Personal Ethics Shaping Professional Ethics - Essay Example

Ethics Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name 31st March, 2012 Introduction Ethics is an important factor in undertaking various tasks in our daily lives and furthermore in the decision making process. Ethics ensures we make the right decisions that will enrich our lives. Especially in tough times, ethics might help a person to make the right choice or decision. Ethics apply well in different fields but it is mostly used by many professionals in different sectors of the economy. Ethics is so important in different fields that code of ethics for those particular fields have been developed. For instance, accountants and professionals in the financial sectors have to sign and abide by a code of ethics. Personal ethics compliment professional ethics in that it helps in affirming the beliefs and practices done professionally. Personal Ethics Personal ethics stem from the beliefs and character of an individual in different circumstances in life. Personal ethics deals mainly with being responsible for your character and decisions that you make on a day to day basis. As an elementary school teacher I have to rely on my character when dealing with my students. Moreover, my respect and love for my small children ensures that I can deal with other children effectively (Botsman, 2001). My strong belief in Islam ensures that I respect the teachings of the religion in the most outright manner. As a result, I keep the teachings of the Quran sacred and ensure I do well in every undertaking in my life. Personal ethics are built from an individual’s personal character (Freakley, 2000). Following the three core factors in ethics are competence, compassion and conscience. These three ethical values have to be considered when building or developing personal ethics. These ethical values need to be known by everybody when they are undertaking their duties. Ethics must be a personal guide for a person to do well and be able to achieve the same values consistently (Thompson, 2000). The task of developing exemplary personal ethics is not easy and it requires patience and sober mind to achieve its results. A person needs to repeat and fully figure out the kind of behaviour he/she wants in any situation. You have to constantly practice what you believe in to ensure that you master that kind of behaviour or character you want to achieve. The company of friends or people you socialize with is important in shaping a person’s personal character and in turn influencing his/her ethics (MacKinnon, 2012). The here a saying that says “show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are”, this saying reflects influence of friends on a person’s life. As a result, it is good to have friends with good ethics. Consequently, if your family or friends are behaving unethically then you will also behave unethically. If it is possible then it is prudent to surround yourself with people share your ethical values and perspectives (Carr, 1999). One of the pitfalls to watch out in developing personal ethics is compromises since they end up running a person. Small compromises lead to bigger compromises leading to erosion of values and in some cases leading to suppression of conscience. When a person detects that he/she has been making compromises then he/she has to change before it is too late to unwind form the problems facing that person (Smart, 1999). Moreover, people have to understand that there are no sacred secrets in life. This is because in the day and age we live in; it is easy to detect secrets because of social sites and detection equipments everywhere. According to Plante (2004, p. 79), the task of living ethically entails a lot of commitment on the part of both parties. Behaving ethically also means that we commit ourselves to the values and believes that we hold dear to us in life. As a teacher, I ensure I follow the set principles I set and acknowledge that problems are abound in trying to live ethically (Botsman, 2001). Personal Ethics in Profession As a professional in the education field, I have to present myself first as an individual then as a professional. As a result, I rely on my personal ethics in undertaking my professional duties. If you maintain high ethical standards then you will also maintain high professional standards. In the field of education where I apply my trade ethics is very important. Teaching involves moulding students into better people in future. As a result, it is important for us to teach ethics to these students at every opportunity we get (Clement, 1996). I do apply my personal ethics in my professional life and it ensures that I maintain high standards of integrity. Students need to learn and cultivate ethics in their own studies and life. The lessons that students learn at an early age end up being used in their adult life. I apply the three core values used in ethics in undertaking my duties and this values border on competence, conscience and compassion. My personal ethics border on honesty and as a result, I encourage my students to practice honesty. Honesty helps in establishing and affirming a person’s conscience (Corey, 2006). The company I keep gives me the motivation of maintaining high standards of ethics. I teach my students in my professional life to have friends who encourage them to do good deeds. Friends and family members heavily influence the behaviour of an individual and this is especially predominant among young people. As a result, young people are heavily influenced by their friends and therefore I maintain friends who encourage good ethics in my personal character. I do not allow small mistakes to slide when undertaking my duties as part of building my professional life (Cottone, 2008). When I make mistakes when in the presence of my students, I make a point of apologizing and this helps in building by professional career through use of my personal ethics. My personal ethics makes me have the competence to disseminate knowledge and skills to other children. My personal ethics ensures that I cultivate respect for people of all ages and backgrounds. My personal character coupled with my religious beliefs ensures that I respect all people since according to the Quran we are commanded to respect all human beings (Dineen, 1998). Responsibility is a trait that allows me to cultivate good personal ethics in my personal and professional life. When a person becomes responsible, he or she has the opportunity to ensure that his/her actions meet the responsibilities and obligations are taken care of. In my personal life I ensure that I am accountable for my decisions and the actions that I recommend people to undertake (Macy, 1998). The interconnection between my personal and professional life is quite slim that I cannot adopt a different character at the work place apart from my personal life. As a result, I make use of my personal skills and character to ensure that several aspects of my professional career are done ethically. As a professional teacher, I show concern on issues dealing with my students and this I do through ensuring students behave normally (Gergen, 1999). This guarantees that my personal ethics influences and shapes my professional life. Personal experiences shape the character and behaviour of a person and therefore I ensure that I interact ethically on personal and professional levels with my students and colleagues ((Frank, 1995). Integrity is an important part of the value system and it makes people to practice honesty, justice and fairness. My personal character has enabled me to practice honesty and ensure that people I come across are treated with respect and honesty. As a guideline, governmental agencies have come up with varies policies aimed at ensuring ethics is maintained within government institutions (Leonard, 1999). Ethics and counselling courses have been developed with the purpose of instilling discipline among young people in schools. These courses are taught through personal experiences and real life situations (Rorty, 1999). For instance, in the course of developing ethical standards we have to ensure truth and integrity is maintained. I make use of different skills in transferring my personal ethics into being part of my professional ethics. For example, in a counselling session we have to use real life experiences to ensure that ethical principles are taught to young people (Sennett, 1999). In a counselling session, the counsellor might disclose personal information and this can be transmitted by the client. But it is unethical for the counsellor to disclose client’s information since it is unethical for such an act to occur. Personal ethics has a big influence on the life and professional work of many people (Wilber, 2000). Conclusion Living ethically in the society is very challenging and this is due to the dynamic nature of the society. Personal experiences shape the character and behaviour of different individuals in the society. A person who practices ethical behaviours and has a good character ensures that his personal character transcends his personal life and is made use of in the professional career. Ethics are used in many spheres of life and this includes the professional world were a lot of people interact. The most important values in personal life such as honesty and responsibility could also be used in the professional life. It is difficult for a person to behave ethically in his personal life and at the same time behave inversely in his professional life. It is therefore prudent to conclude that personal ethics influence professional life in a big way. References Botsman, P. & Latham, M. (2001). The Enabling State; People before Bureaucracy. Sydney: Pluto Press. Carr, D. (1999). Professionalism and Ethics in Teaching: Professional Ethics. London: Routledge. Clement, G. (1996). Care, Autonomy and Justice. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Corey, G. et al. (2006). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole. Cottone, R. & Tarvydas, V. (2008). Ethical and Professional Issues in Counselling. New York, NY: Prentice Hall. Dineen, T. (1998). Manufacturing Victims. Montreal: Robert Davies Multimedia Publishing Inc. Frank, A. (1995). The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness and Ethics. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Freakley, M. & Burgh, G. (2000). Engaging with ethics: Ethical Inquiry for Teachers. Katoomba: Social Science Press. Gergen, K. (1999). An Invitation to Social Construction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Leonard, P. (1999). Postmodern Welfare. Reconstructing Emancipatory Project. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. MacKinnon, B. (2012). Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. San Francisco, CA: University of San Francisco. Macy, J. (1998). Coming Back to Life. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers. Plante, T. (2004). Do the Right Thing: Living Ethically in an Unethical World. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Rorty, R. (1999). Philosophy and Social Hope. New York, NY: Penguin. Sennett, R. (1999). The Corrosion of Character: The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism. New York, NY: WW Norton and Co. Smart, B. (ed.) (1999). Resisting the McDonaldsisation of Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Thompson, M, (2000). Ethics. Lincolnwood, IL: Teach Yourself Books. Wilber, K. (2000). Integral Psychology.Consciousness, Spirit, Psychology, Therapy. Boston, MA: Shambahla Press. Read More

