Values and Ethics

1153 Words5 Pages
Explain what Values and Ethics are and their importance. Values and Ethics are said to be a fundamental part of social work practice (Banks, 2006:11) Reamer (2003: 3) states that “Social work is among the most value-based of all professions”. Yet, Pinker (1990: 14) sees Social Work practice as more of a moral-adventure. Healy (2001:101) concludes, however, that he feels “Value-commitments and ethical-principles are at the core of all social work practices”. It is thought that all individuals hold a core set of values and ethics, but how these can impact on the lives we choose to live and how we treat others, can only be answered by firstly grasping a greater understanding of their actual meanings. (Parrott, 2010:13), Values can be described as a set of rules from which we base our decisions upon, regarding how we think others should behave and how we present ourselves (Parrott, 2010:13). They are thought to encompass our deepest belief systems and our philosophies that we buy into (Posner, 2009: 1). In contrast, Falde (2000:) looks at a more theoretical view and states that values are the “normal” standards by which individuals and society, as a whole, have adopted and allow to influence our actions and attitudes. Posner (2009: 3) raises awareness, however, that whilst attitudes and values may at first appear similar, they are in fact very different. Our attitudes are thought to be an outcome of our mental belief that’s held within (Posner, 2009:3). Ethics, on the other hand have proven to be more difficult to find a shared definition. I have discovered much research that can advice me on ‘what ethics is not’ due to many professors forming many different views. The Oxford Dictionary (2009:314) defines ethics as a set of principles that the individual adopts as correct conduct. Fall (1987:***), on the other hand, feels that a correct understanding requires
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