Professional Values And Ethics

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Professional Values and Ethics The values and ethics you believe in define your character. They are the principles and how we align our priorities which help us make daily decisions. What you believe in? What motivates you? What do you care about? What it is worth to you? Some hold values for intangibles things such as ideals, principles or beliefs, others value things: material possessions, clothing, property or automobiles. No matter whether tangible or not, “your personal system of values is made up of all the things that a person prizes, cherishes, holds dear, or considers important” (Katey 1995). Those things that we believe are good or important in our life, and are so ingrained in us that dictate how we feel, behave or re-act to situations and people. These values are basically our principles that guide our decisions and actions. The values are formed in us through both, nurture and nature. The experiences in our life -- our families, friends, school, religion, media, etc, influence our values. Our values are very personal. Ethics on the other hand are more universal and deal with the broader question of what is right and wrong, what is appropriate behavior? Granted our values and ethics are usually formed by the same factors. The same experiences, feelings, and beliefs that impacted and helped form my values will have the same effect on our understanding of ethics. "However, values are our measures of importance, where as ethics represent our judgments about right and wrong" (Shockley-Zalabak 1999, p. 438). Steve Sordy, owner at Grisard Consulting, defines it best: “An ethical person knows that something is wrong. A person who lives by their values doesn't do the wrong”. To summarize, what I value and how much I value, it can dictate whether I do the right thing or not to hold that value. REFERENCES Walker, Katey and Sue

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