Data collection closed July 30, 2026. Two survey waves, U.S. adults ages 40 to 75, with matched longitudinal returns. The preregistered analyses have been run.
Values need places to live. They express themselves through roles—work, relationships, creative practice, community. When life changes, some values find new homes. Others may not.
What happens when a value that matters deeply no longer has a role to carry it? And can we build new aspects of ourselves to house what would otherwise be left behind?
This is the subject of ongoing academic research examining the relationship between personal values and life roles—how that relationship can be disrupted by transitions, and whether the structure of identity itself can be intentionally shaped.
The work builds on existing frameworks in psychology while exploring questions that current approaches don't fully address.
The thesis moves through writing, review, and defense. A companion note on the research itself is at StarkMind: What Happens to a Value With Nowhere to Live.