Values allude to all those principles that allow human beings, through their behavior, to become better people; In other words, they are those qualities and beliefs that are attached to the characteristics of each individual and that help them to behave in a certain way. Values make it possible to determine our priorities, and help guide human life towards self-realization; These beliefs allow man to choose between one situation or another, or between one thing or another.
What are values
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The word values comes from the Latin “valere” which means “to be strong”. They are those virtues, principles or qualities that determine an individual, an object, or an action that is believed to be especially positive or highly prevalent within a social group. The definition of values indicates that they are qualities that stand out in each person and that, in turn, promote them to act in one way or another because it is part of their beliefs, they characterize their behavior and demonstrate their feelings and interests.
It is thought that these skills develop the virtues that, when applied in the individual's day-to-day life, brings positive and beneficial results for their environment and for society in general. Human values are defined by a group, a culture, by religion, traditions, and habits.
On the other hand, according to the nature of these aptitudes, the philosophical current of idealism prevails; In this, on the one hand, objective idealism is proposed, where it is believed that value is found outside of people or things, and on the other hand, subjective idealism, which is thought to be a value that can be found in consciousness itself. of each individual.
It can then be said that values are those ethical principles that allow the individual to behave in a certain way in a given situation. Some examples that can be highlighted are: responsibility, respect, honesty, honesty, etc.
Other terms that are closely linked to these qualities are attitudes and behaviors, which represent the way in which one acts at a given moment, according to what we believe, feel and value. This aptitude is valuable for what they are, that is, for what they can come to mean or represent in a given society, and not for what people think of them.
Ethical values
They are those behavior patterns that seek to regulate people's behavior, it has a universal characteristic and is achieved during the development of the personality of each subject.
Therefore, when speaking of ethical values, reference is made directly to cultural and social concepts that function as a guide in the behavior of the human being or of an organization. That is to say, it refers to the ideal reflections, of the socially accepted and valued rules or to the ought to be.
Therefore, ethical values are usually neither universal, nor absolute, nor eternal, but rather evolve, just as the society that complies with them does. They are a branch of philosophy that analyzes the notions of right and wrong, of good and evil, in the cultural sphere of the capacities of a society at a given moment, assuming the changes and evolution of the history of human reasoning and of his meditation around himself.
Example of ethical values
- value of honesty.
- Value of responsibility.
- Value of respect.
- Value of justice.
- Value of freedom.
Moral values
They are those propagated by society, from one descent to another that, in certain circumstances, may be established by a religious ideology. The moral values are modifiable over the years. These refer to those parameters that enable each individual to become a better person and that can be developed and perfected by them throughout life.
The value of morality is composed of a set of beliefs and norms that are transferred from society to people, with the purpose that they are respected and fulfilled. Here we seek to sustain and maintain the balance of adequate behavior in people, so that in this way they can differentiate the bad from the good and the fair from the unfair.
These correspond to the actions of correct or incorrect behaviors, they allow to differentiate the good from the bad, what should be done and what not, the just from the unjust; therefore it can be said that values involve our feelings and emotions; For example, when you love or value love, hate is hated, or when you agree with peace, you should not be with war, and when you value freedom you are not in favor of slavery. Each individual should identify what values were instilled in him, and in doing so he will realize what is really important to him.
Example of moral values
- Goodness.
- Generosity.
- Friendship.
- Compassion.
- Commitment.
Types of securities
The types that exist in society can be classified according to the cultural scene from which it comes, these types of values are:
Personal values
They are those who are considered essential foundations or norms for the lifting of our life, that is, the fundamental pillars established by itself to live, which can vary according to the person. For this reason, these personal virtues are adapted to each individual and which define their lifestyle, personality, objectives, behavior, etc.
These virtues are variants in time according to the needs or experiences, and start from the idea of proceeding under those facts that are believed to be correct, in this case the values included are: honesty, respect, tolerance and responsibility.
Socio-cultural values
These are principles that focus on the behavior of each individual within a given society; Over the course of history these have varied according to society. Cultural and social values are the absolute canons that work and are part of the culture of a society. More than a hegemonic nucleus, these are in constant juxtaposition with the rest of the values.
These are acquired passively from a very young age, since they are infused within the family group, this is the way in which each individual has their first contact with society.
Family values
These refer to all those rules that are immersed or that prevail in a family, and that allow to relate to each other; family values pass from generation to generation defining their behavior within the family environment. This is based on the mental, physical and spiritual presence of its members.
