by One of the questions that often comes up in talking about values is the relationship between values and personality? First, definitions. ConsumerShift defines personality as one’s collection of characteristic traits, including behavioral, emotional, temperamental, and mental/psychological. Our personality can be seen or observed by the outside world can see. It encompasses our typical patterns of behavior or tendencies. Values are defined as our individual views about what is most important in life than in turn influences our decision-making and behavior.
So putting them together, the relationship can be tricky and not necessarily a direct one. That is, knowing someone’s personality type does not necessarily provide clues to their values. Knowing whether someone’s personality involves being shy or having a great sense of humor, for example, doesn’t tell you much about their values. Shy people may appear passive on the surface, for example, but hold a value of being fiercely competitive. A person may have a great sense of humor and always cracking jokes, but adhere to traditional values that place high importance on following the rules and adhering to one’s assigned roles. An extrovert may express the value of self-expression more overtly than an introvert – the extrovert may enjoy expressing their view in front of live audiences, while the introvert might favor written means. So, one’s personality involves their style or approach in expressing their values, but knowing one’s personality will not provide insight into their values.
It might be easiest to invoke the old adage of not judging a book by its cover – one’s personality may not reveal the values “inside.” Andy Hines
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