Illinois Department of Aging
2012 Elder Rights Conference
Reaching Within
Session T9
Reaching Within:
An Investigator’s Journey
into
the World of Ethics
and Values
curriculum adapted with permission from Catalysts for Change
Presented by
• Nyla McCarthy
• catalysts for change consulting
• 505 Rose St. NE
• Salem, Or 97301
• Email: nylamccarthy@q.com
• Materials copyrighted. Please contact me for usage.
Session Objectives
• Explore personal and professional
meanings of ethics, values, and power
• Learn the independent forces which
affect ethics and values
• Understand the developmental stages
of values/ethics formation
Objectives, continued
• Examine the intersections between personal
values and those which occur on the agency,
professional, community and national levels
• Explore your personal values hierarchy
• Come to some basic agreements about
universal ethical principles
Introductions
• Name
• Where you work
• What you do there
• 3 words which would describe you to a
stranger
What do we mean by
Ethics?
Moral principles
that govern a person’s
or group’s
behavior
What do we mean by
Morals?
A person’s standards of behavior
or beliefs
concerning what is and is not
acceptable for them to do
What do we mean by
Values?
The personal,
relative worth
attributed to someone
or something
(expressed by
words, symbols and/or
behaviors)
Developmental Stages of
Values Formation
• Imprinting: birth through pre-school (first
school attendance)
• Modeling: through early adolescence
• Socialization: the teenage years
• Modification and Reform: our “adult” years
and maturity
Independent Forces
Which Affect Values
Formation
• Family: the model you grew up in:
traditional or non
• Friends: both formal and informal groups
• Religion: Buddhist, Christian, Muslim,
Jewish, Wiccan, etc: mainstream or not
• Education: public or private school; basic or
continuing; the attitudes of your educators
Independent Forces, cont.
• Country of Origin: first world or developing
nation
• Socio-economics: access to resources and/or
affluence shapes the lifestyle you lead (health
care and education quality, where you live,
etc.)
• Culture: heritage or adopted, dominant or
minority
Independent Forces, cont.
• Ethnicity: indigenous or imported, majority
or minority in any given situation
• Media: television, radio, film, magazines,
internet; the influence of marketing and
programming on a daily basis
• Art/Music: exposure to different kinds, the
importance of it in your life and routines
Remember:
What may be of value
to you
may not be of value
to someone else.
Examples of Common Values
Personal
Love
Honesty
Health
Justice
Friends
Religion
Kindness
Sexuality
Education
Truth
Life
Family
Professional
Integrity Loyalty Competence Punctuality
Client centered Grooming Confidentiality
Common Values, continued
Agency/Corporation
Service
Justice
Reputation Success
Teamwork Integration Social conscience
Cost effective service delivery
Dignity and worth of people served
Common Values, continued
Community
Safety
Identity
Diversity
Cleanliness
Proximity of services
Freedom of expression
Having a voice
Child friendly
Habitat
National
Freedom
Justice for all Peace
Security
State vs. local control Equal access to power
Environmental Protections Respect for human rights
Large Group Activity
• Personal Values Hierarchy
• Debrief
Questions?
Concerns?
Thoughts?
Common Rationalizations of
Ethical People
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It’s okay if I don’t gain personally.
If it’s legal and permissible, it’s proper.
I was just doing it for you.
It doesn’t hurt anyone.
Everyone is doing it.
If it’s necessary, it’s ethical
I’ve got it coming to me.
I can still be objective.
Personal Decision Making
Frameworks
• Absolutist: Some things are clearly
right or wrong and are spelled out as
such (many faith based and
professional groups define the
parameters).
Personal Decision Making
Frameworks, continued
• Relativist: Societal norms, cultural
beliefs, and/or events of the day may
color your currently held dominant
values.
Personal Decision Making
Frameworks, continued
• Subjectionist: You believe it is up to
each individual to decide for
themselves what is right and what is
wrong; ultimate self determination.
Personal Decision Making
Frameworks, continued
• The Rule of Reciprocity: Placing
ourselves in the position of those who
will be helped or harmed by an action,
and thus, acting accordingly with how
we would want to be treated in a
similar situation (eg. The Golden Rule)
Personal Decision Making
Frameworks, continued
• Consequentialist: You believe an act is
judged in terms of it’s immediate and
direct consequences and may seek to
produce the greatest possible balance of
benefit (good) over burden (bad), (eg.
Karma). Also known as
“utilitarianism”.
Activity
•Taking Your Ethical Stand
Taking Your Ethical Stand
No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12
13
14
15.
16
17
18.
STA
A
SLA
SLD
D
STD
Taking Your Ethical Stand
• Debrief
• Insights?
• Power of Peer influence
• Implications for services we provide
• Dominant culture consideration
• Other?