Personal Values Research Articles

Existentialism in the age of climate crisis: Freedom, responsibility and authentic living amid global challenges

This research investigates the philosophical contributions of existentialism to understanding and addressing the global climate crisis. Drawing on the foundational ideas of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, and de Beauvoir, the study explores how existential themes - freedom, responsibility, and authenticity - offer tools for grappling with the ethical and existential dilemmas posed by ecological destruction. Existentialism’s emphasis on human agency is juxtaposed against the collective nature of environmental responsibility, revealing tensions between individual actions and systemic change. Central existential concepts, including the absurd and alienation, are analyzed to uncover their relevance in fostering ethical resilience and guiding action amidst the uncertainties of the Anthropocene. The study argues that existentialism challenges humanity to confront the climate crisis authentically, rejecting nihilism and embracing responsibility for the self and future generations. Through the lens of existential thought, the research underscores the imperative of aligning personal values with environmental ethics while advocating for systemic transformations that address the climate emergency. Existentialism’s focus on the individual’s ability to create meaning through deliberate choices provides a philosophical foundation for engaging with the moral complexities of climate justice and sustainability. The research concludes that existentialist philosophy not only critiques humanity’s historical failures but also offers a hopeful framework for constructing a meaningful response to the climate crisis. It calls for embracing the freedom to act in ways that promote sustainability and intergenerational justice, transforming despair into purposeful action amid an indifferent universe.

Cultural and personal values interact to predict divorce

We investigate the role of values in motivating the dissolution of marriage. Drawing on comprehensive value frameworks, we study how cultural values explain cross-national variation in divorce, how personal values explain further variation within nations, and how the two value systems interact together. In three archival studies, including more than 100,000 participants from over 55 countries, we study attitudes toward divorce as well as actual divorce. We found that divorce was more justifiable and likely in nations emphasizing autonomy values, and among individuals ascribing importance to self-direction, stimulation, and hedonism values. Divorce was less justifiable and likely in nations emphasizing embeddedness values, and among individuals ascribing importance to tradition and conformity values. Overall, the impact of personal values was stronger the more the culture emphasizes autonomy (vs. embeddedness) values. Understanding the role of values in divorce may inform individuals as to the values they desire in their future spouses.

The Role of the Teacher in Moral Education: Neutrality and Emotional Involvement

Whether teachers should remain neutral or engage in emotional communication in moral education has become widely discussed in modern education. Moral education is about students' cognitive development and understanding of social norms and personal values. Some scholars argue that teachers' emotional engagement helps stimulate students to think deeply about and internalize moral issues, while others emphasize the importance of neutrality to avoid the imposition of values. However, complete neutrality is difficult to achieve and may undermine the effectiveness of moral education. By combining the views of different scholars and analyzing the roles of neutrality and affective engagement in moral education, this study finds that the teacher's role in moral education lies not only in imparting cognitive principles but also in facilitating meaningful value-based interactions between students and teachers. Teachers should moderately display emotions and values while maintaining rational thinking, thus encouraging students to develop deeper cognitive and emotional engagement. Ultimately, the study concludes that moral education is about teaching moral theories and stimulating authentic reflection and internalization of moral issues through teacher-student interactions to achieve all-around moral growth.

Experimental evidence that exerting effort increases meaning.

Efficiency demands that we work smarter and not harder, but is this better for our wellbeing? Here, we ask if exerting effort on a task can increase feelings of meaning and purpose. In six studies (N=2883), we manipulated how much effort participants exerted on a task and then assessed how meaningful they found those tasks. In Studies 1 and 2, we presented hypothetical scenarios whereby participants imagined themselves (or others) exerting more or less effort on a writing task, and then asked participants how much meaning they believed they (or others) would derive. In Study 3, we randomly assigned participants to complete inherently meaningless tasks that were harder or easier to complete, and again asked them how meaningful they found the tasks. Study 4 varied the difficulty of a writing assignment by involving or excluding ChatGPT assistance and evaluated its meaningfulness. Study 5 investigated cognitive dissonance as a potential explanatory mechanism. In Study 6, we tested the shape of the effort-meaning relationship. In all studies, the more effort participants exerted (or imagined exerting), the more meaning they derived (or imagined deriving), though the results of Study 6 show this is only up to a point. These studies suggest a causal link, whereby effort begets feelings of meaning. They also suggest that part of the reason this link exists is that effort begets feeling of competence and mastery, although the evidence is preliminary and inconsistent. We found no evidence the effects were caused by post-hoc effort justification (i.e., cognitive dissonance). Effort, beyond being a mere cost, is a source of personal meaning and value, fundamentally influencing how individuals and observers perceive and derive satisfaction from tasks.

