Mini-Guides
Value Judgment: The Silent Driver of Personality and Behaviour
What if the behaviours we see on the surface are being shaped by something much deeper: the way we habitually assign value?
In this research, Malcolm North explores a central idea within Formal Axiology: that value judgment plays a fundamental role in shaping personality, perception, and behaviour. While we may not be consciously aware of how we are valuing in any given moment, these underlying judgments influence what we notice, what we consider important, how we interpret situations, and how we respond to others.
North examines value judgment across Hartman's three dimensions of value: intrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic. These patterns of valuing help shape how people make decisions, relate to others, and respond in different contexts, including under pressure.
For coaches, consultants, and leaders, this offers a different way of looking at behaviour. Rather than focusing only on what someone is doing, we can begin to explore how they are valuing and what may be driving their responses beneath the surface.
The research also reinforces the role of the Hartman Value Profile (HVP) as more than a tool for describing personality. It can provide insight into how an individual structures value and makes meaning, offering practitioners another lens through which to understand behaviour and support sustainable development.
This member resource distills the key ideas from North's research into practical insights for coaches, consultants, and other practitioners who want to explore the connection between value judgment, personality, and behaviour.
Download the Research Insights guide to explore the research and consider how it might apply to your own work.
ABOUT THESE GUIDES:
These downloadable resources are drawn from research originally published in academic journals. While the original articles can sometimes feel highly technical, these guides translate the key ideas into clear, practical insights that any member can understand and apply.
Each guide highlights the core concepts from the research and turns them into something you can use in your own work. You may choose to use the material to explain the research to a client, share the insights directly with them, or use the suggested prompts to create social media content that builds your credibility as an axiological practitioner.
Think of these as practical research summaries you can revisit, reference, and adapt. How you use them is entirely up to you.
DOWNLOAD THE MINI GUIDE:
