LESSON 3

PERSONAL VALUES

NATURE OF VALUES

Values are things, ideas or behavior we treasure and hold dear. These values become aids or signs
which guide a person as he goes through life. Values are caught and sometimes taught. They can be
changed, developed or discarded.

PERSONAL VALUES AND HOW THEY ARE ACQUIRED

 Personal values are usually learned in the home – in the family. What a child sees and
experiences are little by little internalized in his system and carried till he grows old. Thus,
family values such as loyalty, concern for others, generosity and other desirable traits are
usually cultivated in each of the family members. Likewise, undesirable values such as
extravagance, unreasonable pride and irresponsibility, can also be passed on to the younger
members of the family.

 Values do change and are influenced by peer groups, friends, media, church, school and
other organizations where an adolescent comes in contact with.

 In the present time where almost all homes have television, we can say that these exert
tremendous influence on the adolescents. Thus, teenager must be properly guided as to what
TV programs to view so as not to alter desirable value that have been imparted by the home
and the school.

 Customs and traditions which gave helped to bind the family together must be maintained
so as to give the members a strong foundation in values such as love, patience,
understanding and honesty. If these desirable values are strongly established in each family
member, then no amount of influence can ever destroy these that will cause them to go astray.