A632.5.4.RB - How Protected are Your Protected Values?

As defined in our own text values are particular preferences in utility, desires, and attitudes that assist in evaluating states of affair (Hoch, Kunreuther, & Gunther, 2001). Thinking through what my own protected values are is admittedly quite a challenge, the reason being that we often are so accustom to fighting for and defending our values that we rarely have to really think it through. For myself my own protected values include my prioritization of family,

My own prioritization of family and the time I spend with my family is one of those “no brainer” values. When it comes to what I do wit my free time and how I spend it family is on the top of the list. This prioritization of family is a positive as I see it as a good use of my time, especially over the long term, it is clear that there is a mutual benefit from having a string bond with my family. Though, in reviewing come of the downfalls to my prioritization of my family it is true that other people, especially close friends suffer in this hard defended value of mine. Additionally, I have seen my own value impact big decisions like where I live and work, and although I view family as being well worth any sort of sacrifice it is still a great impact on my life and my choices.

Another one of my own values is my craving to work independently. I do enjoy working in a team setting but I have a value of independence instilled in me from a very young age. I truly believe that this need for independence and thirst for leaning independently stems way back to my parents frequently telling me to “figure it out Alexandria” whenever I had a question or a task I was working on. This independent value is beneficial as it build my confidence when I am tasked with working on something alone, but it does have its downfall when I am working in a close team where I do not feel like I am being allowed to own my contributions to the team.

Lastly, I value hard work. This high value of hard work and hard working people comes from my family’s own immigrant history, and my exposure to my family members that actually came to this country for opportunities to work hard. This value is great in motivating myself and others at times when things and projects get challenging. The value of hard work can be seen as a downfall when it effects my empathy towards others and their own struggle and how it may impact their ability to work hard.

After going through this exercise I do feel more aware of my own protected values and the impact they have on my behavior, attitude and decisions. Although I do feel just as strongly, if not stronger about these values even after going through this exercise. At least now I just have a deeper understanding for how these vales impact my decision making.

References

Hoch, S. J., Kunreuther, H., & Gunther, R. E. (2001). Wharton on making decisions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.