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