Outliving oneself through the next generations: (grand)parenthood and values in later life.

The article explores personal values among older adults in relation to their "offspring status." Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and Schwartz's theory of human values suggest a positive relationship between having offspring and prosocial values. We tested this hypothesis by comparing older adults who have none, one, or two generations of descendants: childless (with no descendants), grandchildless (with adult children and no grandchildren), and grandparents. We conducted a hierarchical multilevel regression analysis using data from Round 9 of the European Social Survey on a subsample of 12,713 respondents older than 65 from 29 European countries. Our model predicted preferences for four of the Schwartz higher order value types (Self-Transcendence, Self-Enhancement, Openness to Change, and Conservation) among the three categories of older adults based on their offspring status, controlling for individual-level (gender, education level, general health) and macro-level variables (Human Development Index). All but Openness to Change values are significantly predicted by older adults' offspring status. Having grandchildren is positively associated with Self-Transcendence and Conservation values (socially oriented values) and negatively with Self-Enhancement (values with self-oriented focus). The article discusses the theoretical implications of the obtained findings, focusing on plausible mechanisms connecting the offspring status and value orientations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Pandemic antigones: The role of women in shaping funeral practices in Chile

This study, conducted in 2020, investigates the impact of health restrictions on funeral rites during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile, based on the experience of women who took part in these rites. Using Antigone’s tragedy as a theoretical framework, it explores the tension between the moral law of honoring the deceased and the universal law manifested in pandemic-related restrictions—four semi-structured online interviews with women in Santiago who engaged in adapted funeral practices. The qualitative analysis revealed that participants developed innovative rituals to maintain the dignity of farewells and reintegrate the deceased into public and symbolic spheres, such as virtual gatherings and personalized tributes. These findings illustrate the resilience and creativity of individuals in preserving cultural practices under rigid health policies, highlighting the need for regulations that respect cultural and personal values while ensuring public health.

Development of a TaqMan-based dosage analysis PCR assay for the molecular diagnosis of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

A 1.5 to 3 Mb microdeletion of chromosome 22q11.2 with loss of multiple genes including histone cell cycle regulator (HIRA) causes 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS), a common disorder with variable manifestations including congenital malformations affecting the heart, palate and kidneys in association with neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, endocrine and autoimmune abnormalities. The aim of this study was to develop a TaqMan based dosage analysis PCR (TaqMan qPCR) for use as a rapid, cost-effective test for clinically suspected patients fulfilling previously described criteria for molecular diagnosis of 22q11.2 DS in a lower middle-income country where the cost of testing limits its use in routine clinical practice. Nineteen patients were recruited with informed consent following ethical approval from the Ethics Review Committee (ERC), Lady Ridgway hospital, Colombo. Dosage analysis of extracted DNA was performed using a TaqMan qPCR assay by amplifying regions within the target (HIRA) and control [Testin LIM domain protein (TES)] genes of a suspected patient (P) and unaffected person (N). For detection of a deletion, the normalized values (HIRA / TES dosage) of a patient were compared with normalized values of an unaffected person. A ratio of P:N of 0.5 confirmed presence of a deletion while a ratio of 1.0 refuted this. Seven of 19 (37%) cases were confirmed to have a HIRA deletion, confirming the diagnosis of 22q11.2 DS, with these results being in complete agreement with those of fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), (performed in 9/19 (47.3%) of recruited cases) and whole exome sequencing (WES) (all 19 samples tested). This TaqMan qPCR assay was able to reliably distinguish HIRA deleted cases from the non-deleted ones. The assay was both less expensive and faster compared to commercially available alternatives in our setting, including FISH and multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA).

