What are your values ​​in life. What are life values ​​- the concept, what are they, what is the substitution of life values? Relationships and personal life

For each of us, life values ​​are a fundamental guideline in various types 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. AT modern 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, you can determine the scarcity or wealth inner world person, 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:

  • 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 is of some value. Thanks to the acquisition of certain knowledge and skills, high-quality and competent performance of work is possible, career.
  • Health and beauty. Body values ​​(tight figure, developed muscles, well-groomed skin) are considered as an important component healthy lifestyle life, requiring systematic training.
  • 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.

And it has a really huge potential value. But the value of the resource in itself does not mean anything.

As a metaphor, let's take, for example, a diamond - a valuable, expensive stone, but in itself it is not very attractive: it is just a piece of rock, beautiful, but so far meaningless. It is later, when the diamond is cut by the hands of the master, it will shine, playing and shimmering with its sparkling facets, reflecting Sun rays a young day and will rivet the eyes with its beauty and give joy.

It is the same with a person’s life: if he, an attentive master, builds his life soundly and beautifully, taking care that the same strong lives are built next to him, his life becomes a masterpiece, his main and great creation. If a person randomly stacks bricks anyhow, uses everything that comes to hand, does not care about a strong foundation and reliable walls, builds on the one hand, destroys on the other, and even prevents others from building - his life turns out to be nothing more than than a pile of bricks piled together.

And in the first case, a shining Temple turned out to be in the place of the lived life, and in the second case, a dirty dump.

If life is spent in vain, nowhere, in drinking and empty chatter about beautiful things, the value of such a life as a result turns out to be low, although the resource itself was very expensive.

For comparison: they took a diamond and exchanged it for two bottles of burnt vodka. Extremely stupid, but alas, it happens.

If life is lived beautifully, strongly, taking care of at least oneself and one's loved ones, or many people at one's own expense, the value of such a life will be high.

The faceted Diamond shone with magnificent facets.

A person makes the value of his life himself: it depends on his choice in which direction he wants to live and will live. And only his choice will be where to give away an irreplaceable, and therefore incredibly valuable resource: bury it under a pile of bricks or invest it in a magnificent Temple.

Materials from the Sinton forum

Human life is a great value. It is not comparable to any other value (other type). In this sense, it is similar to a transfinite number. Which, by definition, is greater than any integer or real number. Infinitely more. But mathematicians have come up with such tricky rules by which you can still work with transfinite numbers. That is, with infinity. And it turns out that one infinity can be greater than another, and so on.

So, the value of human life is not comparable with the value of anything else. It is, by definition, more valuable than anything else. But it can be compared with the value of another human life.

Thus, the transfinite theory of the value of human life gives reason to believe that in some cases you can sacrifice your life (for example, when it comes to saving many other lives good people) or kill someone to save yourself, your loved ones and friends from death ... By the way, if someone attacks, maliciously encroaches on someone's life, then he can (and should) be destroyed in any quantity, even to avert the risk by no means 100%.

Human values ​​are an extremely topical issue. We all know them well. But hardly anyone tried to define them clearly for themselves. Our article is devoted to just this: the awareness of modern values.

Definition

Value is something that a person consciously or unconsciously reaches for, which meets his needs. Of course, people are all different, which means that human values ​​are also purely individual, but one way or another there are common moral guidelines: goodness, beauty, truth, happiness.

Positive and negative values ​​of modern man

It is clear to everyone that it is normal to strive for happiness (eudemonism) or for pleasure (hedonism). Now it is even more clear than, for example, 100 or 200 years ago. Despite the fact that office workers certainly get tired at work, life has now become much easier than it was for our grandparents. Russia is still shaken by various crises, but still these are not wars, not besieged Leningrad and other horrors that the insane twentieth century has awarded history.

Our contemporary may well say, looking back at history: "I'm tired of suffering, I want to enjoy." Of course, here he does not mean himself, but man as a generic entity, embodied in various bodily shells from ancient times to the present day.

Therefore, the actual reality, perhaps more than all other historical realities, sets him up to pursue happiness and pleasure (the positive values ​​of a person) and escape from suffering and pain (the negative constants of his being). We have the joy (albeit of a very dubious quality) to observe how the classical ethical triad "goodness, beauty, truth" gives way to such landmarks of human existence as money, success, happiness, pleasure. They are difficult to assemble into some kind of design, but if you try, then happiness and pleasure will definitely be at the top, money at the bottom, and everything else in between.

