The diagram below illustrates the influences on us that result in our behaviour and whether that resulting behaviour is ethical. The diagram first outlines the sources of our beliefs. It then shows the relationship between the beliefs and values to our attitudes and our resulting behaviour. What is a belief? A belief is an idea that a person holds as being true. A person can base a belief upon certainties (e.g. mathematical principles), probabilities or matters of faith. A belief can come from different sources, including:
A potential belief sits with the person until they accept it as truth, and adopt it as part of their individual belief system. Each person evaluates and seeks sound reasons or evidence for these potential beliefs in their own way. Once a person accepts a belief as a truth they are willing to defend, it can be said to form part of their belief system. What is a personal value?Values are stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important to a person. They become standards by which people order their lives and make their choices. A belief will develop into a value when the person’s commitment to it grows and they see it as being important. It is possible to categorise beliefs into different types of values – examples include values that relate to happiness, wealth, career success or family. A person must be able to articulate their values in order to make clear, rational, responsible and consistent decisions. What is an attitude?Attitudes are the mental dispositions people have towards others and the current circumstances before making decisions that result in behaviour. People primarily form their attitudes from underlying values and beliefs. However, factors which may not have been internalised as beliefs and values can still influence a person’s attitudes at the point of decision-making. Typical influences include the desire to please, political correctness, convenience, peer pressure, and psychological stressors. NoteThe potential for these influences to sway attitudes will be greater if the person has not clearly thought through their beliefs and values. This process includes considering the principles by which they might reconcile or prioritise competing values. A lack of self-awareness or critical insight, or the presence of ambivalence or uncertainty about values, can lead to a less rational attitude to choices, and ultimately to undesirable behaviour. Introduction[edit | edit source]Personal Values[edit | edit source]Definition[edit | edit source]Personal Values are “broad desirable goals that motivate people’s actions and serve as guiding principles in their lives".[1] Everyone has values, but each person has a different value set. These differences are affected by an individual's culture, personal upbringing, life experiences, and a range of other influences.[2] Personal values are desirable to an individual and represent what is important to someone. The same value in different people can elicit different behaviours, eg if someone values success one person may work very hard to gain success in their career whereas someone else may take advantage of others to climb the career ladder. A person can have many values with an individual assigning more importance to some values over others. It has been shown that the values that are most important to you often guide your decision making in all aspects of your life such as career, religion, social circles, self-identity etc[1]. A personal value is a broad concept and one particular value can be applied to various situations [1]. For example, if an important value to you is loyalty this could be applied to your family, friends or work environment. Schwartz in 1992 presented 10 motivationally distinct types of values as listed below[1]. These values have been researched in many countries and have been found to be universal in cross-cultural applications. [3][4]  Schwartz Theory of Basic Values
Lists of personal values can be indefinite but research has shown a value will generally fit into one of those 10 types. There is no set of ideal values and everyone will have their own list of values with unique importance assigned to each one.[3] [5] Personal values may and may not correlate with a person’s behaviour. Some values may be practised by an individual and executed in daily life. A personal value may be important to someone, but they are not implementing it in their daily life, and they would like to implement it. And an individual may have a set of personal values that is not in line with their behaviour. [6] Personal Beliefs[edit | edit source]Definition[edit | edit source]“Core beliefs are defined as fundamental, inflexible, absolute, and generalised beliefs that people hold about themselves, others, the world, and/or the future”[7]. We use beliefs to help us understand the world around us. A person’s beliefs will guide them in their decision making and response to situations. Beliefs are usually formed in childhood or any other significant formative experience.[8]. Sources of Beliefs[6][edit | edit source]
Types of Beliefs – Enabling and Limiting[edit | edit source]Beliefs can be seen as enabling (positive) or limiting (negative). Enabling beliefs are ones that are optimistic and show good self-efficacy or the belief in yourself that you can achieve something. Examples of enabling/ positive beliefs
Negative beliefs are thought as limiting and they often hold one back in life. Limiting beliefs are often seen in absolutes and are often inaccurate and unhelpful. People with limiting beliefs can often be judgmental of oneself or of others. [8] Examples of limiting/ negative beliefs
Beliefs, positive or negative, are not always true and this can lead a person to make poor decisions based on inaccurate beliefs. Research shows that people with inaccurate negative beliefs about themselves can present with symptoms of anxiety and depression[9]. Categories of Beliefs[6][edit | edit source]Beliefs can be categorised into beliefs about one’s self, about others, about the world and the future. These beliefs can either be positive (enabling) or negative (limiting).
Identification of Beliefs[edit | edit source]It is not always an easy task to identify one’s core beliefs. It can require a great amount of introspection and some people may need the facilitation from a therapist to unlock their core beliefs.[8] Modification of Core Beliefs[edit | edit source]Once limiting beliefs have been identified modification of these beliefs will help to reframe them into enabling beliefs. Reframing beliefs is not a simple task as negative beliefs are often deeply rooted. Again, the need for psychological therapy may be necessary for deeply ingrained beliefs. Wenzel, 2012 [8] describes various strategies that can be applied to modify core beliefs.
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]Book Chapter by Amy Wenzel- Modification of core beliefs in cognitive therapy References[edit | edit source]
Which term describes the systems and organizations of communication through which information is spread to a large number of people?Which term describes the systems and organizations of communication through which information is spread to a large number of people? media.
Why should a goal be achievable to create a sense of urgency?A sense of urgency increases productivity and aligns your employees around the same ambitious goal. Your team members will develop their skills quicker when they are challenged to achieve bigger goals. Teams that feel a sense of urgency achieve superior business results.
What should you do when you experience challenges in accomplishing your goal quizlet?It should be challenging to you. What should you do when you experience challenges in accomplishing your goal? Do your best to work through the challenge.
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