Methodology

Where the list comes from

The list of 150 values draws on open sources used by therapists and coaches: the Personal Values Card Sort by William R. Miller and colleagues, Shalom Schwartz’s theory of basic human values, and the values lists in Brené Brown’s work. We removed duplicates, emotions and personality traits that aren’t values, and wrote definitions that tell close values apart (freedom and independence, for example).

Why elimination, not picking

Ask people to name their values and most will name what sounds good: honesty, family, growth. That isn’t a lie, but it isn’t the whole truth either. It’s the socially approved portrait. When you have to delete instead, every decision costs something. Letting go of the last twenty values is hard, and that hard choice is what reveals your real priorities.

So the test works by elimination: you start with every value and remove them one by one until ten remain. The hint changes as you go: first you clear out what’s obviously not you, and at the end you ask yourself what you’d defend at the cost of time, money or approval.

What this test is not

This is not a psychological test or a diagnosis. It doesn’t measure personality, compare you to a norm, or replace working with a therapist. It’s a tool for reflection: it helps you name what matters to you right now. A year from now your result may differ, and that’s fine.

Privacy

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