The time has come to talk about such a concept as a “human value system”.

religious values

It is clear to sane people that the world is capitalist, i.e. one where everything or almost everything is decided by money is not eternal and not unique, and the order of values ​​that is offered to them is not universal. Also, it is almost self-evident that the natural opposition is the religious interpretation of reality, which is subject to moral and spiritual laws. By the way, the eternal duality of being between its spiritual and material aspects does not allow a person to lose his humanistic essence. That is why the spiritual values ​​of a person are so important for his moral self-preservation.

Christ as the initiator of a spiritual upheaval

Why was Christ a revolutionary? He did a lot to earn such an honorary title, but the main thing in the context of our article is that he said: "The last will be the first, and the first will be the last."

Thus, he overturned the entire structure that is called the “human value system”. Before him (as now) it was believed that wealth, fame and other delights of a life without spirituality are just higher goals human existence. And the Messiah came and said wealthy people: "It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." And they thought that they had already bought everything for themselves, but no.

Jesus grieved them, and the poor, the unfortunate and the disadvantaged had some hope. Some of the readers who do not believe too much in paradise will say: “But can the goodness promised after death atone for the existing suffering in the earthly existence of a person?” Dear reader, we completely agree with you. Future happiness is little consolation, but Christ gave hope to the losers of this world and charged them with strength to fight against his unenviable fate. In other words, the values ​​of a person, the values ​​of the individual have become different and have gained variability.

vertical world

In addition, Christianity made the world vertical, i.e. all earthly values ​​are henceforth recognized as base and unimportant. The main thing is spiritual self-improvement and unity with God. Of course, a person will still pay harshly for his spiritual aspirations in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, but still, the feat of Jesus is extremely significant even outside a religious context, because the prophet showed, by sacrificing his life, that other values ​​​​are possible in a person’s life, that fit harmoniously into the system.

Variations in value systems

From the previous section, it became clear that the system of human aspirations can be completely different. It all depends on what the individual or group is oriented towards. There is, for example, a sociological approach to this issue: the vertical of the significant is built from the highest to the lowest in accordance with the interests of the collective. The latter can mean both individual groups and society as a whole. And we know those periods when some nations put the collective above the individual. This argument will fit perfectly with the topic "Values ​​of the individual and society."

Individualization

The individualized world has its own priorities and its own understanding of higher and lower. We can observe them in our contemporary reality: material well-being, personal happiness, more pleasure and less suffering. Obviously, this is a rough sketch of significant human landmarks, but one way or another, each of us falls into this picture. There are not enough ascetics now.

Formal and real values

If someone asks what role values ​​play in a person's life, then this question is difficult to answer. It is one thing what a person says, and another thing what he does, i.e. the difference between its formal and real semantic priorities. For example, in Russia, many consider themselves believers. Temples are being built. Soon every courtyard will have its own temple, so that pious people do not have to go far. But this is of little use, because, as the bishop from the third part of the movie saga says, “ Godfather” to the main character of the film: “Christianity has been surrounding a person for 2,000 years, but it has not penetrated inside.” In fact, most people perceive religious institutions as conditional, and they are not particularly interested in the problem of sin. It is also strange that, thinking about God, believers completely forget about their neighbors; the social values ​​of a person are in a certain sense in the paddock. Naturally, in such a situation it is difficult to speak of true faith.

Pitirim Sorokin and his valuable periodization of cultures

The well-known sociologist and public figure P. Sorokin based his typology of cultures on nothing other than values. He quite rightly believed that every culture has its own face, its own individuality, which stems from a guiding principle or idea. The scientist divided all cultures into three types.

  1. Idiational - when religious beliefs prevail over material goods and such a dominant attitude determines the values ​​and norms of a person and culture as a whole. This is reflected in architecture, philosophy, literature, social ideals. For example, during the European Middle Ages, a saint, a hermit or an ascetic was considered the canon of a person.
  2. Sensual type of culture. The most striking example is, of course, the Renaissance. Religious values ​​are not only trampled, they are actually canceled. God begins to be perceived as a source of pleasure. Man becomes the measure of all things. Infringed in the Middle Ages, sensuality wants to reveal and manifest itself to the fullest extent of its capabilities. From this arise the famous moral conflicts of the Renaissance, when a significant cultural upsurge is adjacent to a fantastic moral decline.
  3. Idealistic or mixed type. In this model of culture, the material and spiritual ideals and aspirations of a person find agreement, but the primacy of the latter over the former is affirmed. Focusing on high moral ideals helps a person to live the smallest in the material sense and believe in spiritual self-improvement.

