Reflecting Paper on Personal Code of Ethics †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Reflecting On Your Values And Belief Systems And How These Construct Your Personal Code Of Ethics. Answer: Reflective Paper This paper examines the manner which my core values and belief systems have been developed from my childhood, to adulthood. It examines my family and personal history, and the manner which they have shaped the manner which I perceive issues of life. This paper also examines the defining moment in my life that helped to shape my core values and beliefs. It is these values and believes that normally guides me into being an ethical person, and helps me in determining the course of action to take, when I am faced with an ethical dilemma. Ethics and observing ethical behaviours is one of the most important activities that a professional can engage in. This is because it will help in ensuring that they are efficient in serving the needs of their employers, and satisfying the customers they are responsible for serving. Almost all professions in the world have ethical codes of conduct, and it is these codes that regulate the manner which they interact with their employees and other stakeholders in their industry. Take for example a police officer (Ford Richardson, 2013). This is a profession that is heavily regulated by ethical codes of conduct because of the sensitivity of the job they are doing. For instance, it is unethical for a police officer to take bribes and use his firearms to contain a resistance that is not armed. However, it is important to assert that observing ethics is a difficult process, and this is because of the ethical dilemmas that professionals normally encounter. On this note, one of the ways that can ensure an individual is ethical and strictly observes ethics is the core values and belief systems that they have. These value and belief systems are always developed during childhood. I believe that I am neither a conservative nor a liberal. A conservative is a person who has traditional views and beliefs, and is focused on seeking to preserve and maintain traditional values and cultures. For instance, a conservative person will support government policies aimed at encouraging and promoting traditional values such as prohibition of divorce, abortion, etc. On the other hand, a liberal person is an individual, who is tolerant of change, value freedom and openness (Chambers, Schlenker Collisson, 2013). The current global politics is characterized by the emergence of conservative and liberal politicians and political parties. For example in America, the Republican Party is an example of a conservative party. On the other hand, the Democratic Party normally promotes the ideals and agenda of the liberal movement. It is important to denote that the efficiency of observing ethics depends on the ideology that a person ascribes to. Take for example a conservative doctor. This kind of a doctor will feel uncomfortable performing abortions because of his ideological beliefs and stands. This is even if the abortion under consideration is for purpose of protecting the life of the patient. By denoting that I am neither a conservative nor a liberal, I mean that there arelaws and ideologies that conservatives belief, which I find acceptable, and the same occurs to the ideologies and beliefs that liberal people have. Obviously, it is my childhood experiences that have shaped my nature. For instance, I grew up in a very supportive and caring family, but, with parents who had different ideological stands and beliefs. My father was a conservative, and believed in the maintenance of traditional values and norms, while my mother was a liberal, who was always open to suggestions, and believed that there is no n eed of our actions and activities to be limited to the traditional values and cultures of the society. In as much as they had these different value and ideologies, my parents were able to compromise with one another, and come up with a policy or solution that was beneficial to us, in any given circumstance. In fact, it is this attributes of my parents that enabled me to take the nature of not ascribing to the principles and ideologies of conservatism and liberalism. My father grew up in a very traditional and religious family that had a great influence in shaping his ideological beliefs and aspirations. His parents were always concerned with how they were dressed, the kind of friends they used to associate with one another and the television programs they watched. For instance, my grandparents could not allow their daughters to wear revealing clothes, with the belief that it was sinful and religiously unacceptable. Furthermore, my father was restricted to educative television programs, and any program that promoted violence or was depicting some romantic scenes was unacceptable. It is this kind of discipline that my father grew up with, and it contributed to his conservative ideological belief. The upbringing of my mother was different, in as much as she was raised up by strict parents, they allowed them to engage in other liberal activities such as partying, as long as they did not compromise themselves. Therefore, it is evident that the upbringing of a child plays a role in determining the ideologies and values they will acquire into their adulthood. Basing on these facts, it is now possible to imply on the nature of my upbringing that contributed into the development of my core values and beliefs. One factor is the kind of school that I attended, and the leadership of the school under consideration. I attended a mixed school, and the teachers in this school were not focused on instilling conservative values on us. In fact, most of our teachers were young and liberal minded, and some of them were my role models. An example is a young teacher who was about 28 years of age, and he constantly talked to use on the need of having an open and liberal mind while solving problems within the society. If we were very rigid, and refused to accept open and view the conflict in a number of different circumstances, then the possibility of getting a solution will be limited. This is a lesson that I took to heart, and it has helped me to handle and solve a number of problems and ethical dilemmas all over my life. Whenever there is a problem, I am not biased, and I normally view the problem in different circumstances, before forming an opinion on what the solution to the problem is. For instance, there is a general notion amongst conservative people that when a person engages in rape, then, the most severe punitive punishment has to be placed on him. In as much as rape is a serious and unacceptable offence, I believe, that the best solution must be derived after examining the context in which the rape incident occurred, and this including examining the conduct of the woman, the social background of the rapist and his childhood experiences. The best solution can be derived at after examining all these factors. Carrying out punitive punishments on the rapist might be an injustice to him, because he may have been provoked to engage in such an action, or even he has a history of sexual abuse, where his parents or an adult member of society sexually abused the person during childhood. On the other hand, some of my conservative beliefs have been developed because of my religious beliefs. I am a very religious person, and I believe that some of the ideas and issues that liberals support is unacceptable, and a mockery to the dignity of humanity. A good example is the notions of homosexuality and lesbianism. It is unacceptable for a man to marry a man, or a woman to marry a woman. These are against the laws of nature and God, and such kind of activities must be criticized and prevented by the laws (Ford Richardson, 2013). Additionally, it is a common known fact that homosexuals are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, and this is because of their unconventional methods of engaging in sexual relationships. In fact, one of the experiences that have shaped my negative views of homosexuality and lesbianism touches on a documentary called, The Disappearing Male that examines the negative consequences of homosexuality. Finally, it is possible to denote that I can view myself as neither a conservative, nor a liberal person. This is basically because there are some ideas of conservative people that appeal to me, and the same can be said on the liberal ideology. For instance, the notion of freedom and openness is one of the ideas that is appealing to me, and this involves eliminating bias while interacting with other people. On the other hand, based on my religious beliefs and values, I am opposed to any activity that demeans the morality and dignity of human beings. Examples of these activities include engaging in homosexuality and lesbianism. It is the values and beliefs of an individual that determines the manner which they will respond when faced with an ethical dilemma. For example, if it is a conservative, it is better for him to allow a woman to die, as opposed engaging in abortion. A liberal will seek to save a dying woman, as opposed to the baby she is carrying. References Chambers, J. R., Schlenker, B. R., Collisson, B. (2013). Ideology and prejudice: The role of value conflicts.Psychological science,24(2), 140-149. Ford, R. C., Richardson, W. D. (2013). Ethical decision making: A review of the empirical literature. InCitation classics from the Journal of Business Ethics(pp. 19-44). Springer Netherlands.