Value Theory

A scientific theory has the potential for 2 very desirable characteristics – universal application and great accuracy. As a result of the insights and work of scientists from Galileo onwards, such a theory, developed over ca. 400 years, now exists for the workings of the natural world. This general theory (of relativity and quantum mechanics) may not yet be complete but it does go a long way to explaining and making accurate predictions about what once were mysteries to mankind. However, in the field of human behavior and human relations where value is the defining characteristic, until some 60 years ago, no such theory existed.

The Dimensions of Value

A Nobel Prize nominee, Dr Robert S. Hartman (1930-1973) identified that we can know things, other people, and ourselves in three ways: intrinsically, extrinsically, and systemically. He called these the dimensions of value. We value everything in one of these dimensions or in a combination of dimensions. In each dimension our value “vision” can be clear or unclear and we can have a positive or negative bias.

• Intrinsic value is singular value: the thing itself, the person in his/her individual wholeness. This type of value is singular in that the pieces cannot be separated from the whole and that all of the parts are so intertwined together and so limitless, that this type of value is accurately represented mathematically as infinity to the infinite power.
• Extrinsic value is relative value: the collection of properties that can be identified independently of each other and that come together, affecting one another to create the whole. In common parlance, this is practical value, and mathematically is accurately represented by fractals in chaos math, sine and cosine waves in quantum mechanics, and neural networks and fuzzy sets in non-linear math.
• Systemic value is absolute value: formal constructions of the mind that require definite and specific properties to belong to the group or class. Mathematically this is the world of arithmetic: right and wrong, black and white, perfection or imperfection.

Value Structure

The valuing process is actually one's pattern of thinking and the Hartman-Kinsel Value Profile measures the patterns and clarity of a persons thinking. Thinking and hence valuing involve filtering, processing, storing, and analyzing data. They include thinking about things, discerning the different aspects of things, making judgments, and choosing. Our unique pattern of thinking and assigning value is called our value structure.