The Ethics of Engineers: How to Deeply Integrate with Social Reality

With the increasing number of modern projects and the higher and higher requirements for the quality of engineering construction, the issues of engineering ethics and practice have attracted much attention. As an important driving force for the construction and development of modern society, the quality of professional ethics of engineers is directly related to the quality of engineering projects, social public interests and the harmony between man and nature, and the importance of professional ethics is self-evident. With the continuous development of society, engineers need to better integrate into social reality, actively play their own role, and realize the unity of personal value and social value.

Of Roots and Concrete: The “Endz” as Heimat in Caleb Femi’s Poor

ABSTRACT This paper makes the case for a new understanding of home in the city and for the importance of poetry in studies of place. In his collection Poor (2020), the London poet Caleb Femi writes about his ‘endz’, the former North Peckham estate, in striking pastoral, elegiac, even Romantic tones that might seem at odds with the poverty and violence his also describes. This paper — linking Martin Heidegger's ‘poetically man dwells’ with Femi's own poetic home-making and his frequent use of root metaphors — discusses the ‘endz’ as a Heimat: a place, understood as a ‘gathering fourfold’ of earth, sky, mortals and deities (Heidegger 1949), that becomes part of identity. Femi’s poetry shows the deeper, social and personal value of places that, in the globalist and capitalist city, might be razed without consideration. It highlights the slow violence of gentrification perpetrated on individual and communal identities.

The Role of Spirituality, Cultural Traditions, and Personal Values in Corrupt Practices within Ghana’s Governmental Institutions

Spirituality, personal values, cultural norms, and traditional beliefs are essential to the everyday existence of Ghanaians. This paper is aimed at investigating the influence of spirituality, cultural-traditions and personal values on corrupt practices in Ghana’s Governmental Institutions. This study employed the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). This TPB is to examine how corrupt actions are influenced by the interaction of individual beliefs including spirituality or personal values, social influences such as traditional or cultural norms, and institutional practices. The study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches with questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to collect data. The paper employed a descriptive research design complimented by an exploratory design. With a target population of five thousand (5000) individuals constituting both managerial and non-managerial employees of the public services in Ghana. A non-probability sampling technique with a purposive and convenience sampling was adopted to select a sample size of three hundred (300) respondents. Data was analyzed using SPSS Multiple Linear Regression model with a stepwise method. The findings of the study suggest that, corruption in the public office is a conduct that deviates from the normal obligations of a public role because of financial or status gains. Corruption is a prevalent occurrence in Ghana. People’s spirituality does not prevent them from being corrupt. People’s moral and ethical values never helped them to be free from corruption, whether Christian or Muslim does not matter people will still bribe and be corrupt every day in their public life. However, some respondents strongly argued that ‘the fear of God can help reduce corruption than ethics,’ ‘Spirituality, personal values, cultural-traditions and ethics influences the level of corruption. In the final model with an R2 of 25.9% all two predictor variables thus Spirituality or Cultural-Traditions and Personal Values on Corrupt Practices were statistically significant. In conclusion, the null Hypothesis that there is no positive relationship between spirituality or cultural-traditions and personal values on corrupt practices in Ghana’s Governmental Institutions was rejected. Hence, there is a positive influence of spirituality, cultural-traditions and personal values on corrupt practices in Ghana’s public institutions. The paper recommends that, establish and mandate training for all tiers of government personnel that underscore the need for honesty and integrity. Facilitate the reporting of misconduct in a secure and confidential manner. This system must have legislative protections to allow individuals to report misbehaviour without fear of retribution. Lastly, establish initiatives to acknowledge and motivate public servants for exemplary ethical conduct.

Impact of Personal Values on School Engagement Among Chinese Adolescents: Mediating Effects of Achievement Goals.

