Theory
The Schwartz value model
The social psychologist Shalom H. Schwartz described a set of basic human values found across cultures and arranged them in a circle. The report of the core values test places your values on this circle.
Where the model comes from
Schwartz published the theory in 1992 and tested it with survey data from 20 countries. He defined each value by the goal that motivates it: for self-direction that is independent thought and action, for security it is safety and stability. Later studies in many more countries supported the structure. In 2012 Schwartz and colleagues published a refined version that splits the values into 19 narrower ones.
The ten basic values
The original theory names ten values, each with its motivational goal:
| Value | Motivational goal |
|---|---|
| Self-Direction | Independent thought and action: choosing, creating, exploring |
| Stimulation | Excitement, novelty and challenge in life |
| Hedonism | Pleasure and enjoyment for yourself |
| Achievement | Personal success by showing competence according to social standards |
| Power | Social status and prestige, control over people and resources |
| Security | Safety, harmony and stability of society, of relationships and of yourself |
| Conformity | Holding back actions that could upset or harm others or break social expectations |
| Tradition | Respect for and commitment to the customs and ideas of your culture or religion |
| Benevolence | Preserving and improving the welfare of the people you are close to |
| Universalism | Understanding, appreciation, tolerance and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature |
The circle and its four higher-order groups
Schwartz arranged the values in a circle. Values next to each other are compatible: one action can serve both. Values on opposite sides conflict: pursuing one tends to come at the expense of the other. The circle falls into four higher-order groups:
- Openness to change: self-direction and stimulation. Independence and readiness for new experience.
- Self-transcendence: universalism and benevolence. Concern for the welfare of others.
- Conservation: security, conformity and tradition. Order, restraint and keeping things as they are.
- Self-enhancement: achievement and power. Pursuing your own success and status.
Hedonism shares elements of openness to change and self-enhancement.
Why opposite values pull against each other
The circle has two axes. Openness to change faces conservation: the wish for independence and new experience against the wish for order and stability. Self-transcendence faces self-enhancement: concern for others against pursuing your own success.
The theory assumes that everyone holds all of these values. People differ in how important each one is to them. So freedom and family can both be on your list. In one concrete decision they may ask for different things, and knowing that helps you see why a choice feels hard.
How the report uses the model
The metaFox value cards sort their 80 values into nine families on Schwartz's circle: Self-Direction, Stimulation, Universalism, Benevolence, Conformity, Security, Power, Achievement and Pleasure. Pleasure is Schwartz's hedonism, and the cards place it with self-enhancement. Tradition has no family of its own in the cards: values such as Heritage and Faith sit under Security.
Your report shows where your final values fall on the circle. When two of them sit in opposite groups, openness to change and conservation or self-transcendence and self-enhancement, the report names the pair as a possible value tension. It shows up to three such pairs. Both values matter to you, and the report points out where they can pull in different directions.
Sources
- Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1-65.
- Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1).
- Schwartz, S. H., Cieciuch, J., Vecchione, M., Davidov, E., Fischer, R., Beierlein, C., et al. (2012). Refining the theory of basic individual values. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(4), 663-688.
Questions about the Schwartz model
How many values are in the Schwartz model?
The original theory from 1992 has ten basic values. The refined theory from 2012 splits them into 19 narrower values. Both keep the same circular order.
What are the four higher-order values?
Openness to change, self-transcendence, conservation and self-enhancement. Each groups neighboring values on the circle.
Which values conflict in Schwartz's model?
Values on opposite sides of the circle, for example self-direction and conformity, or universalism and power. Pursuing one tends to come at the expense of the other.
Is the core values test a Schwartz questionnaire?
No. Research uses questionnaires such as the Schwartz Value Survey and the Portrait Values Questionnaire. The core values test is a reflection exercise that uses Schwartz's model to sort the values and to show where yours may pull against each other.
