Personal values
Values Test: discover what truly drives you
Your values determine what matters most in your life. Schwartz's universal theory of values identifies 10 fundamental value dimensions that guide your choices, motivation, and behavior.
What are personal values?
Values are the abstract goals that give your life direction. Shalom Schwartz developed a theory in 1992 that identifies ten universal value dimensions — dimensions found across every culture, from Japan to Brazil. Your value profile explains why you make certain decisions effortlessly while endlessly postponing others.
Values are not static. They shift through life experiences, changing circumstances, and personal growth. But at any given moment they form an internal compass that determines where your energy flows — or stalls. Knowing your value profile makes conscious choices possible where you would otherwise operate on autopilot.
Schwartz's 10 value dimensions
Power
Status, prestige, control over resources and people
Achievement
Personal success through demonstrated competence
Hedonism
Pleasure, enjoyment, sensory gratification
Stimulation
Excitement, novelty, challenge
Self-direction
Independent thought and action, creativity
Universalism
Understanding, tolerance, protection of nature and welfare
Benevolence
Helpfulness, honesty, forgiveness
Tradition
Respect for customs, humility, devotion
Conformity
Self-discipline, politeness, obedience to rules
Security
Harmony, stability, safety of self and society
The PVQ-40 method
Innerscape uses the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-40), developed by Schwartz in 2003. Unlike traditional questionnaires that ask how important something is to you, the PVQ presents short descriptions of people. For each description you indicate how much that person resembles you.
This indirect method reduces socially desirable responding. You compare yourself to someone else rather than judging yourself directly — which produces more honest results.
The 40 descriptions cover all ten value dimensions. There are no right or wrong answers. Your profile does not show which values are "better," but which ones are strongest in you — and which ones operate in the background.
Values and the rest of your profile
→Values and personality— Someone who scores high on Stimulation but low on extraversion experiences adventure differently than an extraverted thrill-seeker. The combination tells the story.
→Values and coping— Someone with strong Achievement values who avoids stress is caught in a different pattern than someone who tackles stress head-on. The AI exposes that tension.
→Values and attachment— High Benevolence with a dismissive attachment style creates an internal conflict: you want to be there for others but keep them at arm's length.
→The complete picture— Isolated value scores are informative. But only in combination with your personality, attachment style, and coping patterns does a profile emerge that you truly recognize.
Frequently asked questions
Are values the same as norms?+
No. Values are personal motivators (what matters to you). Norms are social expectations (what is considered appropriate).
Can values change?+
Yes, values shift over the course of your life. Major life events can reshape your value profile.
How many questions does the values test have?+
40 short descriptions of people. For each description you indicate how much that person is like you.
What if my values seem contradictory?+
That is normal. Schwartz's model shows that certain values inherently create tension with each other — that is part of being human.
How does knowing my values help?+
Your values explain why some choices feel effortless and others drain your energy. The AI report connects this to your personality.