Q. Are there common humanistic values? If so, have they been defined?

A. To date 128 values have been identified as being a priority to people in varying degrees depending on their world-view. Click here to view the current list.

What comes first - behaviors or values?

Answer:

1. Worldview (i.e. our self-constructed model of what we believe the world is all about) comes first.
2. We hold certain things as important (i.e. our values) because of our view of the world.
3. We do things based on choices determined by our values (i.e. we behave in certain ways).
4. We view the consequences of our behaviours through the filter of our values.
5. If our modus-operandi for living, based on our worldview isn’t working for us we may change our worldview, then we start the whole cycle again and, as we now have a different worldview, we now also have different values (or at the very least differently prioritised values), so we make different choices and engage in different behaviours, and so on the cycle goes. To change one’s worldview in the face of evidence that it is  no longer working for us is normal behaviour. Conversely,  the definition of insanity is, “Doing the same things in the same way, yet expecting different results” (Stephen G. Haines, The Systems Thinking Approach to Strategic Planning and Management, 2000, CRC Press LLC, Florida U.S,  p. 284). 

Four Categories of Skills

Q. In an example AVI Report you sent me my Skills Profile is like this:

• 13% Instrumental, 17% Interpersonal, 39% Imaginal, 31% System.

I was taught that the fist 2 clusters required Instrumental skills, the next 2 Interpersonal etc. Is that correct? If so, the figures on My Skills Profile are not equal to the sums of the 2 clusters in each skill set as shown on my values map (0 + 2 = 2) (0 + 12 = 12) (16 + 39 = 55) ( 29 + 2 = 31) OR have I been mistaken in my application of this relationship?

A. It's more complex than that. Some values require more than one type of skill:

• Values such as care/nurture, empathy, admin/management, synergy, collaborative/individualist, etc. require interpersonal skills
• Values such as safety/survival, admin/management, design/pattern/order, technology/science, convivial technology, etc. require instrumental skills
• Values such as design/pattern/order, synergy, collaborative/individualist, convivial technology, etc require system skills  
• Values such as creative ideation, convivial technology, pioneerism/progress, etc require imaginal skills

As you can see from these examples there can be no linear link between the cluster scores and the skills scores.

As for the 13 + 17 + 39 + 31 = 100% score in the example. The score just gives you a relative idea of what skills you require in the different categories if you are living your values to the full.