My Personal And Professional Values In Social Work

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The following paper aims to discuss and analyze the way in which my personal values intersect with the values I hold as most important within the profession of social work. It would stand to reason that these values would stand on common ground; however, there are places where my personal and professional values diverge. These conflicts may prove to be problematic within my chosen career unless I find a way to prioritize my values, or find ways for them to work harmoniously with each other. Firstly, I will begin by identifying my core values. These values can be put into two separate groups. Firstly, there are instrumental values: courageousness, intellectualism, and helpfulness. When considering the myriad of ideals, many others were eliminated …show more content…

If I begin to think in those terms I will lose the ability to see issues form the perspective of others. For example, I may value helpfulness, but if there is a place or time in which I am not properly trained or informed then I am not operating with competency. How helpful am I being if I provide inadequate service? I must always reevaluate my role, and the way my values impact my practice. There could be serious implications in my work as a social worker if there is conflict that arises between my values. I feel that considering if harm would come from me acting on one value instead of another in a time of conflict may be what informs my choice. For example, if my value of respecting the dignity and worth of a person means respecting an individuals cultural norms, but this cultural norm is threatening the safety of an individual then I will have no choice but to go against that value, and protect the safety of the person who is being threatened or harmed. Finally, I would like to discuss the social justice issue of human trafficking and the way that my personal values inform my actions within my future activism against human

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