Philosophy as a missing link between values and behavior

Despite the persistence of social scientists, evaluating the relationship b etween values and behavior has not yielded clear results. Here, a model is proposed to conceptualize and measure a person's operating philosophy. This assesses a different level of the value structure within personality from separate values or clusters of values; it is the evaluative structure withi n which a person's Values exist. Building on major philosophies, such as ut ilitarianism or humanism, the model assumes that a person has a predominant Pragmatic, Intellectual, or Human Operating Philosophy. In a sample of 801 subjects, each of these operating philosophies had significant association s with a variety of the expected behaviors evident in work and graduate sch ool, such as initiative and empathy, as well as learning styles, skills, an d flexibility. Interpretation of the results is offered as a way to underst and the relationship between people's values or beliefs and their behavior and approach to learning.