Other values we acquire through patterns that we see, such as our parents. Still other values are acquired because we choose to subscribe to them, such as a hypocratic oath, or religion. We may not consciously assent to subscribe to some values, but we do because we become indoctrinated with them by our peers, institutions, and involvement. Our attitude determines how we choose to pursue our values. We often wrap ourselves in a protective shell to prevent anything from assaulting our values.
Protection is an attitude.
Protection is sometimes expressed as fear, as rejection, as hate, as not becoming involved, as disinterest - anything that separates our values. Protection of our values may be essential to our survival while we grow in other areas. But this sometimes becomes perverted and comes out in very negative and destructive ways. The extreme of this is hate crimes, anxiety and stress, divorce, isolation, stagnation, etc. We are sometimes proactive about pursuing our values.