Values list
Core values list: 80 personal values with definitions
These are the 80 values from the metaFox value cards, each with the short definition it has in the test. They are sorted into nine value families based on Shalom Schwartz's model. Read through them, notice which ones you would keep, and then pick yours in the test.
How to use this list
Go through the list once and note every value that feels important to you. Reading is the quick part. Choosing is harder, and that is what the test helps with: you merge values that mean the same to you, name them in your own words and rank them in pairs until you have three to nine values in order.
Openness to change
Self-Direction
9 valuesThinking and acting for yourself: choosing, creating, exploring.
- Curiosity
- Desire to experience or learn something new.
- Flexibility
- Willingness or ability to change or compromise.
- Creativity
- Use of imagination and ideas to create something.
- Freedom
- Speaking, acting and pursuing happiness without unnecessary external restrictions.
- Independence
- Being able to depend on yourself or your own abilities.
- Proactiveness
- Taking initiative in anticipation of something or to influence the turn of events.
- Fulfilment
- Seeking your utmost potential and living life in a way you consider meaningful.
- Entrepreneurship
- Transforming your circumstances or the world by creating solutions.
- Meaning in Life
- Searching for significance in your life.
Openness to change
Stimulation
8 valuesExcitement, novelty and challenge.
- Variety
- Doing different things and making frequent changes.
- Courage
- Ability to do something that frightens you.
- Adventure
- Engaging in exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory.
- Personal Growth
- Pursuit of activities that develop your capabilities and potential.
- Artistic Expression
- Interpretation of life into art form.
- Craftsmanship
- Quality of design and work of something made by hand.
- Innovation
- Pursuit of new ideas that have value to society or the world.
- Passion
- Strong desire or dedication to something.
Self-transcendence
Universalism
13 valuesUnderstanding, tolerance and care for all people and for nature.
- Peace
- Being free from disturbance; experiencing tranquility.
- Knowledge
- Being aware of facts, information and skills.
- Wisdom
- Discerning the soundness of one’s action or decision by applying experience, knowledge and good judgement in beneficial ways.
- Nature
- Care for the natural earth and the beings and things in it.
- Fairness
- Treating others justly and behaving impartially.
- Justice
- Acting on ethics and law that ensure fair, equal and balanced decisions and actions.
- Patriotism
- Love for and loyalty to your country.
- Happiness
- Experiencing positive emotions through an activity, company or thing.
- Idealism
- Believing in a perfect vision.
- Beauty
- Appreciation of and care for aesthetics.
- Equality
- Having the same economic, political and social rights.
- Spirituality
- Being concerned with the spirit or the soul.
- Logic
- Sound thinking and reasoning.
Self-transcendence
Benevolence
13 valuesCaring for the people close to you.
- Compassion
- Sympathetic concern for the suffering and feelings of others and motivation to help them.
- Honesty
- Adherence to the truth.
- Generosity
- Willingness to share and acting with a mindset of abundance.
- Trust
- Firm belief in the ability or truthfulness of another.
- Friendship
- Relationships between people who like and enjoy each other’s company.
- Respect
- Honoring and accepting the feelings, wishes, rights or traditions of others.
- Stewardship
- Careful and responsible management of what is entrusted to you.
- Responsibility
- Having a sense of duty to care for someone or something.
- Making a Difference
- Making relevant and positive impact.
- Integrity
- Adherence to your principles.
- Empowerment
- Enabling others and giving them the power to act on their own.
- Righteousness
- Acting faithful and according to high moral standards.
- Forgiveness
- Letting go of past grudges or lingering anger against others.
Conservation
Conformity
7 valuesHolding back what could upset or harm others, and keeping to shared expectations.
- Belonging
- Affinity with a place or a group.
- Loyalty
- Firm and constant support or allegiance to a person, institution or cause.
- Pragmatism
- Giving importance to practical application instead of theory.
- Teamwork
- Combined action and effective collaboration of a group.
- Community
- Fellowship from the sharing of common attitudes, interests, and goals with others.
- Obedience
- Compliance and submission to a person or rule.
- Reliability
- Trust in consistently good performance.
Conservation
Security
12 valuesSafety, harmony and stability in society, in relationships and for yourself.
- Privacy
- Being free from public attention and unwanted disclosure.
- Financial Stability
- Ability to cover your financial obligations.
- Family
- Giving importance to family as a group of people with a common bond of love, loyalty and care.
- Well-being
- Being healthy, comfortable and happy.
- Caution
- Taking care to avoid danger or mistakes.
- Heritage
- Transmission of customs and beliefs from generation to generation.
- Faith
- Strong belief or conviction in something unseen, usually spiritual.
- Thriftiness
- Acting mindfully about the management of income and expenses.
- Social Order
- Respecting social structures, institutions and human relationships in a society.
- Balance
- Achieving equilibrium by making time for things that matter.
- Sustainability
- Meeting your own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Culture
- Giving importance to the customs, arts, social institutions and achievements of a particular people or social group.
Self-enhancement
Power
5 valuesStatus, prestige and control over people and resources.
- Ownership
- Claiming the rights and interests of an owner.
- Prestige
- Acquiring special notice or attention, e.g. for an achievement.
- Influence
- Exerting authority, power or capacity to cause a desired effect.
- Competition
- Struggle to win against an individual or group.
- Ambition
- Strong desire to achieve something, often requiring determination and hard work.
Self-enhancement
Achievement
7 valuesPersonal success by showing what you can do.
- Achievement
- Successfully reaching a goal with effort, skill, or courage.
- Competence
- Ability to do something successfully or efficiently.
- Accuracy
- Acting correct or precise.
- Efficiency
- Achieving results with minimum effort.
- Intelligence
- Ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
- Self-Discipline
- Making the effort of self-control to avoid distraction from a goal or desired behavior.
- Perseverance
- Having the strength, character and determination to overcome obstacles and achieve goals.
Self-enhancement
Pleasure
6 valuesEnjoyment and pleasure for yourself.
- Fun
- Enjoying pleasant activities in the here and now.
- Sensuality
- Pursuit of pleasant physical experience with all senses.
- Humor
- Quality of acting amusing or comical by allowing a change of perspective.
- Joy
- Experiencing vibrant happiness.
- Materialism
- Giving importance of physical comfort and material possessions.
- Individualism
- Giving importance to the interests of the individual.
The nine value families
The families come from Shalom Schwartz's theory of basic human values. Schwartz sorted values by the motive behind them and placed them on a circle with four higher-order groups: openness to change, self-transcendence, conservation and self-enhancement. Families next to each other go well together. Families on opposite sides can pull against each other.
Printable values list
A printable PDF of the values list is on metaFox.eu. You get it, together with a values wheel and a values grid, when you sign up for the metaFox newsletter there. metaFox also sells the values as a printed deck of 80 cards, "What Really Matters!".
Questions about core values lists
How many core values should I have?
There is no fixed number. The test ends with three to nine values and aims for seven. If you pick more cards at the start, you merge and narrow them down along the way.
What are some examples of core values?
Freedom, Adventure, Fairness, Honesty, Loyalty, Family, Influence, Competence and Fun: one from each of the nine value families on this list.
Can I add a value that is not on the list?
Yes. In the test you can add your own values, and you can rename any card so it says what you mean.
Is this a list of company values?
No. It lists personal values: what matters to you in your own life. Company core values describe how an organization wants to work, and that is a different exercise.
