Values and ethics

Values and ethics Values and Ethics The Value base of Social Work and the Development of my own Values This essay will firstly discuss what values are and the value base of Social Work. It will then proceed to analyse the origin and evolution of my own values. Followed by reflection on them and how they relate to the value base of social work. I will summarise by identifying areas of my personal values that I think require further development. It makes sense to start off by exploring what is meant by the word ‘value. It is a somewhat vague term, most people would claim to have values but struggle to elaborate when asked what their values are. Banks makes a good analysis, ‘ ‘values is often used to refer to one or all of religious, moral, political or ideological principles, beliefs or attitudes. (cited in Thompson 2005, p108) Values can vary greatly from one culture to another, from family to family and differ between each individual. Values and what they mean to each person in my opinion are unique for everyone. As Thompson suggests ‘†¦.a value is something we hold dear, something we see as important and worthy of safeguarding. (2005, p109) The British Association of Social Workers, (BASW), promote a Code of Ethics, that they expect each and every social worker to adhere to. The key principles of these are human dignity and worth, social justice, service to humanity, integrity and competence (1999). Each of these principles contains core values that are imperative for good social work practice. Examples of such values are ‘Respect for human dignity and for individual and cultural diversity, ‘Value for every human being, their beliefs, goals, preferences and needs, also ‘Respect for human rights and self-determination. When I first read the code of ethics, at the very beginning of studying social work, it appeared very simple. I asked myself â€Å"Surely it cant be complicated to follow these basic values?†. Nevertheless, through the teaching Ive had so far and the questions it has raised, I realise that social workers must keep a constant check on themselves, reflecting regularly so as their ser vice users receive a consistent quality of service. Biestek (1961 cited in Dominelli 2004) put together seven points that he felt formed the traditional social work values. These are, Individualisation of the client, treating each service user as an individual. Purposeful expression of feelings, allowing service users to talk about and express the feeling they have. Controlled emotional environment, obtaining the right balance of emotions. Unconditional acceptance, accepting that person for who they are. Non-judgemental attitude, not judging a person on the way they choose to live their life or the decisions they have made. Client self-determination, similar to empowerment, playing a part in helping a service user realise their goals. Lastly, Confidentiality, respecting that everything discussed with a client is personal to them and they may not want others to know their private business. Although Biestek defined these values as important nearly fifty years ago, they still remain significant and can be applied to social work today. With this is in mind a common traditional value to explore would be respect. This is a value held by many different cultures and religions, mostly seen as respect towards elders and also towards people in authority. In the General Social Care Councils Codes of practice, respect is referred to throughout, one instance being ‘Respecting and maintaining the dignity and privacy of service users (2002). This value although stemming from good intentions is open to exploitation, for instance when the older individual or person in authority abuses the power that respect gives them. It is widely agreed that one should have unquestionable respect for anyone older than them or toward a person in a position of authority, whether that respect is deserved is often not open for discussion. So how do values apply to social work? Values are something people make use of in their lives everyday, probably without even realising so. However values also form a significant part of social work practice, as Trevithick points out, ‘Social work is not unique in its values perspective, but other professions may not have given this issue the same importance†¦ (2005, p4). For instance, if a social worker cannot empathise with a service user it is going to be very difficult to understand how best to assist that person. As Thompson suggests ‘(empathy)†¦is a very skilful activity, as it involves having a degree of control over our own feelings while remaining open and sensitive to the other persons feelings. (2005, p119). This is an area of my values I can detect require improvement. I will need to ensure I achieve the appropriate balance of caring without becoming so emotionally involved that I find myself in a position where I am unable to support the individual. My own values stem from my upbringing. We hold very strong family values, encouraging each other completely in whatever we are undertaking. If a member of the family has a decision to make, we will share our views and opinions, but ultimately always support and respect the final choice made. I benefited from this support immensely when I became a mother at just eighteen years old, I received an incredible amount of assistance and encouragement from my family. I am in no doubt this made a huge difference to how confident I was as a mother. However, I was unable understand my partners family values. Within their family they lead much more separate, independent lives. At eighteen I couldnt fathom this way of thinking, I thought, naively, that all families shared my familys values. My Mother-in-law expressed her disappointment that her son was becoming a young father. I perceived this as a rejection. I deliberated for a long time as to why we didnt share the same outlook, identifying it as a disapproval of her sons choice of partner. After many years, and several heated confrontations, I came to realise that it wasnt a personal attack against me. It is simply that my in-laws hold different family values to myself and I can now appreciate and understand this. It was growing more mature that enabled me to distinguish that other peoples values are different to my own. It was not my place to judge my mother-in-law and I can now recognise my over-sensitivity. I believe this was all part of a process that inspired me to form a non-judgemental attitude. I accept others for who they are and do not judge them on how they choose to live their life and the decisions they make. This is a quality that, I hope, will contribute positively towards my social work career. Another value I was raised with is respect; I mentioned this nearer the beginning of my essay and feel that it is an area of my values that has developed. As a child I was expected to show total courtesy to all adults, it was inconceivable that I could question an adult. Although secure that I was completely loved, I was a child and couldnt possibly argue with an elder. An adult would certainly not say sorry to a child, fundamentally this was not a reciprocal value. One occasion I can recall is my mother thinking I had stolen a cake from the kitchen cupboard, my brother had in fact taken it. Even though she was made aware of the truth, I was never apologised to. The concept was that adults, and more so parents, were never wrong. I like to think that now, as an adult myself, I still strongly hold this value of respect and encourage my children to show regard and consideration toward others. Although, for me personally, the value has evolved. I foster the belief that respect should be shown toward all persons, young and old. I aim to show equal respect to children and adults alike and I feel with my own children that, if I have made a mistake in any way, I should always apologise to them. It is vital when interacting with a service user I am aware of the values I hold, as Dominelli points out, ‘†¦. the social and knowledge contexts within which values are embedded impact upon their use,†¦. (2004, p65). For example, I am against abortion once the pregnancy has gone past the twelve week stage, but I am fully aware that if a service user was in this situation, it would be totally unprofessional for me to allow the client become aware of my personal opinion. It is certainly not my position to impact upon any decision the service user may make. I am also attentive to the fact that there are other areas of my personal values that require further development. One aspect that I am conscious I will need to work on is showing respect to persons that have committed certain offences, for example, a paedophile that has molested or murdered children. Having young children myself I find this sensitive issue quite upsetting. Still, I am aware that even though an individual has chosen to carry out this act it doesnt mean that they are not entitled to services. It would be my job to offer that person the services they hold a right to receive and, as before with my views on abortion, I must exercise the non-judgemental area of my values to effectively provide this. To conclude this essay I believe that I am able to recognise the values that I possess and I aspire to remain attentive to these and the areas that require further strengthening. I also feel the values I hold relate to social work practice and I hope they will contribute toward my career, in a positive manner, for many years to come.