Within the family, people learn that it is unity, love, respect, family ties and a sense of belonging. Friendship as a fundamental value is of great importance because it forms the basis of any society, as well as love.
Spiritual values
They are behavior patterns that through their practice allow a relationship to be had with some deity; that is, they generate a connection with God.
The human being learns and develops this aptitude throughout his life according to how he receives a moral education, since they are transformed into good behavior and customs supported by culture. Hope, faith, truth, harmony and charity are the qualities most treated by theology as spiritual values.
Material values
They are those values that allow an individual permanence or stability, relating to existing basic needs such as clothing, food, etc. Therefore, material values provide a subsistence balance to the human being. However, sometimes this value becomes vulnerable because people transform its real meaning.
Which means that they give extra value to material goods, which on many occasions becomes unnecessary, especially when seeking to cover an emotional or affective gap with monetary or material goods.
Organizational values
They are those values defined by a certain organization or company immersed in its business policy; Among the organizational values can be described: teamwork, justice, the values of democracy, order, etc.
Organizational values are adopted as insubstantial opinions that do not really influence corporate performance, but if their real scope is studied, a shared value forms the basis of the organization, and creates benefits for the company and the workers who put them into practice. Core values are those that are deeply held and therefore widely accepted and shared by more people.
Environmental values
These are equally recognized in the field of environmental education. However, this is not an area of knowledge, since there are no specific definitions that are credited to it, only concepts related to the area of nature and the environment. It could therefore be defined as the process of teaching values for awareness of environmental protection.
That is why it can be said that environmental values seek to promote human awareness regarding the use, management and exploitation of the resources of nature and its environment, trying not to be invasive or destructive and avoiding the over-exploitation of said resources. This level of consciousness would be more optimized if it transcends from the local to the global, maintaining a sense of awareness and protection towards the environment on a global scale.
This awareness is carried from ideals to actions that involve ecological conservation; Actions that can range from simple tasks to more complex programs and strategies to achieve sustainable development. Several examples of these are not throwing waste on the street, not burning garbage, recycling materials that can be reused, not using fuels unnecessarily that can become pollution for the environment, reducing the amount of waste, avoiding wasting resources, among many others.
These actions are and must be the result of a promotion of the recycling culture, in which all sectors must be involved, from governments and education, to homeschooling. The subsistence and sustainability of the environment will depend on it in order to avoid its destruction.
What are antivalues
They are all those behaviors or attitudes of human beings that are harmful and negative and that they tend to manifest daily within the society in which they operate, it is from an ethical, moral and cultural tradition point of view of societies. It can be said that they are dangerous and unhealthy behaviors that threaten the harmony of living in society.
This type of attitudes or behaviors are responsible for degrading man to the point of dehumanizing, which produces contempt and rejection on the part of the environment in which he finds himself and of society in general. Antivalues can be classified into 4 types:
- Self-destructive, called that way because they lead the subject to self-destruction, as is the case with the abuse of substances that damage the body or even self-harm.
- Anti-equality, seeing in them the responsible perennial oral separation between groups of a society that are not defined by the moral character of their conduct, as in the case of serial killers and the general population that present moral inequality.
- Individualists, responsible for the separation between the subject himself and other people, which causes the individual to systematically prioritize his own well-being in any area in which he operates and regardless of whether the privilege obtained is large or small.
- Destructive, are those that generate an act of general destruction, such as the destruction of the environment.
Importance of values
Values are important, as they help the individual to conduct themselves in life with a moral criterion based on their belief system, learning, standards and ideals. The application of the same, helps a healthy coexistence between the members of a society, a family environment, a school environment, a work environment or even a country.
For this to happen, these qualities or beliefs must be rooted in the individual and that he believes in the importance of good living, that he has faith in the other people around him. Many of these qualities are valid for the human being of faith, since he is convinced that the application and the way of conducting himself in life through values, will give him a reward beyond death; although this is not necessarily the case for many people, whose motivation is primarily an ideal (for example, socialism).
They are of such importance that the statutes of a town or country are based on them, since they fundamentally define a manual for coexistence in a society or community. However, the laws do not guarantee the existence of values in a society, but rather respond to a sanction or punishment if any of these is distorted. That is why the values have a greater weight than the ordinances, although they are based on these qualities.
In a more specific area, in a team, these help to guarantee that the objective proposed by the group is fulfilled in a harmonious and coordinated environment, at the same time that it allows reaching solutions to problems that may arise. These can even make each member develop a sense of belonging to the project or organization they are part of.
