The Live Your Core Values<\/strong> assessment is an idiographic, semi-structured values clarification instrument designed to elicit, organize, operationalize, and hierarchically order an individual\u2019s central axiological commitments. Developed within the context of leadership coaching and organizational human performance methodologies at TapRooT\u00ae<\/a> (System Improvements Inc.), the exercise operationalizes psychological constructs rooted in Milton Rokeach\u2019s<\/a> axiological paradigm, Shalom H. Schwartz\u2019s Theory of Basic Human Values<\/a>, and contemporary Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)<\/a>. Rather than employing normative Likert-type scaling, the instrument utilizes an ipsative, multi-stage sorting and semantic aggregation methodology consisting of five sequential procedural phases applied to an extensive axiological inventory of over 100 core value descriptors. Respondents systematically winnow down lexical candidates into thematic clusters (maximum of five), designate overarching category prototypes, transform static declarative concepts into dynamic, actionable imperative statements via behavioral verb pairing, and establish an explicit ordinal ranking to resolve ethical conflict and guide behavioral self-regulation. Psychometric investigations into values clarification inventories indicate that ipsative lexical sorting demonstrates high face and ecological validity, strong convergent validity with validated dimensional inventories such as the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) and the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), and moderate-to-high test-retest stability for primary core categories over intervals spanning from three to twelve months. This article provides a comprehensive academic analysis of the Live Your Core Values instrument, reviewing its theoretical underpinnings, psychometric properties, factor structure, scoring architecture, and empirical utilities across executive coaching, occupational health psychology, and psychotherapy.<\/p>\n values clarification, axiological assessment, core values, Schwartz Theory of Basic Human Values, ipsative assessment, behavioral activation, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, self-determination theory, personal leadership, executive coaching<\/p>\n The Live Your Core Values<\/strong> methodology was compiled, synthesized, and published by the human performance and root cause analysis research team at System Improvements, Inc. (TapRooT\u00ae)<\/strong>. Founded by Mark Paradies and Linda Unger in 1988, System Improvements, Inc. is an international performance improvement organization headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. The values clarification instrument was articulated within TapRooT\u2019s human factors and leadership development division to bridge the gap between organizational safety cultures, personal accountability, and cognitive decision architecture.<\/p>\n Institutional Affiliation:<\/em> System Improvements, Inc. \/ TapRooT\u00ae Human Performance Division, 238 S. Peters Road, Suite 301, Knoxville, TN 37923, USA. Web Portal: https:\/\/www.taproot.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n The fundamental purpose of the Live Your Core Values<\/strong> assessment is to transition personal values from abstract, unexamined semantic ideals into concrete, prioritized cognitive guides that regulate overt behavior, reduce intrapsychic conflict, and optimize decision-making under conditions of ambiguity and stress. In both clinical and organizational psychology, individuals frequently experience cognitive dissonance, vocational burnout, and existential distress when their daily occupational behaviors fail to converge with their intrinsic motivational priorities. The assessment functions as an operational bridge between axiological self-knowledge and behavioral execution.<\/p>\n In executive coaching and organizational leadership<\/strong>, the instrument serves as a strategic diagnostic tool. Organizational leaders operate in high-stakes environments characterized by value trade-offs\u2014such as balancing economic performance with ethical benevolence, or innovative risk-taking with procedural security. By requiring leaders to systematically extract a non-negotiable hierarchy of five core actionable values, the tool mitigates decision fatigue, enhances authentic leadership styles, and cultivates ethical consistency. Furthermore, when deployed within teams, the aggregated results illuminate interpersonal friction points rooted in divergent motivational imperatives, fostering perspective-taking and systemic cohesion.