Perceptions of values over time and why they matter

Value fulfillment and well-being: Clarifying directions over time

OBJECTIVE

We investigate for the first time in a 9-day diary study whether fulfilling one's values predicts well-being or whether well-being predicts value fulfillment over time.

BACKGROUND

The empirical associations between the importance of human values to individuals and their well-being are typically weak and inconsistent. More recently, value fulfillment (i.e., acting in line with one's values) has shown to be more strongly correlated with well-being.

METHOD

The present research goes beyond past research by integrating work from clinical, personality, and social psychology to model associations between value fulfillment and positive and negative aspects of well-being over time.

RESULTS

Across a nine-day diary study involving 1434 observations (N = 184), we found that people who were able to fulfill their self-direction values reported more positive well-being on the next day, and those who fulfilled their hedonism values reported less negative well-being on the next day. Conversely, people who reported more positive well-being were more able to fulfill their achievement, stimulation, and self-direction values on the next day, and those who reported more negative well-being were less able to fulfill their achievement values. Importantly, these effects were consistent across three countries/regions (EU/UK, India, Türkiye), the importance people attributed to values, period of the week, and their prestudy well-being.

CONCLUSION

These results help to understand the fundamental interconnections between values and well-being while also having relevance to clinical practice.

Evolution of basic human values orientations: An application of monitoring changes in cluster solutions

This study enumerates the evolution of basic human values orientations and the dynamic relationship between them, computed from Schwartz's value survey conducted in European nations. For this purpose, eight datasets related to the human value scale were extracted from the European Social Survey; each corresponds to a single round conducted cross-sectionally every two years since 2001. Change detection algorithm was implemented to the cluster solutions of temporal datasets, and the evolution of important clusters was traced. Finding of the study reveals that Universalism and Benevolence values are on the rise in European societies in the last couple of decades. Most of the European inhabitants believe in the smooth group functioning and form the organismic needs of cooperation. The people prefer anxiety-free life, and love for nature, environment, humanity, and kindness to other beings in society are essential constructs for them. They avoid self-centred behaviour and prefer social physiognomies.

Perceptions of values over time and why they matter

Objective

Extant research mostly treats values as being stable over time. Our research examined how people perceive values over time and whether or not these perceptions reflect motivational tensions between theoretically opposing values. We also assessed the viability of examining values over time to predict well‐being and future intentions.

Method

Four studies (N = 934) asked participants to report their values across past, present, and future settings. These temporal trajectories were analyzed across the four types of higher‐order values: self‐transcendence, self‐enhancement, openness, and conservation. Studies 3 and 4 assessed associations with well‐being. Study 4 assessed associations with self‐reported behavior over time.

Results

Across all four studies, participants perceived their values as being dynamic over time. Younger participants' trajectories did not reflect the motivational conflicts typically reported in values research, but Study 4 showed potential awareness in older age groups. Variability in temporal values correlated with well‐being, particularly for openness values. Future values predicted future intentions, even when controlling for present values.

Conclusion

This novel method of examining values provides new understanding into how people perceive the pursuit of values over time. Additionally, we show two ways that a temporal values measure can offer new insights into well‐being and future intentions.