Mice and Men Essay

Hopes and dreams help people to survive even if they never become real. How far is this true for the characters in Of Mice and Men? Support your ideas with details from writing. Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck here two itinerant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small share the same American dream. The story is set in California, at the beginning of the 20th century, during the despotic Great depression where dreams and hopes were the only purposes of living. Desires and aspirations are significant in Of Mice and Men. In a world where it is impossible to have a friend, to talk or to listen to somebody, the hope of a dream coming true is the only thing that can keep George, Lennie and Candy going on, surviving in that hostile environment. George Milton fantasizes about having â€Å"a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens†, helping him to withstand in his precarious situation. The crux of dream for George is not the absence of work, or the easy living, or even having money, it is simply grounded in having for the first time of his life a place to belong. This dream is a driving force for George, a powerful motivation which persuades him that all of these hard working days are not worthless. In fact, George â€Å"said thoughtfully, Look, if me an’ Lennie work a month an’ don’t spen’ nothing, we’ll have a hundred bucks†. This shows how George is ready to work hard in order to obtain this sum of money. Moreover, the word â€Å"thoughtfully† imparts that George is deeply thinking of working hard, thus portrayed as extremely motivated. The dream is perceived as reward, an indemnity for all the troubles he has already endured in his life. However, George doesn’t believe entirely in the dream. The protagonist knows that there is a very few chances for the dream to come true. Thus, it is not the dream but the hope of the dream which stimulates Lennie’s companion. Moreover, George uses this dream to keep Lennie in check. For instance, George promises Lennie to ‘tend the rabbits all right. ‘Specially if he remembers as good as that†. Here, George manipulates cleverly the dream in order to captivate Lennie’s attention and to have him remember not to â€Å"say a word† in front of the boss. The dream turns from a motivating force into a reward for Lennie’s effort. Lennie Small yearns for ‘livin’ off the fatta the lan, an’ have rabbits†. From his point of view, this dream is not a simple dream, it’s a hope. A hope in which he could â€Å"tend the rabbits† and all his other favourite animals. Despite the fact that George’s and Lennie’s dream is identical, their perceptions are diverging. Lennie’s approach is much more childish, more fantastical and unrealistic. Besides, Lennie is extremely fond of his dream and believes extremely in it. Lennie is not feeling as â€Å"if† but â€Å"when† The absence of conditional in Lennie’s speech reveals that he really believes in this dream. Furthermore, Lennie knows by heart and can recite, word by word his most precious wish. This shows that Lennie has propably heard the same thing over and over again. In deed, as the protagonist is mentally challenged, the fact that he can remember this dream demonstrates how devoted he is to this wish. Moreover, when talking about that specific desire, Lennie is constantly interrupting George in his speech. At this moment, Lennie’s attitude and behaviour portrays a trancelike character, escaping successfully in his ideal world. Furthermore, after a savage and wild fight with Curley, Lennie’s first question to George is: â€Å"I can still tend the rabbits, George? †. Thus, Lennie appears to be obsessed with his dream, even after a ferocious assault. This shows how Lennie is attached to his main goal. In addition, Lennie’s attachment is also revealed when the protagonist is ready to â€Å"break their God damn necks and smash ‘em with a stick†. This serious threat demonstrates Lennie’s determination to achieve his desire and also how virulent he can be. Anything that’s in the dream’s way will endure Lennie’s barbarity, maybe the death sentence. Moreover, Lennie is only intimidating imaginary cats. This points out that Lennie is extremely resolved to attain his wish, even ready to surpass a fictitious obstacle. This extract is therefore used to foreshadow Curley’s wife tragic fate. In deed, Candy’s wife is perceived since her first apparition as an obstruction to the dream. George orders Lennie to â€Å"keep away from her†. Therefore, if Curley’s wife is susceptible to make the dream impossible to come true, Lennie can easily kill her, and Curley’s wife will turn out to be murdered by Lennie. Despite Lennie’s undisputable faith, his dream turns out to be an unattainable escape. However, the protagonist manages to flee his miserable life thanks to his dream. Candy’s dream is to join George’s and Lennie’s plan, in order to flee his loneliness. Candy’s financial contribution increases the probability for the dream to come true. As a consequence, George, Lennie and Candy â€Å"fell into silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never believed in was coming true†. This quote suggests that this precise moment represents the crux of the protagonists’ dreams. The word amazed implies a serious fascination where the three men realize at the same time the possibility for their dream to come true. Moreover, ‘they sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about†. The quotation shows how engrossed and enthralled the three men are. Furthermore, the adjective bemused suggests how motionless and quite are the three man, astonished and perplexed about the possibility for the dream to come true. However, one could see that Candy’s participation spoils the dream of the farm by making it a genuine possibility rather than an on going and eternal wish. We are suddenly asked weather the dream isn’t better off as a dream, something they can believe and visualize that’s bigger and better than any other reality. In conclusion, hopes and dreams help George, Lennie and Candy to survive even if they never become real. The farm is a dream for George, a hope for Lennie and even a plan for Candy that help them survive in their miserable lives.

