Do Our Behaviors Shape Our Values? Insights from Our Latest Lab Meeting

At the lab’s meeting this month, Dr. Hanit Ohana presented the research she is leading on the topic “Adaptation among Immigrant Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study of Reciprocal Relations between Personal Values and Aggressive Behavior.”

The findings indicate that aggressive behavior predicted changes in personal values over time, but not vice versa. Specifically, aggression was associated with increases in self-enhancement values (power and achievement) and openness to change (stimulation and novelty), alongside decreases in self-transcendence values (concern for and helping others) and conservation values (tradition and stability). These results suggest that aggressive behavior shapes the value system of immigrant adolescents, functioning as an adaptive mechanism that reduces cognitive dissonance and supports the maintenance of a coherent self-concept.

It is always a pleasure to come together and engage with the meaningful work of my lab members.