Research Summary: Value Faces: Surfacing How Self-Presentation Shifts Across Relationships

A novel system called 'Value Faces' has been developed to analyze how individuals' self-presentation shifts across different relationships, specifically in terms of the values they express. This computational approach, based on Schwartz's ten basic human values, processes chat histories to generate distinct value profiles for various relationships. Initial mixed-methods research suggests that individuals' demonstrated values vary significantly depending on the relationship context.

Why it matters

Understanding how individuals express different values in various relationship contexts can significantly inform strategies related to internal communications, team dynamics, and external engagement. This insight allows for more tailored and effective interactions, as it highlights the nuanced nature of human value expression in diverse professional and personal settings.

Key insights

• Individuals present different aspects of themselves across relationships, extending to the values they foreground or background.
• Computational work can capture variation in communication style and expressed values.
• 'Demonstrated values' are defined as relationship-specific expressions of principles and their balance.
• Value Faces is a system that analyzes chat histories using Schwartz's ten basic human values to produce distinct value profiles for different relationships.
• Early research (N=18) indicates that value profiles indeed shift across relationships.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19581