Volume 1 Module 3 Online - Values and Who You Are

Goals of this Module

  • Explore what are your core values and how they influence your behaviour
  • Describe a model for understanding that observable (what people can see) behaviour is affected by what is not observable (what people don’t see
  • Recognise that being part of different communities and groups is a good source of support and motivation

Your values, your individual qualities, background, culture and experiences make you unique, different but equally valuable as a crew member, to everyone else[1].

What motivates you as an individual can be very different. 

It is valuable to know what motivates you, as it will explain some of your automatic behaviours.  It might also explain why you become frustrated with others who are not driven by the same values.  

Q: Read the below list and circle those that matter the most to you.

Personal achievement

Happiness

Earning money

Loving someone

Being loved, accepted

Popularity

Competence

Independence

Risking

Being different and still fitting in

Being your best

Reaching your potential

Finding excitement

Being a leader

Learning, gaining wisdom

Freedom

Having influence over others

Fully expressing yourself

Becoming an expert

Making a positive difference

Developing people or things

Making a worthwhile contribution

Seeing how much you can get away with

Winning

Finding the good in others

Gaining recognition

Building something

Gaining the approval of others

Creating something

Getting things done

Doing good

Dominating

Being unique

Being the best

Gaining security, safety

Controlling

Having fun

Working hard

Gaining mastery

Connection

Seeking adventure

Power, authority

Prestige

Increasing effectiveness

Experiencing life to its fullest

Waiting until the last minute

Iceberg Model

Knowing yourself and managing your moods is made easier if you understand what is below the surface of your behaviour.

To begin, our basic human needs are met by food, shelter and being part of a supportive community or family.

Q: Individually, make a list of the groups you identify with.  For instance, family groups, ethnic groups, being members of the bridge or engine room teams, the company you work for, clubs or sports teams, and so on.

Being part of a social group can be important for your wellbeing and sense of purpose. 

Q: In pairs, discuss what are the benefits of being associated with certain social groups and what are the possible disadvantages?

You have written down groups that you are part of and that therefore go to make up your social identity.  You are never ‘just’ a crew member, or ‘just’ a junior officer.  You have a much more complex identity that makes you unique. 

Sometimes people will try to put you down, or make you feel bad, because their identity is different.  Let that be their problem – not yours – and be careful not to put people in boxes by assuming things about people that you don’t know are actually true.

Focus on including others. It is important to realise that if you are not actively including people you may be excluding them, and there is far more that unites us than divides us.

( Inclusion is a separate subject but you could watch this YouTube video after the session as a very powerful reminder https://youtu.be/jD8tjhVO1Tc )

Q: On board a vessel how can you stay connected to some of your most important social groups?

Summary of module 1, volume 3

Q: Take a moment to write down what you will remember from this session and what you want to do as a result.

In this session we have looked at values and how they drive behaviours.  We have considered how each of us is a member of different social groups, and how that gives us our identity.  We are part of different communities and groups and this is a source of support and motivation.


References for this module include the following sources:

1This session is drawn loosely from Social Identity theory. social identity is a person's knowledge that they belong to a category or social group.