Case Studies and Reflective Tools
Reflective Tool: Identifying Your Core Values
Identify the 10 values from this list that are most important to you.
Acceptance
Achievement
Advancement
Adventure
Affection
Altruism
Ambition
Appreciation
The Arts
Authenticity
Authority
Autonomy
Balance
beauty/aesthetics
Belonging
Bravery
Caring
Celebration
Challenge
Choice
Collaboration
Commitment
Communication
Community
Compassion
Competition
Connection
Contribution
Cooperation
Creativity
Democracy
Effectiveness/Outcomes
Efficiency
Enthusiasm
Empathy
Equality
Equity
Excitement
Expertise
Fairness
Faith
Family
Fitting In
Flexibility
Forgiveness
Freedom
Friendship
Fun
Generosity
Goal attainment
Gratitude
Grit
Happiness/Joy
Harmony
Health (physical/mental)
Helping others
Honesty
Hope
Humility
Humor
Imagination
Inclusion
Independence
Interdependence
Influence
Initiative
Integrity
Innovation
Justice
Kindness
Knowledge
Leadership
Loyalty
Making a difference
Meaningful work
Mindfulness
Nature
Nurturing
Optimism
Order/Structure
Passion
Peace
Perseverance
Personal growth
Personal responsibility
Positivity/optimism
Power
Pride
Privacy
Productivity
Recognition
Reflection
Relationships
Reliability
Reputation
Respect
Risk taking
Romance/Romantic Love
Routine
Self-expression
self-respect
Service
Sharing
Sincerity
Solitude
Spirituality
Success
Teamwork
Time
Togetherness
Tolerance
Tradition
Travel
Trust
Unity
Variety
Questions for Reflection
- Pare down your list of ten values to five that are the most central to who you are as a person. How did these values come to be your core values? What cultural, familial, educational, and/or personal experiences cemented these as the values that are most salient to who you are?
- Jot down your daily routine. Which of your values are reflected in how you allocate your time?
- Think about the interactions you had with other people in the last week.
- How did your values present themselves in your interactions with your family?
- How did your values present themselves in your interactions with your peers?
- How did your values present themselves in your interactions with bosses, professors, or those who have power over you?
- How did your values present themselves in your interactions with your children, students, clients, or people over whom you have power?
- Think about the values of the dominant American culture. How are your values aligned or misaligned with those of the dominant American culture?
- How do these values shape our beliefs about child development and child-rearing?
- How do these values shape your beliefs about disability?
- How do these values influence your conception of family engagement and the role of caregivers in early intervention?
Values list adapted from Aguilar, E. (2018). The Onward Workbook: Daily Activities to Cultivate Your Emotional Resilience and Thrive. Jossey-Bass