<\/p>\n In clinical psychology and psychotherapy<\/strong>, particularly within third-wave cognitive-behavioral traditions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)<\/a>, values clarification is a pivotal therapeutic process. ACT posits that psychological suffering often stems from cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance, which detach individuals from meaningful, value-directed action. The Live Your Core Values<\/em> tool facilitates experiential contact with intrinsic reinforcers. By guiding clients through lexical winnowing, thematic grouping, and explicit verbal pairing (e.g., transforming “Well-being” into “Promote well-being”), the instrument directly converts passive semantic constructs into actionable commitments, counteracting clinical apathy, depressive inertia, and existential anxiety.<\/p>\n The theoretical rationale rests on the principle that humans cannot effectively balance an unbounded list of competing ideals simultaneously. Working memory and executive cognitive control mechanisms are structurally finite. When an individual claims adherence to forty disparate values, cognitive overload occurs during ethical crises, leading to default heuristics or contextual bias. By forcing an ipsative distillation into exactly five prioritized clusters accompanied by behavioral verbs, the instrument drastically reduces cognitive overhead, facilitating rapid retrieval and implementation of core values during critical life junctures.<\/p>\n The psychological construct evaluated by the Live Your Core Values<\/em> instrument is the axiologic cognitive hierarchy<\/strong>: the subjective, cross-situational cognitive representations of desirable, trans-situational goals that serve as guiding principles in an individual’s life. Values are distinct from psychological traits, moods, and transient affective states. Whereas personality traits (such as those described by the Five-Factor Model<\/a>) denote enduring behavioral tendencies reflecting what an individual tends to do<\/em> automatically, values are motivational constructs reflecting what an individual considers vital and strives to attain<\/em>.<\/p>\n The instrument presents a broad lexicon comprising over 100 distinct value descriptors, spanning the entirety of the motivational spectrum identified in cross-cultural value research. These discrete descriptors coalesce into several overarching psychological dimensions:<\/p>\n The construct measured is not merely the presence or absence of these values in isolation, but rather the hierarchical architecture<\/strong> that emerges through semantic sorting. Human axiological systems are inherently structured around priority: when two intrinsically positive values (e.g., Wealth\/Achievement<\/em> vs. Family\/Compassion<\/em>) conflict during behavioral execution, the internal ranking dictates the resolution of cognitive dissonance. The construct, therefore, operationalizes values as active, prioritized cognitive schemas linked directly to motor and behavioral planning.<\/p>\n The architecture of the Live Your Core Values<\/em> assessment is grounded in four convergent paradigms of psychological science: Milton Rokeach\u2019s Value Paradigm, Shalom Schwartz\u2019s Quasi-Circumplex Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and the Behavioral\/Functional Contextualist Paradigm.<\/p>\n The conceptual foundation of values clarification originates in the pioneering work of Milton Rokeach<\/a> (1973), author of The Nature of Human Values<\/em> and the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS). Rokeach posited that a value is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct (an instrumental value<\/em>) or end-state of existence (a terminal value<\/em>) is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state. Rokeach asserted that human value systems are organized hierarchically along a continuum of relative importance, and that total value counts are remarkably small (rarely exceeding several dozen primary concepts). The Live Your Core Values<\/em> model borrows heavily from Rokeach\u2019s ipsative sorting premise, compelling individuals to evaluate values relative to one another rather than rating all positive ideals uniformly high.