In Uncertain Times, Values Show the Way

By Bart Magee, Ph.D.

At this moment in the US, many people are experiencing a deep sense of uncertainty about the country’s direction. Political leadership feels fractured, polarization and instability rule, and public trust in institutions continues to erode. An affordability crisis and a growing wealth gap headline the economic story. The actions of the executive branch increasingly stretch the limits of power, raising alarms about threats to civil liberties and democratic norms. All of it reinforces a deeper emotional current—anxiety, disorientation, hopelessness and a pervasive feeling of impotence.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the current moment and hearing about these, and other emotional impacts that people are weathering and wondering what I can offer from a psychological perspective. I’ve had many ideas, but I keep coming back to one: Values. In times of upheaval, maintaining a robust connection to core values is not only personally grounding but socially essential. History shows that in moments of radical change, it is our values—articulated, tested, shared and reimagined—that offer a path forward. They help individuals reclaim a sense of agency and belonging, and they give communities a moral framework through which to assess, challenge, and reconfigure the systems around them. 

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