Interest in a career at 60 may be higher than at 40. Adults worry about health less than teenagers. And most importantly, in ten or twenty years, each of us will be a different person with different priorities, although today it is very difficult for us to believe this.
Trying to look into the future and imagine ourselves in 10-20-30 years, we constantly make the same mistake. We feel like we won’t change. No, no, we are well aware that we will grow older and lose agility. Perhaps we will gain weight, although we will try not to. We will turn gray – and we will be proud of gray hairs or carefully paint over them.
But all these changes are external. As well as other changes that we draw for ourselves: pictures of success achieved in a career or an idyllic life in retirement in a house by the sea, adult children … However, we look at this future life with today’s eyes, forgetting the main thing: we will change not only externally, but also internally. And who knows how important for us, the future, will be career success, the opportunity to live by the sea, and even relationships with children.
Our values—what we believe in and strive for—change as we age. Once again, and very clearly, this truth was proved by an international group of psychologists. They conducted the study on an impressive sample of 36 Brazilians aged 12 to 65. There were approximately equal numbers of men and women in it, since the researchers also wanted to find out whether values change differently depending not only on age, but also on the gender of a person.
Boys to gray hair
Scientists have created a special survey technique called “Analysis of basic values.” 18 basic concepts classified as basic values were divided into 6 groups. The values of emotional arousal included pleasure, emotion, and sexuality. The values of social growth included power, prestige and success.
Affection, a sense of belonging, and support made up the values of the relationship. Normative values were represented by willingness to follow orders, loyalty to traditions, and religiosity. The ability to appreciate beauty, knowledge and development, psychologists have designated as the values of actualization. And finally, the basic values of existence were represented by health, stability and the possibility of survival.
Then, all participants in a large-scale study assessed the importance of each of the concepts presented to them personally.
Relationship values undergo the least changes over the course of life.
Processing of the results showed that different groups of values significantly gain or lose importance depending on age. Thus, the values of emotional arousal, as you might guess, are most valued by adolescents. In the future, their importance steadily decreased, reaching the minimum values in the oldest participants.
Looking ahead, it must be said that only in this category was a serious difference between men and women revealed. Their attitude to other values changed more or less the same way over the course of their lives. But even the most elderly men considered emotional arousal much more important than their peers. Probably, this result can serve as a scientific confirmation of the popular idea that a boy lives in the soul of a man until a very old age.
When family is more important than career
The dynamics of the category of social growth turned out to be interesting. Power, prestige and success seemed equally important to people who were very young and those who had crossed the line of middle life. And suddenly lost importance for 30-40-year-olds. Psychologists explain the result by the fact that at this age, the interests of the family and raising children usually come to the fore.
We strive for social and career success to the greatest extent either earlier – before we have had time to start a family, or later – when children are already gradually getting on their feet and starting an independent life.
Relationship values undergo the least changes over the course of life. Their importance is reduced, but not too much. And this is hardly surprising or requires explanation: affection and support are necessary for everyone and absolutely at any age. But normative values showed the highest growth among all categories.
The older the study participants were, the more they valued religiosity and loyalty to traditions. The researchers suggest that adherence to these values helps older people to fill their lives with meaning. (Interestingly, by the way, older women were somewhat more active in religion and tradition than older men.)
What is the value of old age
Actualization values are also gaining importance – but until about the middle of life. Then their chart plateaus, turning into an almost flat line, and further growth, although there is, is not very noticeable. The reason, the researchers believe, is that by mid-life, most people become too preoccupied with more practical issues.
Speaking conditionally, going to a museum or library for beauty and knowledge that has no immediate practical use is a luxury only for those who do not need to rush to other places and on more pressing matters.
Approaching the last line, we begin to value more what we have been given.
And, finally, the dynamics of the attitude towards the basic values of existence is very eloquent. They are of great importance in adolescence and youth. Then their importance decreases markedly. Understanding the value of health and life, we at the same time begin to clearly realize that, alas, it is impossible to keep them intact, psychologists explain. But closer to old age, this value increases again: approaching the last line, we begin to value more what is allotted to us.
It should be noted that the study does not claim to be universal. The patterns he revealed can be largely explained by the specific culture and way of life of Brazil. And it is possible that in other countries the results would have been different. And yet, it is useful to keep in mind the dynamics of changing attitudes towards certain basic values over the course of life when planning your future.