How adolescents understand their values: A qualitative study

Abstract

An important component of some psychological therapies is the use of clients’ values to motivate behaviour change. Values are understood to be developed during childhood and adolescence but there has been limited exploration of how young people experience values and their function across contexts. This study aimed to explore adolescents’ understanding of the concept of ‘values’ and to elicit their experiences of values. Semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted with 11 adolescents aged 12–17 years. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Young people were readily able to discuss the meaning of ‘values’ and their own personal values. Three main themes were identified: (1) what values are (in general, and specific to themselves), (2) where values come from (relationships, education, growing up), and (3) why values are important (prioritising/decision making, reflecting on values is helpful). The adolescents in this study demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the meaning, origins and functions of values. The results suggest young people may welcome and benefit from opportunities to discuss their values, including in therapy.

Estonian late adolescents’ values: links with perceived care, school location, and family socioeconomic status

“…Teismeliste väärtused seostuvad näiteks nende akadeemilise (õppimine, akadeemiline petturlus) ja sotsiaalse käitumisega (nt teiste aitamine, kiusamine ja sellesse sekkumine; Berson & Oreg, 2016;Koscielniak & Bojanowska, 2009;Menesini, Nocentini, & Camodeca, 2013;Tamm & Tulviste, 2015). Ka teismelised ise tajuvad väärtuste mõju oma käitumisele ja otsustele (Lewis-Smith, Pass, & Reynolds, 2020).…”

“…Vanemate kõrval peetakse ka teismeliste eakaaslasi ja õpetajaid olulisteks sotsialiseerijateks (Cemelcilar, Secinti, & Sumer, 2018;Steinberg, 2001). Peale vanemate nimetavad teismelised oma väärtuste mõjutajatena eakaaslasi ja kooli (Lewis-Smith et al, 2020). Eakaaslaste ja õpetajate mõju teismeliste väärtuste kujunemisel mõistetakse uuringute põhjal aga veel vähe.…”

“…On väidetud, et nii nagu lapse ja vanema vahelises suhtes, on hoolivus oluline ka teistes sotsialiseerimiskontekstidessee loob emotsio naalse kliima, mis muudab lapse ja teismelise vastuvõtlikuks sotsiali seerija mõjutustele (Steinberg, 2001). Arutledes enda väärtuste ja neid mõjuta vate tegurite üle, kirjeldasid teismelised toetavate eakaaslaste olulist mõju (Lewis-Smith et al, 2020). Teised uurimused annavad aluse, uurimaks hooliva kooli keskkonna seoseid teismeliste väärtustega.…”

“… if I care about stuff, then other people care about me”. Adolescents’ experiences of helpful and unhelpful aspects of brief behavioural activation therapy for depression

“…The purpose of identifying idiosyncratic values and valued activities in Brief BA and BATD is to find activities that are most likely to offer consistent positive reinforcement of non-depressed behaviour, and to maximize the likelihood of engagement in helpful activities (Lejuez et al, 2011;. Identifying and using individuals' values is also a key component of other psychological therapies used to treat adolescents, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes et al, 2012), and recent qualitative research suggests that adolescents see values as instrumentally important in their own lives and the lives of others (Lewis-Smith et al, 2021). In Brief BA, consideration of a young person's values is also deemed important for engagement and the therapeutic relationship.…”

Relationship Between Basic Human Values and Decision-Making Styles in Adolescents

“…In the context of our research, another important source of knowledge is the Schwartz Values Survey (SVS) in order to analyze the predominant values structure in adolescents. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, several studies were performed that used Schwartz’s model to study young people’s values in relation to drug consumption, criminal behavior, and parenting styles [ 6 ]. The relationships adolescents establish with their peers [ 7 ] and values structure in which the preferred values of 505 Spanish students between the ages of 15 and 19 were analyzed [ 8 ].…”