Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Core beliefs and values, those which we hold most dear, and which permeate across many areas of our lives, form the basis of our identity and the backbone of our personality.

Beliefs and values are considered important in NLP for a number of reasons:

They're perceptual filters. Like Meta Programs, they determine to a large degree the way we experience the external world. In fact, our beliefs and values act both to create our internal representation of reality and to confirm it.

They're distortions. Every belief and value is essentially a generalization we've made about the world, and every generalization is essentially a distortion. When someone has a problem there's often a distorted belief or value at the root of it. Becoming consciously aware of what's being assumed or presupposed opens the door to their accuracy and usefulness being challenged.

They have motivational importance. Beliefs in general, and values in particular, are motivational. They're not just static maps; we use them to choose routes and plan journeys. Because we tend to move towards what we value and away from what we don't value, we put energy behind what's important to us. If we value the family, we'll prioritize it, and schedule time and activities.