Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for personality change and provides direction when personality change removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Personality Change
Personality Change often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when personality change has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult personality change periods
- A basis for action independent of how personality change makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Personality Change
Ask yourself: 'If my personality change were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Personality Change
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when personality change is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite personality change, are more sustainable than waiting for personality change to lift first.