Personal Values Development Paper

Personal Values Development Paper PHL/323 Melinda Cunningham July 12, 2010 The purpose of this paper is to examine my personal values, and the ground rules as they relate to the development of my ethics. Throughout the paper, I will define what my values are, the sources (e. g. , people, institutions, events) that helped me to shape my values, the criteria and decision-making factors I use to revise them. I will also touch on how the values I use daily impact my performance in my workplace. I never thought about my personal values, how I developed them, when I developed them, and in which I learned them, until now.

I would think that people start to develop and learn personal values at an early age. At birth, we have no concept of what personal values are, so as we begin to grow up and understand the difference between right and wrong; we learn these values from our parents, peers, and the community. My personal definition of values is a high standard, trait, or quality that is the driving force behind our priorities, and our decision-making process. Values determine our actions, how we handle situations, and are the belief system in which every person lives by.

We tend to develop our values based on events that have happened in our lives, and from outside influences, like our parents and family, religious affiliations, friends, peers, different reading material, and educational resources. I am constantly learning how to identify and develop clear, concise and meaningful values, beliefs, and priorities every day, so that I can instill the same values that I learn into my son. As I examine my personal value system, how and when I developed these values, my earliest memory is my childhood.

I can remember my grandmother and mother sharing little “tidbits” of information with me and my sisters about the lessons of life and how to survive in this crude world. These “life lessons” touched on a variety of subjects like, the importance of a strong value system based on trust, honesty, integrity, respect for others, a belief that God can do all things, and the importance of family love. As an adult with a child of my own, I can appreciate that sound advice that I received as a child and young adult.

This wisdom and advice has molded me into the person who I am today and as an adult I like to surround myself around people who have the same values as I. My values guide me to be the best person who I can be and I take my values to heart and try to implement them in every detail of my life, no matter how small. I know that when I follow these values, accomplishments, and success are sure to follow. I aspire to make every effort to implement the values I subscribe to because they are meaningful to me. The first personal value that I live by is trust.

Trusting someone can be an emotionally draining act because it makes us vulnerable to other people. When we trust other people, we expose ourselves to the possibility of being taken advantage of. During my teenage years, whenever I wanted to go out with my friends, my parents will always say to me “we trust you, so do not disappoint us. ” As a teenager, the last thing that I wanted to do was disappoint my parents. Although my son is only 9, I am trying to instill this value in him because being able to trust people is a very important aspect of life.

I have a strong faith in God and accepting Gods will in my life, enable me to release any feelings of distrust that I may have against someone. When I trust in God and let God lead my life, it lightens my load because I know that he is in control. Honest and integrity is also an important value in my life. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (n. d. ), Honesty implies a refusal to lie, steal deceive in any way. Without honesty, we really have nothing. Honesty is simple, but is not always easy.

It is the negative side of honesty that often prevents us from trusting people because there is often rejection, hurt feelings, jealousy, and animosity. What inspires me to be honest is my belief that people will be honest with me. When I face a situation, I give the real facts, as I see it. Honesty is a test because it sometimes involves telling another person the truth about his or her faults, and also helps me to face up to my own truths. I believe that every act of honesty is always rewarded. On the other hand, there is integrity. Integrity supports my values, morals, and ethics.

Integrity goes hand-in-hand with honesty because integrity is what compels us to do the right thing all the time, regardless of the situation. Working in a hospital, integrity keeps me free of any malpractices because I treat others with humanism. I find that in today’s society, many people do not possess a characteristic of integrity. If people practice integrity, the world would definitely be a better place. This is the very reason why my parents taught me that people will only respect those who have sound beliefs and values. Integrity is a good character trait to possess, but unfortunately, not too many people do.

We live in a time when respect for others is lacking. In today’s society, I find that the youth show no deference to the aged, or those in authority. As a Christian, it is my duty to give honor to whom honor is due, and it is also my responsibility and obligation to train my child to render this same respect. The church is the one institution that helps to shape my values and teaches me the importance of setting values for myself. The Bible speaks of the respect that children should have for his or her parents because of the sacrifices that parents have endured for their children.

Growing up I was taught to honor God because failure to do so, disrespected the kingdom of God. I know that when I do as God commands and show respect to others, this will bring me success in life. In my adult years, one of the most difficulty lessons to learn in life is that we are oftentimes disappointed by those whom we have come to respect. The last and final value that I hold true to my heart is my love for family. Family is very important to me and when I think of family, I think of love. Love is very strong in my family and it is that unconditional love that my family shows me; I am most appreciative of.

I have a strong family support system despite all my wrongdoings. I have the type of family members who make sacrifices for each other unselfishly, and this unselfish act is a display of love and respect. I know that my parents had to make sacrifice after sacrifice, so that me and my siblings would have the necessities we needed. My family bond carries a great deal of love; and that bond is the driving force behind what we do for our family members, which we would not even consider doing for anyone else. As an adult, with a child of my own, I find myself making some of the same sacrifices for my child.

I use these values as criteria for making decisions in everyday life and in every situation that I face. Life brings about many experiences that can force us to revise or rethink our values because of the dilemmas that will test our values, faith, and beliefs. The values that I follow are what drive me to do what is ethically right. On a personal level and in the workplace, I have to constantly to do what is right in a particular situation so that it is consistent with my personal and organization’s value system. I have developed certain ethics and ground rules as the foundation for my ethical behavior.

Rules like respecting autonomy and allowing people the privacy that he or she deserves during a hospital stay. I do no harm to others; I do things to benefit others, I am fair, and treat people equal; keeping my promises, being loyal, and always telling the truth. My organization has a Code of Ethics that as an employee, I must follow and my leaders are responsible for knowing these rules, so that he or she can share them when appropriate. Conclusion Personal values develop in many ways. We all have values that determine our decisions and guide our lives.

As an individual, I have the responsibility of acting with self-respect. I value my friendships and family and do not mind making sacrifices for the good of others. I value goodness too much to do something that I know is wrong and I dedicate my entire life to pursue the values that I believe in, and I hope in the end, my son will embrace the values and move forward in society with great success. References Honesty. (n. d. ). In Merriam-Webster dictionary online. Retrieved July 10, 2010, from https://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/honesty

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