Can you change your values?

I was in a meeting some time ago when a colleague firmly stated that "people cannot change their values". Out of respect to that person I politely raised a cup of coffee to my mouth in an effort to disguise any facial expressions that could have betrayed my true feelings. It is fair to say, as someone who holds the concept of values so dear (both professionally and personally), those words gave me cause for concern.

As much as I respect the opinion of my colleague to have (and share) those thoughts, it saddens me to think that any one believes that they are locked into an unchallengeable and unchangeable values-system. I fundamentally believe that our own journey through life, and our completely unique processing capacity, constantly challenges a 'fluid' values system....that is not to say I am right, it is simply what I believe.

The science behind values tells us that they are the result of several complex cognitive and emotional mechanisms which merge to form interdependent processes. These processes then gain gravitas due to neutron bundles that collect within our amygdala, ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These pulses light-up neural pathways which pair those principles with motivational sets that dictate the degree to which we adhere to each one. In layman's terms, a person can certainly engage with a new value but the level of compliance is largely dependent upon a personal choice involving conscious reasoning.

So if we understand the biology behind a value-creation process then surely the next question would be what feeds into these brilliantly unique mechanisms:

Not to put too fine a point on it: everything. That means every single life experience from beginning to end (and everything in between) contributes in its own special way. I could list a number of events within my own life that have contained a level of seriousness that has undoubtedly had the strength to cause a paradigm shift within my own cognitive and emotional DNA. For example, I don't know a successful professional who is not currently wrestling to one degree or another with their work/ life balance, a tug-of-war containing a battle between personal and professional commitments which is won or lost on the constantly changing prioritisation of values.

In conclusion, I believe that it is through our own values-filter that life becomes so mercurial and enjoyable - but are we confined to a single path...I would side with science and suggest we are not. I would offer that there is a place for nature and nurture in that we are simply the result of our combined experiences (nurture) laid within a loose genetic framework (nature) to which we are not slaves. 

Personally, I believe that I am in control of the person that I am today and who I will be tomorrow is my own work in progress for which I am solely responsible. However, and here's the philosophical bit, all inputs and processes only correlate to the degree to which we have, or believe we have, freedom of choice...your call.