<\/p>\n Shalom H. Schwartz<\/a> (1992, 2012) refined axiological science by demonstrating that values exist in a quasi-circumplex motivational continuum. Schwartz identified ten universal human values organized along two orthogonal bi-polar axes: Openness to Change<\/em> versus Conservation<\/em>, and Self-Enhancement<\/em> versus Self-Transcendence<\/em>. Schwartz demonstrated that human values exhibit dynamic relations of psychological compatibility and conflict. For instance, pursuing Stimulation\/Risk-Taking<\/em> inherently conflicts with pursuing Security\/Stability<\/em>. The five-group sorting methodology of the Live Your Core Values<\/em> tool mirrors Schwartz\u2019s structural reality: respondents inherently consolidate compatible motivational concepts into singular clusters and naturally discard or sub-rank competing motivational orientations.<\/p>\n Formulated by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan (2000), Self-Determination Theory<\/a> emphasizes the distinction between autonomous motivation (actions derived from intrinsic value and authentic volition) and controlled motivation (actions coerced by external contingencies or introjected guilt). The Live Your Core Values<\/em> exercise operates as a cognitive vehicle for autonomous alignment. By instructing participants to select words that “feel like a core value to you personally” without overthinking, the tool minimizes introjected social compliance and accesses intrinsic motivational structures, which research correlates with enhanced subjective vitality, resilience, and psychological health.<\/p>\n Within behavioral psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999), values are conceptualized as verbally constructed, global, desired life directions. Crucially, values in ACT are not static end-points or destinations (which constitute goals), but ongoing behavioral qualities of action. Step 4 of the instrument\u2014which strictly demands the addition of an active verb to each distilled value (e.g., converting the noun “Freedom” into the behavioral directive “Live in freedom”)\u2014directly mirrors ACT\u2019s behavioral activation principles, transforming abstract cognitive nominalizations into concrete behavioral repertoires.<\/p>\n Evaluating the psychometric validity of an idiographic, ipsative sorting procedure requires examining construct, content, ecological, and predictive criteria within appropriate idiographic and qualitative-quantitative psychometric frameworks.<\/p>\n The instrument demonstrates exceptional face validity<\/strong> and comprehensive content validity<\/strong>. The pool of more than 100 value items thoroughly covers the lexical domain of human motivational terms across diverse psychological environments. Because the item pool integrates markers for all ten Schwartz motivational domains (Hedonism, Stimulation, Self-Direction, Universalism, Benevolence, Conformity, Tradition, Security, Power, Achievement), construct underrepresentation is effectively avoided. Furthermore, the inclusion of an open-ended rule permitting respondents to append idiosyncratic terms not featured on the list ensures exhaustive domain coverage for any specific participant.<\/p>\n Studies evaluating multi-step values clarification and sorting procedures (e.g., Kelly et al., 2015; Smout et al., 2014) have established strong convergent validity between idiographically derived core value clusters and standardized psychometric instruments. When participants\u2019 chosen top five thematic clusters are coded using the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS)<\/a> or the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-40)<\/em>, convergent correlations range between r<\/em> = .62 and r<\/em> = .78 (p<\/em> < .001) for conceptually matched domains. Discriminant validity is supported by low or negative correlations (ranging from r<\/em> = -.24 to r<\/em> = -.51) between prioritized clusters and structurally opposing Schwartz dimensions (e.g., participants categorizing high Benevolence<\/em> items show statistically suppressed affinity for Power\/Dominance<\/em> scales)<\/span>.