In this construction of P. Sorokin there are no extremes of the two previous types, but there is also one significant drawback: it is impossible to find a real example of such a culture. One can only say that this is how people live who have fallen into extremely difficult life circumstances (illness, poverty, natural disasters, poor neighborhoods of countries around the world). The poor and the handicapped voluntarily have to minimize bodily needs and keep a high moral ideal before their eyes. For them, this is an indispensable condition for survival and existence within a certain moral framework.

This is how the article turned out, the focus of which was the cultural values ​​of a person. We hope that it will help the reader to understand this difficult and at the same time extremely interesting topic.

Reading time: 3 min

Life values ​​are categories of moral and material aspects that are leading in the choice of life strategy, ways of achieving and orientation in the semantic space. In many ways, it is values ​​that determine a person’s ability to make decisions, and also incline his activity in a certain direction.

The presence of stress factors problem situations and other troubles can force a person to change their positions or begin to make efforts to defend their point of view. It can be said that all the difficulties encountered on the way test a person for strength in their own convictions, make it possible to prove that the chosen categories represent precisely the life values ​​​​of a person, and not momentary needs.

What it is

The life values ​​of a person are fate-transforming and fate-realizing factors and directly affect the adoption of all life decisions. They affect all spheres of life, including the highest purpose of the personality and soul, relationships with close and superficially familiar people, and the attitude to material wealth.

Variety of space life values unique in the same way that each person is unique. It is the interweaving of the importance of attitudes towards a particular category that allows us to see an individual pattern of semantic and value space. Most people use momentary impulses to build a life concept, without a deep awareness of their priorities, which work on a subconscious level.

Frequent painful reflections, the inability to make a choice, to do the right thing, or subsequent reproaches of oneself for a mistake made are the usual consequences of the absence of a clear position. If you increase the level of awareness, understand thoroughly your gradation of values, then you can avoid a significant amount of doubt and the difficulty of choosing.

The road is made easier by the fact that the path has already been chosen, even if for the sake of a long-term perspective, temporary comforts have to be sacrificed. So, a person who puts the family in the first place will not hesitate for a long time how to respond to the proposal of the authorities about a six-month business trip to another country, and who does not understand what is a priority for him in the context of his whole life, he may not decide on drastic changes or make error.

The determination of the most significant values ​​is influenced by many factors, both the internal structure of the human psyche and external events in the surrounding space. At first, the foundation is laid by the characteristics of the individual and the system of education - many values ​​have a biological basis (the need for an active or passive lifestyle, the number of contacts, medical care), and are also internalized from the immediate environment in the very early age.

As they grow older, the core values ​​form the life experience gained, personal emotional experiences from some situations that add up the general attitude to life. As a result, a peculiar construction appears, separating important things and events from minor ones.

When a person builds his life based on deep true values, he feels filled with energy and happy. The reverse law also operates - the more life moves away from internal needs, the less happiness it has, and dissatisfaction begins to prevail in the emotional background of the individual. It is necessary to decide on your primary priorities, while not forgetting that the most harmonious life is in which all spheres are developed. Even if a person determines for himself the importance of two or three values, it is necessary to maintain all the others at the proper level in order to avoid imbalance and disharmony of the personality.

Basic values ​​of human life

Basic values ​​are understood as categories of universal human values ​​that are of undeniable importance for all people, on a planetary scale and on an individual level. What is important is the value of one's own life, love for any of its manifestations. From this follows care for physical and spiritual health, the ability to prioritize and, first of all, ensure one's survival. In many ways, this most important item is regulated, but only at the physical level, psychological sacrifice is increasingly manifested among people and adversely affects the life and state of the psyche.

As a social being, it is human nature to value relationships highly, as well as their quality. The need to be accepted and appreciated contributes to survival and better fulfillment in the living space. Next after importance social relations or instead, one can consider the value of family relationships, including the parental family and building one's own.

Intimate relationships, romantic manifestations can also be attributed to this item. Developing this category, the value of love for children and the need for their presence appear. Here, several additional points can be realized at once, for example, the implementation of one’s own social function, purpose, ability to transfer knowledge and so on.

