The Power Value, Explained.
Power is the value people are expressing when standing, influence, and being in a position to shape outcomes matter to them - when having a say over resources, decisions, or one's circumstances feels important. In the Schwartz model it captures the goal of status and control: a respected place in the social order and the capacity to direct people and resources.
The Power value
Power is one of the ten basic values in the Schwartz theory. Its motivational goal is social status and prestige, and control or dominance over people and resources. It sits in the Self-Enhancement half of the values circle, next to Achievement and Security, and opposite the Self-Transcendence values of Benevolence and Universalism. Prioritizing Power is not better or worse than prioritizing any other value, and valuing it is not the same as being domineering - it simply describes what tends to win when your values compete.
This page explains what Power means as a value, what prioritizing it looks like, the values it trades off against on the circle, and the ones it pairs with - treated honestly rather than as a character flaw. A high priority on Power is not a sign of greed or ruthlessness, and a low one is not humility to be praised; the meaningful signal is its rank among your other priorities.
The motivational goal: status and control - honestly framed
Each Schwartz value is defined by the goal it serves, and Power serves the goal of social status, prestige, and control or dominance over people and resources. Schwartz roots it in the requirements of social institutions, which need some differentiation of status to function, and in the individual need to control one's environment.
It is worth separating the value from a caricature. Valuing Power means placing importance on status, influence, and control as goals - not behaving in a domineering, exploitative, or aggressive way. Two people can share a high Power priority and act on it very differently: one through ethical leadership and stewardship of resources, another through self-serving control. The value names what is sought; it does not dictate the conduct, and the Schwartz theory takes no moral stance on holding it.
What prioritizing Power looks like
Because most people care about some degree of standing or control over their lives, what marks a Power-led profile is how high the value ranks relative to the others - what wins when status and other priorities pull apart. When it ranks near the top, choices tend to organize around influence, recognition, and control.
- Seeking roles and positions that carry authority, standing, or influence over outcomes
- Valuing prestige and a respected place in the social order
- Wanting a meaningful say over people, decisions, or resources rather than deferring control
- Being attentive to status cues, reputation, and where one stands relative to others
- Framing decisions around the influence, recognition, or control a path would provide
The trade-off: Power versus Benevolence and Universalism
On the circle, Power sits in the Self-Enhancement region directly opposite the Self-Transcendence values of Benevolence and Universalism. This is one of the theory's two great oppositions: advancing the self against caring for others. Power focuses on status and control for oneself or one's group; Benevolence focuses on the welfare of close others, and Universalism on the welfare of all people and nature.
That is why a strong concern for status and control can sit uneasily with a strong, self-transcending concern for everyone's welfare - prioritizing one's own standing pulls against putting others' needs first, and vice versa. The conflict is structural, written into the geometry of the values, not evidence that people who value power are uncaring or that caring people lack ambition. Most people hold both to some degree; what is hard is maximizing both at once.
The pairings: Achievement and Security
Adjacent values share a motivational basis and are easy to pursue together. Power sits between Achievement and Security on the circle and pairs naturally with both. With Achievement it shares the Self-Enhancement focus on advancing the self - competence and status reinforce each other, as when accomplishment earns standing. With Security it shares an emphasis on controlling threat and preserving stability: status and resources can be a means to safety and a stable position, which is why Power borders the Conservation region at Security.
This is why a values profile is read as a shape rather than a set of isolated scores. A high Power priority means something different in context: next to Achievement it reads as ambition for success and standing, next to Security as seeking control in order to feel safe and stable. None of these combinations is superior - each is simply a different fingerprint of priorities, with its own strengths and its own tensions.
Also relevant: Schwartz values explained, Read the values test guide
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to value power?
It means social status, prestige, and control over people and resources rank high among your priorities: you are motivated by standing, influence, and the capacity to direct outcomes. In the Schwartz model it is one of the ten basic values and sits in the Self-Enhancement region of the circle. Valuing it strongly is descriptive, not a fault - and it is not the same as being domineering. What matters is where it sits relative to your other values.
Does valuing power mean you are domineering or controlling?
No. Valuing Power means you place importance on status, influence, and control as goals; it does not determine how you behave. The same high priority can show up as ethical leadership and good stewardship or as self-serving control. The Schwartz theory is descriptive: it names what a person seeks, not the conduct they choose, and it takes no moral stance on the value itself.
Which value does power conflict with?
Power sits opposite the Self-Transcendence values, Benevolence and Universalism, so it conflicts most with those two. The drive for status and control pulls against a self-sacrificing concern for the welfare of close others (Benevolence) and of all people and nature (Universalism). The conflict is built into the structure of the values circle, not a sign that people who value power are uncaring.
Which values pair well with power?
Achievement and Security, its neighbors on the circle. With Achievement it shares the self-enhancement focus on advancing the self, since competence and status reinforce each other; with Security it shares an emphasis on control and stability, since status and resources can be a means to safety. Adjacent values are compatible motivations, so a high priority on one tends to travel with the next.
References
- Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1-65.
- Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1).
- Sagiv, L., & Schwartz, S. H. (2022). Personal values across cultures. Annual Review of Psychology, 73, 517-546.
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