• Define values and value system
• State a commonly accepted universal value
• Define the "Golden Rule."
• List examples of virtues
•  How can one discover what his values are?
•  Say where values come from
• State the role values play in our lives
•  List Kohlberg's 3 Stages of Moral Development
•  Define Freud's  three psychic structures
•  Explain the significance of Freud's 3 psychic structures
•  State a parallel between  Freud and Christianity
• Discuss the role of conscience and law accd to Judaism, Christianity and Freud
•  State the written rule which suggests a universality of values
•  Discuss the  universalization of ideas in terms of Carl Jung
• Clearly states their values (in response to Case Studies  and discussions questions)

Value: Definition:

Values:  "Principles or qualities that one considers important, right, or good" (Carter),  These values must be freely chosen. they become deeply ingrained that they form a regular pattern - like kindness, generosity, diligent work...  

Criteria for values: It is freely chosen, from alternatives, after thoughtful deliberation, and something which we are proud of.. Values reveal themselves in our actions and persist (as opposed to being one-time actions).

For example, a young child cannot be said to value studying, an orderly room, reading, or going to church if he only does so when he is forced. Upon maturing, the child may freely choose to value these activities. 

Value System Definition:
Value System:  The total of all your values.

How does one demonstrate one's values?  By our actions - by the priorities we set, and more specifically by the careers and friends we choose.

Universal Values

Do you think it's possible to  create or find universal values?

What is the golden rule?  It is the claim that you should do unto others as you would want other to do unto you

What written words indicate  universal values?

A universal value is "Do good and avid evil."
The Golden Rule indicates there are universal values across time.

"Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people's suffering. On these lines every religion had more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal." The Dalai Lama

The exception to this is the  Church of Satan: "4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates! 5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.!" A.S. LaVey, founder of The Church of Satan, The Nine Satanic Statements

Examples of statements reflecting the "Golden Rule" are as follows:

How does one discover what his values are?
By reflecting on concrete circumstances and stating what was important in to you when deciding.

For example, if two high school graduates are given a choice:  Working as an apprentice in a well-established body shop or going to college - one who values self-sufficiency, hard work, and starting a career as  early as possible may choose to work in a body shop - while one who loves the academic environment would probably opt for college.

If Monster.com posts three jobs openings that would coincide would your free time - do you work at a health club or at a book store, or at a video store?  What would your choice say about your values?

Challenges sometimes evoke values we didn't know we had. Do we continue summer vacations, or do we do dance competitions? 

It is said if one becomes sick or suffers pain, that one would value health.
If one is backstabbed, one then values loyalty even more.
If one has been slighted or ignored, one then values friendship even more.
If one has been lied to, then honesty becomes more highly valued.

What role do values play?

Values often determine our activities. Values are related to the kind of person we are, to our goals, our aspirations, the way we behave, the way we relate to others, the actions we choose.  Am I more interested in books or athletics? This may determine if I go to the gym in the morning or read a book in bed.

Our values, in part, determine our answers to the following questions:

1. What should I do?
2. What is a good life and what experiences are considered worthwhile or desirable?
3. How can people choose among a hierarchy of values, especially conflicting ones? (friendship over honesty    or        honesty over friendship?)
4. What is the profile of the ethical person?
5. How should society be organized and what specific policies should various agencies pursue?  (Freedom or censorship re. speech, pron, flag burning...) 

Generally speaking, where do values come from? What is the source of values?

Generally speaking values come from parents, guardians, relatives, friends, religious beliefs, instructors, authority figures, books, the Internet, school and the workplace . (Carter 52).These are incorporated into our schema

We've already discussed the 3 stages in the developing of values  and morals according to  Harvard psychologist Kohlberrg:

1. Preconventional Level - where one repeats what was taught by parents.
2. The Conventional Level: Associated with adolescents (and some never outgrow this level), where right and wrong is a mimicking of accepted societal rules and laws.
3. The Postconventional Level:  the universalized level wherein universal ideals of justice or human rights or human welfare are considered (Markkula Center for Ethics).

Freud's Psychic Structures

Freud  (1856-1938)noticed there were forces at war within man's psyche. Just as the wind cannot be seen, but can be known through its activity, the psychic structures cannot be seen or measured, but they can be know by their behavior, emotion,  and expressed thoughts. They are three in number: Id, Ego, and Superego.