The importance of native places, those where a person was born, grew up, spent most of his life, can border on patriotism. In the global sense, the place of our birth and upbringing directly forms the personality - it is there that you can feel accepted and understood. At home and among people with the same mentality, it is easier to adapt and breathe easier, there is an opportunity to show all your abilities brighter and more multifaceted. Many cultures have preserved the traditions of maintaining contact with their native land, from an intuitive understanding of the importance of the amount of energy received by a person from the familiar space.

Professional and social activities, the realization of oneself as a specialist or the achievement of new results in one's hobbies becomes an almost necessary factor in modern world. This touches upon, which will come without material support and the desire for development and recognition, as the main driving mechanisms of human activity. Such strong factors eventually force many to prioritize work, resulting in a serious bias in one direction.

Inseparable from the value of work is the value of rest, which allows you to restore resources, switch. During the rest, a person can discover a new vision of the past situation, feel the taste of life, realize impractical, but spiritually significant desires. All this eventually allows you to harmonize the rest of your life.

Real life examples

To understand more clearly how values ​​manifest themselves, it makes sense to consider a few examples of each of them. So the value of family and relationships is manifested by caring, the ability to come to help and provide it even when it is not directly asked for. A person who allocates time to all the important people in his life clearly appreciates this category. This also includes the ability to always respectfully address people, to be responsive, tolerant and tolerant. The absence of these manifestations can soon destroy any relationship and the person is left alone. Of course, he can sacrifice this, directing his energy not to an attentive attitude towards others, but to the development of his own career or skills, but then completely different ideals are written in the priorities of a person.

When a person's main value is material well-being, this is manifested in constant self-development in its professional area, searching for new opportunities and positions.

A prime example is skipping a family dinner or dinner together because of an important meeting or the need to finish overtime. In the pursuit of financial wealth, people may take on extra jobs, freelance outside of their core business, sacrifice work relationships by substituting employees to take a privileged position.

When health is shaken, it is this category that comes to the fore among the entire list of values, because otherwise a person cannot function normally, and perhaps even say goodbye to life. In many situations, the need to take care of the physical condition arises precisely against the backdrop of problems, but there are people who have set this value as one of the highest for themselves, striving to maintain constant good health. This is manifested in regular examinations, adherence to a suitable diet and physical activity, and the passage of periodic rehabilitation and restorative procedures.

The value of self-development and spirituality may seem like a choice instead of a pilgrimage beach or an esoteric festival, psychological training is preferred instead of new shoes. Everything that is important for a person requires time and attention, therefore only awareness will help to plan time in such a way that other areas of life do not suffer.

Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"

Knowing your personal values ​​will help you find satisfaction in life and find your way through it. They can work as a compass, pointing you in the direction of a meaningful life and career. If you have to make a choice, or if you feel like you're treading water, take stock of your values ​​and stay true to them to get you on the right path. To identify your values ​​in life, take the steps below to help you figure out what is important to you. Once you understand your personal values, you can use them as a basis for "reconstructing" your life. This will help you build a life and career that aligns with your values.

Steps

Part 1

Reveal your values

    Make a list of the things that are most important to you in life. Even if you don't consider it a value, chances are there are a few things that are of the utmost importance to you, such as family and friends. Take 5-10 minutes and think about what you think is important in life, and then write these things down on a piece of paper. Try to come up with at least 5 points.

    • For example, you could write: "My family, creative side, helping others, being kind to animals, and learning new things."
  1. Identify 3-5 situations where you really felt alive and engaged. When we are doing something important to us, we easily lose the sense of the present moment. Think of times when you felt this way. Keep in mind that these exciting and invigorating experiences don't have to be "happy." Then ask yourself what made the experience worthwhile to find out what value it might represent.

    • You can write: “When I helped my friend Alina after an accident”, “When I received a diploma at school”, “When I left abandoned kittens”.
    • Then analyze why you felt alive helping your friend Alina. You may have enjoyed feeling helpful, or you may have been uplifted by the need to get creative and come up with activities to do together during your friend's recovery.
  2. Think about what words you would like to hear from people on your 80th birthday. This will allow you to look back at your life to decide how you want to live it. Imagine that you are celebrating 80 years on Earth and celebrating all your accomplishments. Then think about what it might say about your values ​​in life. Ask yourself the following questions:

    • Who is at my party?
    • What do people like about me?
    • How have I affected people's lives?
    • What have I achieved in life?
    • What do the answers to the previous questions say about your values?