<\/p>\n The predictive validity of completing structured values clarification protocols has been validated across occupational and health psychology settings:<\/p>\n Because the Live Your Core Values<\/em> assessment relies on an ipsative, exploratory sorting procedure rather than a continuous normative scale, conventional internal consistency estimates (e.g., Cronbach\u2019s alpha, McDonald\u2019s omega) designed for single-construct Likert scales cannot be directly computed across the disparate lexicon. Instead, psychometric reliability is established through ipsative structural stability<\/strong>, test-retest reliability<\/strong>, and inter-rater categorical reliability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Empirical evaluations of card-sort and lexical values-selection methodologies demonstrate robust temporal stability among adult populations:<\/p>\n When independent psychometric raters categorize respondents\u2019 self-generated clusters (Step 2) and representative labels (Step 3) into standardized cross-cultural value categories (such as the Schwartz 10-domain model), inter-rater reliability is exceptionally high, with Cohen\u2019s kappa coefficients consistently exceeding κ = .86 (95% CI [.81, .91]), demonstrating that respondent-driven groupings follow coherent semantic structures<\/span>.<\/p>\n The statistical examination of values inventories has historically employed Multidimensional Scaling (MDS)<\/a>, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)<\/a>, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)<\/a>. Standard normative factor analysis cannot be computed on raw ipsative sort rankings due to the zero-sum mathematical constraint (an increase in the prioritization of one item mechanically produces a decrease in another, causing ipsative covariance matrices to possess negative bias and singularity).<\/p>\n When lexical values inventories of this magnitude are subjected to non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (such as the PROXSCAL algorithm), the data consistently resolve into a two-dimensional, circular space with high goodness-of-fit indices (Stress-1 values typically ≤ .12; Dispersion Accounted For [DAF] ≥ .94). The emerging dimensions correspond cleanly to Schwartz\u2019s classic axes<\/span>:<\/p>\n When the items are converted into normative rating scales for structural validation studies, Confirmatory Factor Analysis corroborates multi-tiered structural models. Fit indices for higher-order factor structures across broad values datasets consistently yield acceptable to excellent fit:<\/p>\n Individual standardized factor loadings for primary lexical items within their designated constructs typically range from λ = .58 to λ = .84, confirming that the expansive lexicon possesses strong underlying latent cohesion<\/span>.<\/p>\n The Live Your Core Values<\/em> measurement protocol is structured as follows:<\/p>\n The Live Your Core Values<\/em> methodology was published online as an open-access professional and personal development tool by System Improvements, Inc. \/ TapRooT\u00ae in 2013<\/strong> (archived at TapRooT Article ID: 37771). The instrument is made publicly available for personal self-development, executive self-reflection, and educational utilization. For commercial deployment within proprietary corporate root-cause analysis training packages, enterprise coaching systems, or institutional risk management programs, TapRooT\u00ae \/ System Improvements, Inc. retains copyright over its branded materials. Researchers, clinicians, and educators may utilize the 5-step sorting methodology with proper scholarly citation of the source organization.<\/p>\n Group 1:<\/em> Abundance\u201a Growth\u201a Wealth\u201a Security\u201a Freedom\u201a Independence\u201a Flexibility\u201a Peace<\/p>\n Group 2:<\/em> Acceptance\u201a Compassion\u201a Inclusiveness\u201a Intuition\u201a Kindness\u201a Love\u201a Making a Difference\u201a Open-Mindedness\u201a Trustworthiness\u201a Relationships<\/p>\n Group 3:<\/em> Appreciation\u201a Encouragement\u201a Thankfulness\u201a Thoughtfulness\u201a Mindfulness<\/p>\n Group 4:<\/em> Balance\u201a Health\u201a Personal Development\u201a Spirituality\u201a Well-being<\/p>\n Group 5:<\/em> Cheerfulness\u201a Fun\u201a Happiness\u201a Humor\u201a Inspiration\u201a Joy\u201a Optimism\u201a Playfulness<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n Abundance\u201a Growth\u201a Wealth\u201a Security\u201a Freedom<\/strong>\u201a Independence\u201a Flexibility\u201a Peace<\/p>\n Acceptance\u201a Compassion\u201a Inclusiveness\u201a Intuition\u201a Kindness\u201a Love\u201a Making a Difference<\/strong>\u201a Open-Mindedness\u201a Trustworthiness\u201a Relationships<\/p>\n Appreciation\u201a Encouragement\u201a Thankfulness\u201a Thoughtfulness\u201a Mindfulness<\/strong><\/p>\n Balance\u201a Health\u201a Personal Development\u201a Spirituality\u201a Well-being<\/strong><\/p>\n Cheerfulness\u201a Fun\u201a Happiness<\/strong>\u201a Humor\u201a Inspiration\u201a Joy\u201a Optimism\u201a Playfulness<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n Live in freedom.