Human Values Test

Benevolence covers the need to preserve and enhance the welfare of those with whom one is in frequent personal contact. Benevolence provides an internalized motivational base for cooperative and supportive social relations. This may conflict with the pursuit of achievement, such as seeking individual success over that of the group.

Universality measures the need for understanding, appreciation, and tolerance among all the peoples of the world, as well as the need for the welfare and protection of nature. Universality may also be expressed as concern for the weak and those in the minority. Universality sometimes contrasts with the in-group focus of benevolence.

Security denotes the need to preserve the harmony, security, and stability of oneself and one’s community. People who prioritize security are more likely to view demanding and unfamiliar challenges as threatening, whereas those with a lower emphasis on security are more likely to see such challenges as exciting. Those who struggle with economic hardship are more likely to assign importance to security values than would those who live in relative comfort.

Achievement is linked with prioritizing individual success in accordance with accepted social standards (e.g., obtaining a respected title or amassing a lot of money). Achievement is essential to personal success and is often evident in the life choices of those who strive to progress their career or ascend to leadership positions. The pursuit of success is often closely linked with the pursuit of the power value.

Hedonism measures how important the attainment of pleasure and sensuous gratification is to the individual. People who are high in hedonism often prioritize the greatest amount of pleasure possible for themselves. With aging and retirement, the ways in which hedonism is expressed tend to shift from active towards more sedentary pursuits.

Stimulation denotes the individual’s need for excitement, novelty, and change in their life. The pursuit of stimulation is likely to undermine the pursuit of the tradition value, which is more concerned with preserving time-honored values. Stimulation values are often expressed when faced with a number of uncertain yet exciting opportunities, such as when young adults could conceivably mold their lives in any direction they see fit.

Power measures the importance the individual assigns to having social status, prestige, and control or dominance over people and resources. This value, which centers on social esteem, emphasizes the attainment or preservation of a dominant position within the social system.

Self-direction is the need for independent thought and action in choosing, creating, and exploring the individual’s own life and environment. This value is derived from the innate need for mastery as well as from the interpersonal demand for autonomy. Self-direction values often oppose conformity, security, and tradition values.

Tradition denotes respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that the traditional culture of the individual holds to be best. Tradition is closely associated with conformity since both of these values prioritize the community over the self. On the other hand, tradition specifically entails subordination to more abstract considerations such as cultural ideas, customs, and religious practices, whereas conformity is more concerned with whatever norms the individual finds themselves surrounded by.

Conformity measures the restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or violate the community’s social expectations or norms. This value specifically entails subordination to the norms and customs that are set before the individual by authority figures such as parents, teachers, or political leaders.