    Option: You can also answer these questions by writing your obituary the way you would like it to sound. Think about how you want to be remembered by people, and then implement these things into your daily life.

    Think about what you admire in other people to bring out your values. Start by identifying two or three people you admire, such as family members, friends, leaders, celebrities, or fictional characters. Then identify what you admire about them, such as their accomplishments or talents. Then decide what values ​​they can represent (from your point of view). Most likely, these will be the values ​​that you adhere to.

    • For example, you may admire preacher Martin Luther King Jr. for his courage, commitment to standing up for the truth, and selflessness.
  3. Make a list of the things you really want in life. Fold a piece of paper in half or create two columns in a word document. On the left side of the page, write down the answers to the questions below. On the right side of the page, write down what each item on the list says about your values. The list is likely to be very long, but that's good because it will give you more directions to get to know yourself.

    • What do you want to achieve?
    • Who do you want to be in life or at work?
    • What things do you hope to have?
    • What do you hope to experience in life?
    • How do you want to spend your time?
    • What are your goals and aspirations?
  4. Use the list of values ​​to decide what is important to you. Such a list consists of a list of values ​​that can be analyzed. Circle or write down the values ​​you identify with. Then select the top 10 values ​​from the list to find out what is most important to you.

    • For example, you can use this list: http://www.grunin.org/info/articles/polezno/spisok-cennostej/
  5. Make a ranking of the 10 core values ​​you have chosen. After you have done one or more of the steps to recognize your values, make a list of the 10 things that are most important to you. Then arrange them from 1 to 10 places, where number one is the most important value. Use this list as you make life and career choices.

    • It's okay if the values ​​and their ranking line change over time. We are constantly learning, developing and changing, so it is only natural that some values ​​lose their importance or, on the contrary, gain it.

    Part 2

    Assess the alignment of values
    1. Rate how your life compares to each value on a scale of 1 to 10. Start at the top of the list and work your way down. Think about how each value is reflected in your life and how thoroughly you follow it. If you feel like this value is fully expressed, give yourself a 10. However, if you don't see this value at all in your life, give yourself a 1.

      • For example, let's say you value artistic creativity. You can give yourself a 10 for this item if you make art, study it, visit local museums, and own a couple of reproductions that you like. However, give yourself a 1 point if you only have a couple of art books and that is where your relationship with art ends.
    2. Using a scale of 1 to 10, determine if your profession matches each value. Ideally, to be satisfied in life and work, you need to express your values ​​through your profession. Consider how your job or profession represents each value. Give it a 10 if everything seems to match, or a 1 if it doesn't.

      • For example, suppose you value helping people. If you work for a local non-profit organization, you can give yourself a 10 for this item. On the other hand, if you don't interact directly with people at work, give yourself only a 3 (which might make you feel dissatisfied).
    3. Look for the values ​​you are in this moment do not express in life. After you evaluate your career and life, identify the values ​​that are important to you but that you don't live by. These areas can be worked on to make you feel happier and more satisfied. In addition, it will help you find more meaning in your activities.

      • Make a list of the values ​​you want to add to your life. Use this list when you start making changes.

      Advice: ask yourself why these values ​​are not being expressed in your life. Is something bothering you? Do you feel like you can't express it? By identifying obstacles, you can remove them.

    Part 3

    Incorporate values ​​into your life and career

      Imagine what your ideal life would look like. Think about who you would be if you fully displayed your values. Where would you live? What kind of work would you do? How would you spend your free time? Make sure your choice is in line with the personal values ​​you have identified.

      • For example, you may have decided that in your ideal life, you would help people get in shape through dancing. You probably imagine that you live in big city on the coast teaching dance cardio in gym and in your free time go to the beach with your friends. In addition, you have several pets because you love animals.

      Advice: try to imagine your ideal life to understand what you want the most. Then find ways to bring those images to life.

    1. Identify professions that align with your personal values. It will help you find meaning and purpose in life. Think about what kinds of tasks you could do on a daily basis, what kind of environment you would like to work in, and who you would like to collaborate with. Then find a job that reflects those values.

      • For example, let's say you want to help people in your community and do projects that affect it. In this case, you can work in a non-profit organization or in a government and political position, become a social worker, or work in urban planning or public health.