A Reconceptualization of Values Clarification: Values Conflict Resolution

Values Clarification (VC) waxed during the 1970s and waned during the 1980s. Today, psychology lacks an empirically based intervention for helping individuals to clarify their values. In this article, the meteoric rise and then precipitous decline of VC are first described. Conservative religious and political criticisms as well as conceptual flaws within VC are discussed. A reconceptualization of VC that addresses the criticisms and flaws is then proposed. The goal of the reconceptualization is to revitalize the topic of values conflict and clarification, to stimulate a new generation of research, and to establish an empirically based guidance for practice.