by the type of desire for the opposite: for example, when a very rich person has a desire to experience the delights of a simple life, and one of the values ​​in the life of a poor person will be the eternal desire to rise.

Standard list of life values ​​in psychological terms

Psychologists have long studied all aspects of human nature, aspirations and goals. The main list includes the following concepts:

• Family life (love, mutual understanding, home comfort, children);
• Professional activity (work, business, status);
• Education;
• Spiritual life (inner peace, faith, spiritual growth);
• Political or social activity (communication, power, career);
• material well-being;
• Hobbies (friendship, self-development, personal growth);
• Beauty and health.

Many professional psychologists use various materials and teachings in their work that help to determine life values ​​and understand oneself. Courses according to the M.S. Norbekov system are very popular in many countries. Anyone can Norbekova. The material in the classroom is presented efficiently and effectively, but at the same time very easy to understand.

This is a real opportunity to know yourself, discover your inner potential and discover for yourself the main life values. In a short period, you can gain self-confidence by defining life priorities and setting specific goals for yourself.