Much of past research has centered on the impact of personal values on career progression. Yet, the connection between personal values and academic performance remains under-explored, especially the mechanisms through which they relate. Additionally, the relative strength of the correlation between different types of personal values and academic performance has yet to be examined. This research aimed to examine the effect of various personal values on school engagement among Chinese adolescents, as well as the role of four achievement goals as potential mediators. We surveyed 700 senior high school students from a public school in Changchun, Jilin province, China (Mage = 16.91, SDage = 0.43, 55.57% male). Participants completed the Personal Values Scale, Achievement Goal Orientation Scale, and School Engagement Scale. Materialistic values were positively correlated with performance avoidance goals, which in turn were negatively related to school engagement. In contrast, self-improvement values were positively associated with school engagement. This relationship was mediated by a higher number of mastery approach goals and fewer performance avoidance goals. Self-transcendence values were linked to an increase in mastery approach goals, which were in turn positively related to school engagement. Additionally, although both self-improvement and self-transcendence values positively correlated with adolescents' school engagement, the correlation was stronger for self-improvement values. This study makes a unique contribution by showing that personal values are linked to school engagement through achievement goal orientations, thereby supporting and expanding the future-oriented motivation and self-regulation model. The practical value of this study lies in demonstrating that promoting self-improvement and self-transcendence values, particularly self-improvement values, fosters positive achievement goal orientations, such as mastery approach goals, which in turn enhance school engagement.

'Why Did They Migrate Here'?: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Exploring Nurses' Motivations for Migration and Regional Relocation.

To explore migrant nurses' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for migration and regional relocation. A qualitative descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 17 migrant nurses working in a hospital in regional Australia. Inclusion criteria were current employment as a nurse at the study site, obtaining an initial nursing qualification in a different country, and migrating to regional Australia within the last 7 years. Data were analysed using a thematic approach, informed by the self-determination theory. One overarching theme, seeking meaningful endeavours, was identified, with subthemes: pride in nursing, duty to family and personal satisfaction. Extrinsic motivations included financial responsibilities, visa security, professional nursing recognition and fulfilment, filial piety, family unification and overall safety and lifestyle, whereas intrinsic motivations included being a nurse and travelling. Nurses' motivations for migration are complex and driven by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Extrinsic motivations may lead to self-endorsed behaviour (autonomous motivation) if they align with personal goals or values, such as family importance or regard for one's profession. All intrinsic motivations also lead to autonomous motivation, linked to well-being and workplace retention. This study's findings may inform organisations in source and host countries to design work conditions that foster retention. Source countries can use these insights to address the professional limitations experienced by their nurses. Host countries may design targeted strategies that promote autonomous motivation among migrant nurses, thereby enhancing job satisfaction, well-being and retention. This study provides insight into experiences contributing to migrant nurses' relocation decisions. Practising within the scope of their professional training, performing their duties in a fulfilling way, and meeting their family obligations through reasonable pay or benefits may support nurses in remaining autonomously motivated. COREQ reporting was adhered to. No patient or public contribution.

МОТИВАЦИЯ К ЗДОРОВОМУ ОБРАЗУ ЖИЗНИ У СТУДЕНТОВ МЕДИЦИНСКИХ СПЕЦИАЛЬНОСТЕЙ (ОБЗОР ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ)

The article explores the motivation for a healthy lifestyle among medical students. The factors influencing their choice are analyzed: social environment, culture, material conditions, knowledge about health, personal values, motivators and self-confidence. Special attention is paid to specific challenges: increased stress, irregular schedule, lack of time for rest and sports, as well as emotional stress associated with illness and death.

