What are the differences between values and morals? They all provide behavioral rules, after all. It may seem like splitting hairs, but the differences can be important when persuading others.
Values are the rules by which we make decisions about right and wrong, should and shouldn't, good and bad. They also tell us which are more or less important, which is useful when we have to trade off meeting one value over another.
Dictionary.com defines values as:
beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something); "he has very conservatives values"
Morals have a greater social element to values and tend to have a very broad acceptance. Morals are far more about good and bad than other values. We judge others more strongly on morals than values. A person can be described as immoral, yet there is no word for them not following values.
Dictionary.com defines morals as:
motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
Growing older means making decisions based on what we believe is right or wrong, good or bad.
We make decisions on what we believe is important.
As you grow you will gradually form a set of morals and values which may differ from those around you, including your parents and loved ones. This may cause conflict in relationships as you establish what is important to you. What is important will inform a set of rules by which you live your life.
For instance, when we are young we look to those around us to guide us on our decisions. As we get older we may find that we start to disagree with some of the decisions made for us and we start to enforce our own values and beliefs.