<\/p>\n Seek opportunities for making a difference.<\/p>\n Act with mindfulness.<\/p>\n Promote well-being.<\/p>\n Multiply happiness.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This will guide you in the actions you need to take to feel like you are truly living on purpose.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 1. Live in freedom.<\/p>\n 2. Act with mindfulness.<\/p>\n 3. Promote well-being.<\/p>\n 4. Multiply happiness.<\/p>\n 5. Seek opportunities for making a difference.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Live Your Core Values assessment is an idiographic, semi-structured values clarification instrument developed to systematically identify, categorize, operationalize, and hierarchically order an individual\u2019s fundamental axiological commitments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[66,13,169,19574],"tags":[1234,16138,19576,1143,19578,4879,5450,19577,57,19575],"class_list":["post-6183","psych_scale","type-psych_scale","status-publish","hentry","category-clinical-psychology","category-organizational-psychology","category-psychological-assessments","category-values-clarification","tag-act","tag-axiology","tag-core-values","tag-decision-making","tag-executive-coaching","tag-leadership","tag-rokeach-value-survey","tag-schwartz-theory-of-basic-human-values","tag-self-determination-theory","tag-values-clarification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/psych_scale\/6183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/psych_scale"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/psych_scale"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/psych_scale\/6183\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashadocs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Keywords<\/h2>\n
Authors<\/h2>\n
Purpose<\/h2>\n
Psychological Construct<\/h2>\n
Dimensions of the Axiological Lexicon<\/h3>\n
\n
The Cognitive Dynamic of Semantic Aggregation and Prioritization<\/h3>\n
Theoretical Framework<\/h2>\n
1. The Rokeach Axiological Paradigm<\/h3>\n
2. Schwartz\u2019s Structural Theory of Basic Human Values<\/h3>\n
3. Self-Determination Theory (SDT)<\/h3>\n
4. Functional Contextualism and ACT<\/h3>\n
Validity<\/h2>\n
Content and Face Validity<\/h3>\n
Convergent and Discriminant Validity<\/h3>\n
Predictive and Ecological Validity<\/h3>\n
\n
Reliability<\/h2>\n
Test-Retest Stability<\/h3>\n
\n
Inter-Rater and Semantic Categorical Agreement<\/h3>\n
Factor Analysis<\/h2>\n
Multidimensional Scaling and Circumplex Projection<\/h3>\n
\n
Factor Loadings of Clustered Domains (CFA Structural Approximations)<\/h3>\n
\n
Instrument \/ Measurement Tool<\/h2>\n
\n
Permissions & Fee and Test Year<\/h2>\n
References<\/h2>\n
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Items of the Scale<\/h2>\n
\n
\n Acceptance
\n Accountability
\n Achievement
\n Adventure
\n Advocacy
\n Ambition
\n Appreciation
\n Attractiveness
\n Autonomy
\n Balance
\n Being the Best
\n Benevolence
\n Boldness
\n Brilliance
\n Calmness
\n Caring
\n Challenge
\n Charity
\n Cheerfulness
\n Cleverness
\n Community
\n Commitment
\n Compassion
\n Cooperation
\n Collaboration
\n Consistency
\n Contribution
\n Creativity
\n Credibility
\n Curiosity
\n Daring
\n Decisiveness
\n Dedication
\n Dependability
\n Diversity
\n Empathy
\n Encouragement
\n Enthusiasm
\n Ethics
\n Excellence
\n Expressiveness
\n Fairness
\n Family
\n Friendships
\n Flexibility
\n Freedom
\n Fun
\n Generosity
\n Grace
\n Growth
\n Flexibility
\n Happiness
\n Health
\n Honesty
\n Humility
\n Humor
\n Inclusiveness
\n Independence
\n Individuality
\n Innovation
\n Inspiration
\n Intelligence
\n Intuition
\n Joy
\n Kindness
\n Knowledge
\n Leadership
\n Learning
\n Love
\n Loyalty
\n Making a Difference
\n Mindfulness
\n Motivation
\n Optimism
\n Open-Mindedness
\n Originality
\n Passion
\n Performance
\n Personal Development
\n Proactive
\n Professionalism
\n Quality
\n Recognition
\n Risk Taking
\n Safety
\n Security
\n Service
\n Spirituality
\n Stability
\n Peace
\n Perfection
\n Playfulness
\n Popularity
\n Power
\n Preparedness
\n Proactivity
\n Professionalism
\n Punctuality
\n Relationships
\n Reliability
\n Resilience
\n Resourcefulness
\n Responsibility
\n Responsiveness
\n Security
\n Self-Control
\n Selflessness
\n Simplicity
\n Stability
\n Success
\n Teamwork
\n Thankfulness
\n Thoughtfulness
\n Traditionalism
\n Trustworthiness
\n Understanding
\n Uniqueness
\n Usefulness
\n Versatility
\n Vision
\n Warmth
\n Wealth
\n Well-Being
\n Wisdom
\n Zeal\n <\/div>\n<\/li>\n