If it is possible then it is prudent to surround yourself with people share your ethical values and perspectives (Carr, 1999). One of the pitfalls to watch out in developing personal ethics is compromises since they end up running a person. Small compromises lead to bigger compromises leading to erosion of values and in some cases leading to suppression of conscience. When a person detects that he/she has been making compromises then he/she has to change before it is too late to unwind form the problems facing that person (Smart, 1999).

Moreover, people have to understand that there are no sacred secrets in life. This is because in the day and age we live in; it is easy to detect secrets because of social sites and detection equipments everywhere. According to Plante (2004, p. 79), the task of living ethically entails a lot of commitment on the part of both parties. Behaving ethically also means that we commit ourselves to the values and believes that we hold dear to us in life. As a teacher, I ensure I follow the set principles I set and acknowledge that problems are abound in trying to live ethically (Botsman, 2001).

Personal Ethics in Profession As a professional in the education field, I have to present myself first as an individual then as a professional. As a result, I rely on my personal ethics in undertaking my professional duties. If you maintain high ethical standards then you will also maintain high professional standards. In the field of education where I apply my trade ethics is very important. Teaching involves moulding students into better people in future. As a result, it is important for us to teach ethics to these students at every opportunity we get (Clement, 1996).

I do apply my personal ethics in my professional life and it ensures that I maintain high standards of integrity. Students need to learn and cultivate ethics in their own studies and life. The lessons that students learn at an early age end up being used in their adult life. I apply the three core values used in ethics in undertaking my duties and this values border on competence, conscience and compassion. My personal ethics border on honesty and as a result, I encourage my students to practice honesty.

Honesty helps in establishing and affirming a person’s conscience (Corey, 2006). The company I keep gives me the motivation of maintaining high standards of ethics. I teach my students in my professional life to have friends who encourage them to do good deeds. Friends and family members heavily influence the behaviour of an individual and this is especially predominant among young people. As a result, young people are heavily influenced by their friends and therefore I maintain friends who encourage good ethics in my personal character.

I do not allow small mistakes to slide when undertaking my duties as part of building my professional life (Cottone, 2008). When I make mistakes when in the presence of my students, I make a point of apologizing and this helps in building by professional career through use of my personal ethics. My personal ethics makes me have the competence to disseminate knowledge and skills to other children. My personal ethics ensures that I cultivate respect for people of all ages and backgrounds. My personal character coupled with my religious beliefs ensures that I respect all people since according to the Quran we are commanded to respect all human beings (Dineen, 1998).

Responsibility is a trait that allows me to cultivate good personal ethics in my personal and professional life. When a person becomes responsible, he or she has the opportunity to ensure that his/her actions meet the responsibilities and obligations are taken care of. In my personal life I ensure that I am accountable for my decisions and the actions that I recommend people to undertake (Macy, 1998). The interconnection between my personal and professional life is quite slim that I cannot adopt a different character at the work place apart from my personal life.

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