The fact that human life has value is uncontroversial, but identifying

what sort of value human life seems to have is not so easy. The fact that one
person can be useful to another is not interesting. The fact that people care
about each other is not interesting. What is interesting is the thought that we
could have a real intrinsic value worth caring about whether or not we are
useful to others. Some people call intrinsic value “desire-independent value” or
“objective value.” If we have intrinsic value, then it’s good to merely for us to
exist.
People commonly seem to think that we have intrinsic value. For
example, we worry that killing people “to put them out of their misery” is wrong
even when they will probably suffer for the little remaining time they have left.
Additionally, we are often joyous when someone we know has a child.
Something “miraculous” is believed to have been created.
Concluding remarks Values are a core aspect of people's identity and
they affect their attitudes and behaviors. In this review we have drawn from
research conducted in many sub-disciplines of psychology: personality, social,
developmental, occupational, organizational and cross- cultural. Together, this
research shows that values can serve as a unifying construct that bridges sub-
disciplines of psychology. Studying values provides insight into the ways people
are motivated by stable goals that they wish to attain. Values, due to their
abstract nature, predict behavior across different social contexts and the same
value can predict very different behaviors. Thus, for example, conservation
values predict both religiosity and (in) tolerance toward others. Moreover,
values form an integrated meaning system.
Therefore, studying a behavior while taking into account the full
spectrum of human values allows for a deep understanding of the multiple
motivations that direct a single behavior. We exemplified the research on the
consequences of values by focusing on identity and on behavior directed to
others. Research on the consequences of values not only helps predict
behavior, it contributes to understanding the motivation underlying behaviors
and the complex interplay between personality and the social context. To-date,
much is known about the content of the values-behavior relationships. More
research is needed, however, that to investigate the processes through which
values are translated into behavior. Some of the studies reviewed above pointed
to such paths of influence. Future research could enrich this line of work
which could be instrumental to organizational and social attempts to motivate
action. In contrast to the numerous studies investigating the consequences of
values, much less is known about the origin of values. Discussing the
phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives, we reviewed recent theorizing and
evidence on this important issue. These newly developments in value research
suggest that personal values are formed through a combination of genetic
heritage and the impact of exposure to multiple social environments, including
family, school, community and society at large.
An intriguing question future research is how values are grounded in the
neuro-biological system. Combined together, interdisciplinary research will
enable a better understanding of the complex interplay between these factors
in forming personal value hierarchies.

Common Ethical Dilemmas for Teenagers:

Here are some common ethical dilemmas that can make your teen’s life
miserable:
1. Academics: Your teen may face a moral dilemma when she has to perform
well in academics. Your teen may succumb to peer pressure, or be starstruck
by the college’s name. And, they may try to cheat in their examinations or peek
at other student’s answer sheet to get desirable grades. [ Read: Teen Alcohol
Abuse]
2. Drugs and Alcohol: Teenagers have an inclination towards trying drugs and
alcohol. Your teen may be tempted to try drinking or smoking after observing
the close friends. They feel that the consumption of alcohol and drugs makes
them cool, and remain popular among friends. Parents and teachers always
discourage teens from drug addiction, as an overdose can lead to nasty
complications.
3. Lying: Your teen may lie because she never wants to disappoint or hurt you
or any of her closest friends. Teens often lie to cover their faults like not
attending school, addiction to drugs or to hide pornographic material. Your
teen lies to you; whenever she fears that you may overreact or scold her
because of her academics.
4. Snitching: Your teen often tends to snitch and practice tattle-tailing, as she
may not want to betray or upset her parents or dear ones. Sometimes your
teen may follow this ethical dilemma to stay loyal to her loved ones and ensure
her personal safety.
Devastating news swept the nation Wednesday morning as a teenage
gunman killed 17 high school students in Parkland, Florida. Reactions ranged
from thoughtful prayers to emotional pleas for action. The tragedy was rapidly
sanitized, and the bloodstains of 17 children were promptly forgotten. Like
Sandy Hook and Columbine before it, the events of Parkland were radically
politicized. Gun control, as always, is once again at the center of the debate.
Those on the left push for stricter gun laws, citing their newly updated
statistics about gun-related deaths. The right insists that guns have nothing to
do with the tragedy and makes sure to mention that more armed security
guards would have prevented this tragedy. It all feels routine. It shouldn’t.
Death, it seems, has become an afterthought—a mere cog in political
platforms, mentioned only when it conveniently supports one’s stance on a
particular issue. Death is okay—it doesn’t matter so long as we do not know
the victims personally. It does, however, prove beneficial to use for political
purposes. Take for instance the death of Edwin Jackson, a former linebacker
for the Indianapolis Colts who passed away in early February when a drunk
driver struck him and his Uber driver. The drunk driver was an illegal
immigrant, twice deported, a fact which makes Jackson’s death matter to
Republicans. Had the driver been a U.S. citizen, it is unlikely that Jackson’s
death would have made as many headlines as it did.
This demonstrates a single truth: we don’t mourn death anymore. We
exploit it. Death is viewed as a means of achieving our preferred policy
solutions. Loss of life is irrelevant. Rather, we de-emotionalize death in such a
way that life is removed from the equation entirely. We use statistics on death
to casually support our arguments without grasping the lives that compiled
that very number. We as a nation, numb to the sting of death, have lost sight
of the wonders of life. Exploiting the deaths of children for political means,
whether aborted or gunned down, has etched the idea that lives are of no worth
in the American conscience. They only matter in death. Politicians clamor for
pro-life policies yet fail to enact policies that protect children in schools.
The very individuals who call for policies to improve the lives of
immigrants and refugees are complicit with regard to abortion. I aim not to
take a position, but to point out the hypocrisy of American politics with regards
to life. The situation only gets bleaker with every tragedy. How, or better yet,
why has this happened? We have grown numb to death because it has proved
a useful asset in argumentation. Citing death statistics and certain tragedies
often undermines your opponent’s point, thus elevating your own position.
Meanwhile, life possesses no such power. Instead, we disregard the elderly, the
poor, the marginalized – and any concerns for their wellbeing until they die.
Upon death their lives become political capital to be maneuvered in whatever
way we please. In life, we ignore them because they present problems that we
do not wish to address. Seeking to improve the quality of their lives is too
troublesome. We view death as a route to a solution, and life as a hindrance.
Intentional steps towards valuing human life in all policies are necessary to
provide restoration to a nation constantly in the wake of tragedy. Change will
only come if we aim not to use death to promote some solution, but actively
seek to prevent it by valuing individuals while they are alive. Of course, it is
impossible to prevent every loss of life.
However, a greater appreciation for the traits that make us human and a
collective push to mutually respect the lives of our fellow citizens is the only
means to stop the cycle of politicizing the tragedies haunting our country. We
desperately need to be reawakened to the beauty that is life.