Schwartz × Haidt integration · Feldman (2018)

Moral Foundations and Personal Values

Psychometric concept

Feldman empirically links Schwartz's values theory with Haidt's moral foundations theory. Across 32,492 respondents in five cross-cultural samples, he establishes stable correspondences: self-transcendence values associate with individualizing foundations (care, fairness); conservation values associate with binding foundations (loyalty, authority, sanctity). A useful frame for understanding how values translate into moral judgments at work.

Key dimensions

01

Individualizing foundations

Care/Harm + Fairness/Cheating. Centered on the rights of the individual.

02

Binding foundations

Loyalty/Betrayal + Authority/Subversion + Sanctity/Degradation. Centered on group cohesion.

Model categories

Care / Harm

Sensitivity to suffering, compassion, protection of the vulnerable.

Fairness / Cheating

Justice, reciprocity, rejection of cheating.

Loyalty / Betrayal

Attachment to the group, patriotism, sacrifice for one's own.

Authority / Subversion

Respect for hierarchy, tradition, established roles.

Sanctity / Degradation

Purity, dignity, rejection of defilement.

Key takeaways

  • Values predict moral judgments, not the reverse.
  • Self-transcendence → individualizing foundations.
  • Conservation → binding foundations.
  • A culture audit that ignores this structure misses major ethical tensions.

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