Axiology and the Hartman Value Profile (HVP)

Axiology measures your ability to value. Your capacity to value is a talent or ability by which you organize your thinking and emotions to make decisions or value judgments. Your value talent is a measure of your ability to:

• See and filter what is happening around you, and in yourself
• Build concepts and ideas by focusing on what is important to you
• Translate your ideas and expectations into decisions.

These three activities are the keys to understanding how we all make decisions.

Your ability to make value judgments is a natural activity of the mind and is similar to musical talent and ability. Each person has certain inborn skills or aptitudes. Some individuals have an ear for musical notes, while others can be taught to recognize the notes. Both types of individuals can develop their natural talent and apply this talent as musicians. In the same way, some individuals have better developed natural talent for making value judgments and can make better decisions. These individuals have a clearer idea of what is important, can see things which others miss, are very creative problem solvers, make decisions which always seem to be on target, and are sensitive to the needs and concerns of others.

Value talent, like musical talent or sports talent, can be learned and improved. The first step in developing your value talent is to identify your level of development, and to identify the specific types of talent you have. A value analysis is designed to let you come into contact with your ability to think and make value judgments about yourself and the world around you. This analysis will give you an opportunity to experience the biases that focus your thinking, the natural skills that your mind uses on a day to day basis to make decisions, the strengths that belong to you, the areas of development that can improve your ability to be you, and the combination of talent that defines your uniqueness.

To complete the HVP, a person is asked to rank the items in the first part from best to worst, and then to rank the phrases in the second part from those you most agree with to those you least agree with. The results reflect an individual's own preferences, which are measured against the objective scale given by formal axiology. The measurement is very precise, yet allows for nearly infinite variety.

The results of the HVP are derived from logical, mathematical norms, and are not based on the values of any specific population or group. Consequently, it is not a "test" to be passed or failed and the results have no bias with respect to sex, age, race, creed, or any other socio-cultural classification. Honesty is the best criterion for obtaining accurate results.

The Hartman Value Profile is especially useful for the following purposes:

1. It complements interest and aptitude tests for high school and college-aged students to help discover their strengths and weaknesses and to help with their choice of career paths.
2. Executives, managers, and employers responsible for others will find it useful:
   1. For discovering the strengths and weaknesses of their associates and potential employees,
   2. For identifying areas where additional training may be needed,
   3. For building work teams and groups,
   4. For measuring group morale and spirit,
   5. For determining suitability for promotions and job reallocations,
   6. For retaining existing employees, and
   7. In accident prevention
3. Counselors and therapists will find it helpful:
   1. In identifying compatibility when matching potential partners in marriage,
   2. In marriage counseling,
   3. In preventive mental health programs,
   4. In psycho- and axio-therapy to guide the direction of treatment and to pinpoint results and progress, and
   5. In identifying stages of and facilitating moral and religious growth and development.