Discover Values: Smashing Stereotypes?

About our research

People are often passionate about ideas that matter greatly to them – ideas like freedom, protecting the environment, equality, or tradition. Cross-cultural research in psychology refers to such ideas as values. They are the abstract goals or ideals that guide us in our opinions, decisions, and behaviour.

An important characteristic of values is that people differ in how important they find them.

For instance, one person might strongly value their independence or freedom, but care less strongly about traditions or self-discipline. Another person might feel the opposite and care less strongly about independence of freedom, but more strongly about traditions or self-discipline. In our research, we study people's beliefs about others' values or what other people and groups find important.

We also study people’s stereotypes of other people’s values. Stereotypes are beliefs and expectations that we hold about other groups of people.

Everyone has stereotypes – they help to deal with very complex interactions with other people – but sometimes our stereotypes exaggerate or misperceive differences. This oversimplification enables us to put less effort into interactions and to react more spontaneously.

An important question is whether our stereotypes of other people’s values are occasionally way off track. When we misperceive others’ values, we may feel there is a vast gulf between us and them that is unbridgeable.

In such cases, smashing these stereotypes may help to resolve conflict and improve relations with others, ultimately helping everyone be happier and more successful.

Our research is helping people discover their own values, the values of others, and when our stereotypes of others’ values are about right or not.