Topic: Values
Unit Objectives:
- Become familiar with the basic relationship of human values to psychological and philoshopical endeavors.
- Understand that values are formed from external and internal drives of an individual.
- Explore one’s own value system.
I believe that I inherited almost all of my values from my family. Values that I believe I came to value on my own are those of leadership. I am a first generation college student, therefore when coming to college I had no idea what to expect. In addition to my studies, I found passion in leadership activities. I am a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, where I served on the Executive Board for two years. I also served on the University Senate. I enjoy leadership activities because they help my personal growth, while building my independence. My family helped me build integrity in everything that I do, as well as the importance of loyalty.
Today, I went grocery shopping – which represents my independence. I enjoy being able to do things on my own, while providing for myself. My independence is something that is very important to me. After running errands, I spent the rest of the day watching football with family and working on homework. I enjoy being able to spend time with family, because it is something that in a busy life can be hard to find time to do. In working on and completing my homework, I had a great sense of personal accomplishment. I love being able to go to bed knowing that I accomplished a great deal throughout the day.
Reflection:
This artifact is a direct reflection of my core values, or as Lewis (1990) would state, my “interior mental modes”. Before reading A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives, I did not place an emphasis on why I hold the core values that I do. Lewis helped shed light on the fact that there are internal and external mental modes that have help form my values. Through our learned knowledge we have a list of things we know to be true, for example our eye color. We rely on direct observation, otherwise known as a simple form of sense experience, to believe or know something to be true.
Through exploring my core values I was able to gain a deeper understanding of where I inherited them from. My family molded me into the person I am, embedding values into me that I had not ever noticed. My family has a strong relationship with one another, ensuring that ample time is spent together and that we check in one another. Today, that is something that I value myself. Although I do not live in the same state as my family, it is important to me to keep in touch. My family is known as an external force that my values stem from. Internally, my value of personal development stems from myself. It is important to me that I am always working to better myself.
Learning Goals for the Future:
In the future, I hope to continue to value my top five core values. I do, however, believe the order may change at some point, due to different circumstances and the point in my life I am at. This year, personal development and accomplishment are numbers four and five on my list because I am graduating from the UO and moving on to teach elementary school. While personal development and accomplishment may be numbers four and five on my list now, they may move down the list to make room for different values at another time. The shifting of values is normal, I believe. Values change as we grow older, settle into our careers, marry and have children.
Citation:
Lewis, H. (1990). A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives. Axios Press.