Id: It was defined  by Freud as "a chaos, a cauldron of seething excitations."   The id is present at birth, fully unconscious,  and is  volcano of drives, both biological and emotional.  In the id it is perfectly Ok to both love and hate one's mother, to experience sexual tendencies that to the conscious mind would seem abnormal The id cries for instant gratification of instincts, without concern for  law, religion, custom, and needs of others.

Ego: The ego is the second psychic structure to develop, and is characterized by self-awareness, delaying of gratification, and planning.  It develops during the first year of life, as a response to not having gratifications immediately satisfied.  The ego copes with frustration and stands for reason. It seeks a way to satisfy gratifications while maintaining social approval. The ego  provides us with our sense of self.  To maintain this proper view of ourselves, the ego represses some improper thoughts as they seek to rise from the cauldron.

In Freud's day, a child may have been slapped for touching his genitals, and according to Freud herein begins our journey of guilt over erotic desires. The stage is set for a lifelong conflict between desire and guilt.

Superego: It is the third psychic structure. It functions as a moral guardian  and sets very high standards for behavior. Rathus defines it as, "The superego develops throughout early childhood, usually incorporating moral standards and values of parents and important members of the community through identification...The superego holds forth shining examples of an ideal self and also acts like the conscience, as internal moral guardian. throughout life, the superego monitors the intentions of the ego and hands out judgements of right and wrong. it floods the ego with feelings of guilt and shame when the verdict is negative. From birth our parents say, "Naughty, Don't do that."  These and the world's moral expectations resound in our superego  and become part of us.

What do the psychic structures imply regarding the forming of values and morals?

Since the id resides in the unconscious, and much of the ego and superego are in the preconscious, much of who we are  (our values and our sense of right and wrong)  is a product of our environment, our upbringing, our culture...  We are not completely free agents in our acts, as powerful unconscious and preconscious force determine much of who we are, what we value, and our morality.  We are not completely free to create ourselves, our values, and our standards of morality.

What parallel can one draw between atheistic Freud and Christianity?

1.  Both admit to conflicts:

St. Paul writes in Romans 7:15: "I cannot even understand my own actions. I do not do what I want to do but what I hate."

Romans 7: 23: " I see in my body's members another law at war with the law of my mind; this makes me the prisoner of the law of sin in my members. What a wretched man am I!"

Differing View of Conscience:
Freud's view of  "conscience" is very different from a Christian's or Jew's view of conscience

In common parlance, conscience is "a faculty, power, or principle enjoining good acts" (Webster's Dictionary).

• Freud indicates the locus of "conscience" is simply the super ego which is formed by parents and society.
• Christianity indicates the dictates and reasons of conscience are written in our hearts: Romans 2:225 "The demands of the law are written in their hearts." Further conscience is the judgment of reason concerning the lawfulness or unlawfulness of an act.
• Jews, like Christians, follow the law of God. In part, the ten commandments dictate how a Jew is to act.

Freud would reduce the actions of the Jews and Christians to actions of the superego, wherein parents and society continually repeat old rules which become firmly implanted in the superego. Free will, rationality,  and the sublime dignity of responsibility and  free choice in actions are reduced to a function of the intellect.
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Carl Jung

Is there something deeper than the unconscious which reveals itself in universal beliefs, attitudes, and values?

Jung believe there is more to us than a conscious, preconscious and unconscious component.  There is also an inherited collective unconscious.   It contains archetypes (primitive images) that reflect the history of our species. "Examples of archetypes are the al-powerful god, the young hero, the fertile and nurturing mother, the wise old man, the hostile brother, -- even fairy godmothers, wicked witches, and themes of rebirth or resurrection.  Archetypes themselves remain unconscious, but Jung declared that they influence our thoughts and emotions and cause us to respond to cultural themes in stories and films"  (Rathus 393).

Discussion Questions:
Think of a goal you have set for yourself.  What values do that goal reveal about you.  What obstacles did you (or will you) overcome? How have values helped you overcome obstacles.  Can you think of an incident that caused you to feel more strongly about a goal?

Two Case Studies for Reflection and values discovery:

Class activity:  

• List values you've held for many years.
• List values you've acquired or deepened considerably within the past 5 years.
• Which values are closest to your heart?
• Where did you first learn these - from your parents?
• Which of your values have changed or deepened?
• Describe one thing you've done recently that shows your values.

Fun Class Activities from Web

• Values Definition What is a value?
• A Person Should be 20 character traits to rank in order of importance
• Values auction Classroom activity
• Values Shuffle Classroom activity
• Values Clarification Exercises or Journal Entries 5 thought-provoking questions

For the fun of it:
Read the Ten Commandments
Read  Hammurabi's Code .