Core Values

Advertisement

How to Use

  1. Choose a discovery method: Guided Discovery (recommended — answer scenario questions and let your values find you), Card Sort (sort values into tiers and compare your favorites), Life Domains (rate values across six areas of life), or Elimination (progressively narrow down to your essentials)
  2. Work through the discovery process — answering scenarios, sorting, rating, or eliminating values — then narrow down to your top five through recognition, comparisons, or ranking
  3. Write personal definitions for each value and set one concrete action per value for the coming week — then explore your results on the Schwartz Wheel and sync with other decision tools
Advertisement

Methodology

This tool uses four discovery methods grounded in established values research. Guided Discovery (recommended) presents eight real-life scenarios and asks you to choose the response that feels most like you. Your answers reveal which values drive your instincts, surfacing a shortlist of 15 values ranked by match strength. You then select your top five from this curated set — no overwhelming list-scanning required. The Card Sort method is adapted from Miller, C'de Baca, Matthews & Wilbourne's Personal Values Card Sort (2001), originally developed for Motivational Interviewing. You sort values into three tiers, then the forced-choice comparisons surface your true priorities by eliminating social desirability bias. The Life Domain Exploration follows ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) values clarification as developed by Hayes, Strosahl & Wilson (2012). You rate values across six life domains, revealing which values appear consistently across your entire life. The Progressive Elimination draws on Brené Brown's narrowing exercise from Dare to Lead (2018), where you progressively remove what doesn't resonate until your core remains. All four methods converge on identifying your top five core values. The results are visualized using Schwartz's circular motivational model (1992, refined 2012), which maps values along two fundamental dimensions: openness to change versus conservation, and self-enhancement versus self-transcendence.

Sources: Schwartz Theory of Basic Human Values · Schwartz et al. (2012) PVQ-RR · ACT Values Clarification

Understanding Your Results

Your top five core values represent the compass directions that guide your decisions, relationships, and goals. They are not goals themselves — values are ongoing directions you can move toward but never fully 'arrive' at. The Schwartz Values Wheel shows where your values fall on the motivational continuum. Values that are adjacent on the wheel (like creativity and curiosity) naturally reinforce each other. Values on opposite sides (like freedom and conformity) create creative tension — this is normal and often reflects the productive contradictions that make you who you are. If your values cluster in one quadrant, you have a strong motivational focus. If they're spread across the wheel, you draw from diverse motivational sources. The Life Domain Alignment (Bull's Eye) shows how closely you're currently living each value across different areas of your life. Being near the center means you're well-aligned; being far from center signals an area where you might want to make changes.

Practical Examples

Example 1: Card Sort Method Sarah sorts 49 values into three tiers. She marks 12 as essential: creativity, freedom, compassion, honesty, growth, family, curiosity, authenticity, connection, health, purpose, and courage. In the forced-choice round, creativity beats freedom, honesty beats growth, and compassion beats curiosity. Her final five: Creativity, Honesty, Compassion, Family, Purpose. Example 2: Domain Exploration Marco rates values across all six domains. He notices that 'responsibility' scores high in career, family, AND community — while 'adventure' only shows up in leisure. His cross-domain analysis reveals five consistently important values: Responsibility, Connection, Growth, Health, and Justice.

Getting the Most from Your Values

Take the exercise when you're calm and unhurried. Values clarification works best when you're reflective, not reactive. Don't overthink each card — your gut reaction is usually more honest than careful deliberation. The forced-choice comparisons exist specifically to bypass overthinking. Revisit your values annually or during major life transitions (new job, new relationship, loss, relocation). Values shift over time, and that's healthy. Use your values as decision filters. When facing a hard choice, ask: 'Which option is more aligned with my core values?' This doesn't make the decision easy, but it makes it clearer. Share your values with someone you trust. Saying them out loud — and explaining why they matter — deepens your commitment to living them.

All calculations are performed locally in your browser. No data is sent to any server.

Was this tool helpful?
Want to tell us more?
0/500
Want us to follow up?
Thanks for your feedback!

Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from the values in Decision Journal?
Decision Journal lets you manually list values you already know. Core Values helps you *discover* them through structured exercises — card sorting, domain exploration, and elimination — based on behavioral science research. Once discovered, your values sync automatically to Decision Journal and other tools.
Which discovery method should I choose?
Card Sort works best if you trust your instincts — you'll sort quickly and let forced-choice comparisons reveal your true priorities. Domain Exploration suits people who think about values in context — what matters at work versus at home. Progressive Elimination is for decisive thinkers who find it easier to remove what doesn't fit than to select what does. All three methods produce the same result: your top five core values.
What is the Schwartz Values Wheel?
The wheel is a visualization based on Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Basic Human Values (1992), one of the most widely validated frameworks in cross-cultural psychology. It arranges values in a circle along two dimensions: openness to change versus conservation, and self-enhancement versus self-transcendence. Values next to each other on the wheel share motivations; values opposite each other create tension. Your personal pattern on the wheel reveals your motivational profile.
Can my values change over time?
Yes, and that's healthy. Major life events — becoming a parent, changing careers, experiencing loss, or moving to a new culture — often shift your value priorities. Research suggests revisiting your values annually or during significant transitions. The tool saves your sessions so you can compare over time.
Where is my data stored?
Everything stays in your browser's local storage. No data is sent to any server. You can export your sessions as JSON or Markdown for backup, and delete them at any time.
How do the values connect to other decision tools?
When you sync your values, they flow into Decision Journal (where you can check decisions against your values), Commitment Tracker (where you can tag commitments by which value they serve), and Navigate (where your values guide exploration). This creates a consistent thread of values-aligned decision-making across all tools.
What if I can't narrow down to just five values?
Five is the research-backed sweet spot — enough to be meaningful, few enough to actually guide decisions. If everything is a core value, nothing is truly a priority. That said, the values you didn't select aren't irrelevant — they form your supporting value structure. Your top five are the non-negotiables.
Are some values 'better' than others?
No. The Schwartz model explicitly treats all values as valid. There are no right or wrong values — only authentic and inauthentic ones. A person who values wealth and authority is not 'worse' than someone who values compassion and equality. What matters is that your values are genuinely yours, not borrowed from expectations.