학교교육 낙오자에서 대학교수가 된 한 중국인 학자의 내러티브 연구

Objectives This study aimed to explore in-depth how a Chinese scholar experienced identity transitions in the process of growing from a school failure to a scholar. By analyzing a male scholar's experiences of rebuilding himself and overcoming academic setbacks from the perspective of transition theory, this study aimed to provide insights into the reconstruction of self-identity in the process of professional transition. Methods Based on Schlossberg's transition theory, this study used a narrative research method to analyze the process of a Chinese scholar's identity reconstruction during a career transition. Through the four aspects of situation, self, support, and strategy, this study explored in-depth how he effectively utilized resources to break through his limitations during the life transition process. Results The results of the study showed that the academic's career development went through several important transition stages. From failing a middle school exam to eventually becoming a doctoral program supervisor, each step was accompanied by complex challenges and identity reconstruction. This study found that an individual's resilience, adaptive capacity, and strategies for effectively utilizing social support systems in the face of academic failure are important factors that influence academic success. Conclusions The study found that the transition from adolescent academic failure to successful university scholar was a dynamic, non-linear developmental process involving a series of “events” and “non-event” experiences. This process entailed an assessment of personal values and career goals, as well as the experience of interpreting and applying them in relation to social contexts such as social responsibility and status. Academic setbacks do not imply failure in academic careers, and education systems should focus on identifying policies and institutions that allowed individuals to develop their long-term potential, rather than temporary outcomes. This will require not only psychological and academic support at the individual level to overcome academic failure, but also detailed institutionalization of the social environment to turn failure into a resource for success.

Elevating Customer Brand Advocacy Through Owned Social Media Content

This study examines the relationship between personal values embedded in brand-owned social media (OSM) messages and customer brand advocacy (CBA) using text mining data of tweets from Fortune 500 companies. We employ an economics approach to examine how personal values influence CBA across service and manufacturing brands. Our findings reveal that self-enhancement and conservation values significantly boost CBA, while self-transcendence and openness to change are less impactful. Furthermore, this study highlights that conservation values are more effective for manufacturing brands, whereas self-enhancement, self-transcendence, and openness to change drive higher CBA in service brands. This study contributes to the literature on social media marketing by providing actionable insights for brand managers, demonstrating that aligning OSM content with personal values can enhance CBA. This study offers a nuanced understanding of how personal values and industry characteristics intersect to influence consumer behavior, helping brands craft more effective and resonant social media strategies.

Role of Cultural Graphics Strategies in Shaping Urban Identity: A Quantitative Study of User Perception in Qinzhou City

The paper attempts to investigate the role that street art, murals, and other signage play in forming and defining urban identity through research on Qinzhou City, Guangxi, China. The study employs a quantitative approach and structural equation modeling (SEM-PLS), which examines the interaction among cultural identity, social identity, media consumption, personal values, and beliefs and how these interact to affect cultural perception. Results of the study indicate that both cultural identity and social identity have significant influences on cultural perception, with media consumption and personal values and beliefs acting as critical mediators. Cultural Identity fosters the connection of personal beliefs strongly, whereas Social Identity tends to drive media consumption behaviors that affect cultural understanding. The study provides theoretical and practical implications for urban planners, policymakers, and media strategists in exploiting cultural graphics to improve urban cultural environments. Despite its limitations in geographical scope, the study provides useful insights into the intersection of cultural and social dynamics and offers a model for urban cultural policy and development strategies.

Strategic Synergies: The Impact of Entrepreneurial Behavior on Linking Orientation, Values, and Organizational Success

This study explores the interplay between organizational and individual factors in driving entrepreneurial activities and their influence on organizational performance. Focusing on entrepreneurial orientation, individual values, and the mediating role of entrepreneurial behavior, data were collected from 133 SME managers in Bali, Indonesia, and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings confirm that entrepreneurial orientation significantly enhances organizational performance, with entrepreneurial behavior playing a critical mediating role. Organizations with a strong entrepreneurial orientation can effectively convert strategic initiatives into measurable performance gains through entrepreneurial actions. Conversely, while individual values positively impact organizational performance, it does not significantly influence entrepreneurial behavior, indicating that personal values such as autonomy and innovation do not inherently lead to entrepreneurial activities driving performance. The study offers theoretical and practical insights. It underscores the importance of entrepreneurial behavior as the mechanism translating entrepreneurial orientation into performance gains and identifies challenges in leveraging individual values for entrepreneurial outcomes. Managers are advised to foster a culture that promotes entrepreneurial behavior by aligning organizational strategies with personal values, encouraging innovation, and rewarding entrepreneurial initiatives. The research contributes to entrepreneurship literature by emphasizing entrepreneurial behavior's mediating role in achieving organizational success. Future studies should explore the influence of industry-specific factors and market conditions, utilizing longitudinal approaches to examine these relationships over time, providing a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics between entrepreneurial orientation, individual values, entrepreneurial behavior, and organizational performance.

