Student Handout

NAME___________________________________________________________ Date_________ Period_______

Choices and Values: What’s Important to Me?

Take a few minutes to think about the meaning of the items listed below. Indicate with a check mark the
items that are important to you.

1. ��� A physical appearance to be proud of 22. �� A secure and positive family life
2. ��� To graduate with honors 23. �� An enjoyable, leisurely life
3. ��� Being an honest person 24. �� Unlimited travel, fine foods, entertainment,
recreational, and cultural opportunities
4. ��� To have political power
25. �� Getting things changed for the better
5. ��� Being known as a “real” person
26. �� A beautiful home in the setting of your choice
6. ��� A meaningful relationship
7. ��� Self-confidence and personal growth 27. �� A chance to develop creativity/potential in any area

8. ��� Enjoyment of nature and beauty 28. �� Owning a possession of great value

9. ��� A life with meaning, purpose, fulfillment 29. �� To speak up for my personal beliefs

10. �� Continuing to learn and gain knowledge 30. �� To have better feelings about myself

11. �� A chance to help the sick and disadvantaged 31. �� To be needed and to be important to others

12. �� To be attractive to others 32. �� To become a good parent

13. �� Some honest and close friends 33. �� To have a better relationship with my parents
14. �� A long and healthy life 34. �� To be sexy
15. �� A meaningful relationship with God 35. �� To persevere in what I am doing
16. �� A good marriage 36. �� Time for prayer
17. �� Satisfaction/success in the career of your choice 37. �� To give of myself freely in helping others
18. �� An equal opportunity for all people 38. �� A safe and secure environment
19. �� Freedom to live life as you want 39. �� To be loved by a special few
20. �� A financially comfortable life 40. �� To be trusted by others
21. �� Accomplishment of something worthwhile

List below the number of the four or five items that are most important to you:
A.____ B.____ C.____ D.____ E.____
When you have listed the 4 to 5 items that are most important to you, refer to the “Value Characteristics”
sheet and write the appropriate characteristics related to these numbers.

Character Plus, www.characterplus.org, originally from License to Lead Copyright © 1996,

National Association of Secondary School Principals

©NorthwestAssociation for Biomedical Research 2009, www.nwabr.org 37

Student Handout
NAME___________________________________________________________ Date_________ Period_______

Choices and Values: Value Characteristics

NUMBER CHARACTERISTIC

5 Sincerity

3, 40 Honesty, Integrity

7, 30 Emotional well-being, Stability

8 Artistic appreciation

2, 10 Education, Intelligence, Wisdom

11, 37, 18 (Altruism) Compassion, Fairness, Justice

1, 12, 34 Appearance, Beauty, Approval

6, 13, 31, 39 Love, Friendship, Personal closeness

14, 38 Health, Personal safety, Security

15, 36 Religion, Spirituality

16, 22, 32, 33 Family, Love, Emotional security

9, 17, 21, 27 Fulfillment, Intellectual and Vocational achievement

19 Personal freedom, Independence

20, 26, 28 Financial security, Money, Status

23, 24 Pleasure, Travel, Material satisfaction

4, 25 Power, Achievement

29 Courage

35 Perseverance

Write the characteristic that corresponds to the numbers you selected on the checklist.

1.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Character Plus, www.characterplus.org, originally from License to Lead Copyright © 1996,

National Association of Secondary School Principals

38 ©NorthwestAssociation for Biomedical Research 2009, www.nwabr.org

 Student Handout
NAME___________________________________________________________ Date_________ Period_______

What is a value?
Values are those inner standards from which you receive the motivation to act as you do
and by which you judge behavior (both yours and others).

Values signify what is important and worthwhile. They serve as the basis for moral codes
and ethical reflection. Individuals have their own values based on many aspects including
family, religion, peers, culture, race, social background, gender, etc. Values guide
individuals, professions, communities, and institutions.

1. A value must be chosen freely. If you don’t cheat because someone tells you not to,
or because you know you will get into trouble with some authority figure, say, you are
not freely acting on your values of honesty and integrity.

2. A value is always chosen from among alternatives. If you don’t cheat because you are
taking a test in an empty room without any resources, you cannot say you chose not
to cheat. There must always be an alternative in choosing your value.

3. A value results from a choice made after thoughtful consideration of choices. If you don’t
cheat because it never occurred to you to do otherwise, there is no value at play. If you
cheat thoughtlessly or carelessly, it does not reflect a value. Only when you carefully
consider alternatives and consequences and then make a choice is value reflected in
that decision.

4. When you value something, it has a positive quality for you. If your decision not to
cheat is something you feel good about, then it is based on a value. You like yourself
for your honesty and integrity. You prize them and cherish these qualities in yourself.

5. You are willing to publicly stand by your values. Not only are you proud of your choice
not to cheat, you will speak about your position and even try to convince others not
to cheat. You declare in your actions and your words that you value honesty and
integrity.

6. When you have a value, it shows up in every aspect of your life. You don’t just talk
about having honesty and integrity – you live it. You will spend time and energy on
developing your honesty and integrity. You will associate with people who also value
honesty and integrity. You will make sacrifices (money or otherwise) to live by your
values.

7. Values show up again and again in your actions. Not cheating on one thing does
not mean you hold a value. Only when you make the same kind of choices over and
over again in similar circumstances is value at play. Because of your honesty and
integrity, you don’t cheat on anything. From small quizzes to big tests, from board
games to big contests, your value is in effect in every circumstance.

Adapted from materials found on: http://www.mtsu.edu/~u101irm/valuedef.html

Originally from Louis E. Raths, Merrill Harmin, and Sidney B. Simon,
Values and Teaching, Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1978.

©NorthwestAssociation for Biomedical Research 2009, www.nwabr.org 39