Conscious and
Unconscious Values Are Often Out of Sync
Findings from research conducted by
advertising agency Y&R with the psychologist Joel Weinberger among
adults in Brazil,
China, and the
U.S. show that conscious and unconscious
values are often out of
sync.
When asked about their three top
life
values, the majority of participants consciously listed higher order
values such as
caring for others, finding meaning in life, and
choosing their own path.
When researchers tapped into their
unconscious thought waves to identify top values, they discovered
that the
core unconscious values are quite different from the conscious
ones. They are more basic and include security, sexual fulfillment,
and adherence to tradition.
Here are the most striking
differences.
Helpfulness was ranked 16th out of 16 unconsciously,
but ranked number one by the conscious mind. The participants
consciously listed sexual fulfillment as the 14th out of 16 top
driving values; however, the unconscious mind rated it among the top
two.
Conscious values show an ideal of what
we want to be, while unconscious values reveal what we really are.
