Schwartz Value Inventory: A (Kinda) Analysis

For anyone who reads this blog uses MyType on Facebook and is friends with me, you've probably seen the many results that I've gotten. Over and over again. Frankly, I've been experimenting. I've been comparing MyType's Value quiz (basted on Shalom Schwartz's value inventory) with the original survey instrument used. It's pretty different, as a comparison here are my highest values, or, "guiding principles of my life."

Sample...
Schwartz VI:  Creativity (uniqueness, imagination)
MyType: Thinking up new ideas and being creative is important to her. She likes to do things in her own original way.

Schwartz VI		MyType
83 79 78 78 75 74 71 59 53 48	Self-Direction Benevolence Hedonism Achievement Stimulation Power Universalism Security Conformity Tradition	91 71 64 59 53 46 46 28 27 21	Power Hedonism Stimulation Benevolence Achievement Self-Direction Universalism Conformity Tradition Security

Personally, I think the SVI is more academic and therefore more accurate if you understand what it entails; that is, you need to have a certain grasp of what each word means to use it, whereas the MyType version, I feel, can be used by anyone. You just click on whether or not you agree with the statement, for the most part.

Based on the numbers above, it seems though the SVI is more clustered in terms of percentiles while MyType's percentiles are really spread out. Don't know how the quiz is scored and matched and stuff, but yeah. Interesting stuff. I've tried again and again to see if my results on MyType could mimic the SVI, but I still get a similar result to the one above. At least my top 6 values are still (and have been) my top 6.

On a side thought, having my most important value be "power" makes me feel like... well, like a dictator. I'm not a dictator! > <