Psychologist's 🧠 Step-by-Step Process to Identify Your Core Values.

How to Identify Your Core Values. Psychologist Explains Step-by-Step Process.

Relevant Links:
There are 5 general reasons why I it may take time to reassess my values on a regular basis.

Why is it potentially important to know your values?
1. First it is a moment of reflection that allows you to deepen your self-awareness.
2. Decision making: Your personal values are like a compass that guides your decision making.
3. So knowing your values helps with prioritization: When you know what your values are, you can focus on the things that matter most to you and avoid distractions that are not in alignment with your values.
4. Goal setting: Your values can also help you to set goals that are meaningful and aligned with your beliefs. When you set goals that are in alignment with your values, you are more to intrinsically motivated to take actions toward your goals, more likely to achieve them and feel fulfilled in the process.
5. This last reason I discuss values with some of my clients in my work as a clinical psychologist.

Values play a central role in a type of therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In this therapy, values guide behavior and provide a sense of purpose and meaning in life. When individuals are disconnected from their values, they are more likely to experience psychological distress and engage in behaviors that are inconsistent with their goals and values. Therefore, a core goal of ACT is to help individuals identify their values and take actions that are consistent with these values. So values serve as a guidepost for behavior and provide a framework for individuals to work towards creating a fulfilling life, even in the face of challenges and difficulties.

Determining your personal values is a process of self-reflection and exploration. Here are some steps you can take to determine your personal values:

1. Use a psychometrically sound values assessment. That means that the test is valid, it measures what it says it’s measuring in a reliable and consistent way. I use the Values in Action (VIA) Survey of Character Strengths. Which is a 240-item questionnaire assessing 24 strengths of character. It takes about 25 minutes to complete. It provides an indepth assessment of your values and character strengths.

2. Next you can develop a list your values by using a generic list of popular values. In the book ACT made simple there is a list of 60 or so values you can read, review and identify values that resonate with you. Some examples of values include honesty, compassion, creativity, and perseverance. You can ask what do you believe in? What is important to you? What motivates you? You can also look up other lists of values to help you generate ideas. Author James clear also has a fairly comprehensive list of values on his website also linked above.

3. As a final activity, consider your role models: Who are the people you admire and respect? What values do they embody? How do their values align with yours? Then consider your life experiences, what brings joy and fulfillment: What activities or experiences bring you the most joy and fulfillment? What values are reflected in those activities?

The final step in my process was to narrow down my list. I reviewed the three value assessment sought out themes and cut them down to : Review your list of values and prioritize them. Which values are most important to you? Which values do you want to live by?

Remember, determining your personal values is a personal process, and it may take time to identify and prioritize your values. Be patient and reflective, and be open to revising and refining your values over time as you grow and change.

📷 IG: FlexibleForethought

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for education and entertainment purposes only. Although I am a licensed clinical psychologist, the content of this video is not intended to diagnose or treat anyone and should not be mistaken for any level of medical advice. The view and opinions presented are my own and do not represent the official view of my employer(s).

[playfultones]

This is an awesome video! Well researched, well explained with links to additional videos & worksheets. I spent my entire adult life in therapy, talk therapy and everything and anything else that was available. Had any one of the therapists worked on this issue of core values early on instead of listening to the 'narrative' I had for my life for weeks & months and years, I think a different direction may have been possible in terms of romantic relationships, employment, career path etc. It feels to me like knowing my core values and how they relate to my current situation in life just feels so empowering. The talk therapy kept me stuck in the past. Validation is great, but focusing on core values helps bring me to the present and find a sense of who I am vs. who the abuser was and what they did. I am so grateful to have found the concept of core values in the context of this part of my life now, it brings everything together and is helping me to connect the dots for my wellness and to be able to create a new and much more positive narrative for my life. Thank you SO much.

[melanielewis]

This is so helpful! Thank you for putting this together.

[chanson]

Thanks chica! Best video for this topic for a me type person that I've found so far 🙌🏾

[Ze_Pequen]

Thank you this was very helpful and I already identified a few 👍🏾

[agakuraburihabwa]

Thank you so much, this is really good and so deep!!!

[ResilientFighter]

5:37 for those that want to get to exercise.

[beznazwy]

very nice and informative, thanks for sharing :)

[valuesandvibes]

Did you hear about values based model Revaluate180?

[DAClub-ufbr]

I did the assessment and it didn't sound like me at all. 😑 These core values seem like what society would like me to be not who i am.