Personal interest and attitudes towards oocyte donation practice: a cross-sectional survey among Dutch-speaking young women in Belgium.

This survey aimed to assess the public's knowledge and opinions on oocyte donation (OD) among a large, unselected cohort of young Belgian women, and to explore aspects that could be enhanced to promote future OD programs. We conducted a quantitative, epidemiological, cross-sectional web-based survey from February 2023 to April 2023. A private questionnaire was distributed to young women (21-30years) living in Belgium via a digital link. The survey covered socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge about the OD procedure, compensation, personal attitudes, motivations and perceptions about anonymity assurance. A total of 390 women responded to the online questionnaire, with a drop-out rate of 10%. The survey revealed a good level of knowledge about the procedural aspects of OD, which did not influence willingness to donate. Only 19% of respondents were willing to donate, while 39.1% hesitated, particularly regarding private OD. No significant association was found between personal values and willingness to donate. Altruism emerged as the main motivation for gamete donation. Attitudes towards anonymity varied, with childless and older individuals more reluctant to reveal their identity. Our study confirms that a small portion of the population is willing to donate oocytes, while a considerable proportion (39%) is hesitating. These findings highlight the urgent need for global education programs to raise awareness and address concerns that may prevent women from participating in OD programs.

Ценностно-смысловые основы системы подготовки будущих педагогов исторических регионов Российской Федерации (на примере Азовского государственного педагогического университета)

The purpose of the study is to identify the value-semantic foundations of the training of future teachers and describe the experience of introducing these foundations into the practice of educational activities of one of the pedagogical universities of the historical regions of the Russian Federation. The article analyzes the regulatory framework for the formation of the value-semantic foundations of the training of future teachers, scientific research in this area of pedagogical work and the structural characteristics of the personal and professional values of teaching staff. The scientific novelty of the research consists in substantiating the content of activities aimed at introducing a value-based approach into the system of training future teachers of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. As a result, the normative and legal framework of the spiritual and moral education of student youth is analyzed; the theoretical aspects of the formation of value-semantic orientations of the teacher's personality are studied; the value-semantic foundations of the system of training future teachers in modern conditions are identified; and the relevant experience of one of the pedagogical universities of historical regions is described.

Quality of Nursing Care: Addressing Sexuality as Part of Prostate Cancer Management, an Umbrella Review.

Sexuality is a fundamental aspect of health and wellbeing. The management of prostate cancer can result in erectile dysfunction and body feminisation, resulting in loss of masculinity and alterations of body image. Prostate cancer patients identify sexuality as an unmet need and report little or no communication with their healthcare providers on the topic. This umbrella review aims to determine the barriers that may preclude nurses from discussing sexuality with prostate cancer patients. An umbrella review of systematic review studies was undertaken using the PRISMA guidelines. Five databases were comprehensively searched, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane and Prospero, from October 1, 2013 to December 1, 2023, using the defined criteria. A total of 11 systematic reviews were included in this review consisting of 10 with quantitative and 1 with quantitative/mixed methods approach. This study identified common themes, which were categorised into four groups: (a) lack of training and education, (b) age and years of clinical experience of nurses, (c) personal values and attitudes and (d) organisational factors. These factors contribute to why nurses feel unprepared and admit to not having adequate knowledge or expertise to have this discussion. The findings of this study illustrate that nurses require specialised communication skills to manage sensitive discussion with patients. Education is crucial to facilitate and empower nurses to discuss sexuality with their patients. Developing a pathway to specialist referrals will encourage nurses to address this with their patients. For the preparation of this paper, no direct involvement of patients or public has been deemed applicable to this work. This is an umbrella review paper.