How adolescents understand their values: A qualitative study.

Iona Lewis-Smith,Shirley Reynolds,Laura Pass

doi:10.1177/1359104520964506

Iona Lewis-Smith, Shirley Reynolds + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104520964506

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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.

Highlights

Life of a person or other social entity’ (Schwartz, 1994, p. 21)
These psychological therapies assume that values are developmentally relevant and important to young people, no research has provided a direct understanding of how young people experience their values and how they understand their function across contexts
Charlotte said she’d be comfortable talking about her values with ‘family and. . . my closest friend’, a sentiment which Jessica echoed when she said of discussing her values: ‘most friends I would be fine talking to’. This is the first study to explore how adolescents think, feel and talk about their values. This was achieved through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with young people at their school

Summary

Introduction

Life of a person or other social entity’ (Schwartz, 1994, p. 21). Schwartz proposed that individuals’ values are derived from three fundamental needs: biological, social and group survival. Adolescence is an important period in the development of identity and autonomy (Fleming, 2005; Kroger et al, 2010) and a period when mental health problems often emerge for the first time (Kessler et al, 2005) Both ACT and BATD have been adapted for adolescents and these adaptations incorporate identifying adolescents’ values to form the basis of behavioural intervention (Hayes & Ciarrochi, 2015; Pass et al, 2015). These psychological therapies assume that values are developmentally relevant and important to young people, no research has provided a direct understanding of how young people experience their values and how they understand their function across contexts. The aim of this study was to gain rich, detailed data on values in the lives of adolescents

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