T.C. Boyle Writes of Infidelity

Katherine Meyer English 1100 Sec. 131 November 4th, 2008 Indefinitely Infantile Infidelity As an apparent defiance of one of the Ten Commandments, Adultery, the act of voluntary sexual involvement between a married individual and someone whom is not his or her spouse is a widely frowned upon taboo that disregards social norms. Staying true to his style and content by pushing the envelope on controversial topics such as this in his writing, T. C. Boyle frequently addresses the theme of adultery throughout many of his short stories.Reoccurring in the selections â€Å"Caviar† and â€Å"All Shook Up† adultery takes on a disturbing component of the stories as the main characters similarly get caught up in the unacceptable. With differing motives, paralleling sexual interests and desires, as well as converse outcomes for the two men defying the sacred vows they once made under holy matrimony, Boyle weaves two complex stories of deceit and malice. Adultery outside the world of fiction is committed for an infinite number of reasons; attempted justifications that can roll on for miles.In these particular stories, aside from their irrepressible habitual instincts, the main characters Mr. Trimpie and Patrick in â€Å"Caviar† and â€Å"All Shook up† have differing objectives when they decide to officially sever the vows they once made to their wives. The differing motives for each man’s imprudent acts against the principles of marriage cover a broad spectrum of rationale. Leading to his downfall, In â€Å"Caviar† the central character Mr. Trimpie finds himself unable to reproduce with his sterile wife, Marie.Although he is not to blame for the fruitless attempts at an offspring as Boyle describes, â€Å"The bad news was that Marie’s ovaries were shot† (109) it is apparent that his own insecurities in addition to other factors brand him vulnerable and susceptible to bad judgment, such as infidelity. This vulnerability presents itself when he frequently references his lack of education and wealth throughout the story as seen here, â€Å"I was on the wrong end of the socioeconomic ladder, if you know what I mean† (106).As a surrogate mother is introduced into the picture and becomes pregnant with his natural child, Mr. Trimpie suddenly finds himself hot for the young carrier. The flustered young man expressed, â€Å"The thought of it, of my son floating around in his own little sea just behind the sweet bulge of her belly†¦ well, it inflamed me, got me mad with lust and passion and spiritual love too† (114). This reveals that the motivation behind Mr. Trimpie’s act of adultery was not purely the result of meaningless attraction or fragile insecurity though.The feeble father consequently ends up falling in love with the biological mother of his child and is unable to restrain himself. Intercourse with Wendy, the young stand-in mother becomes a frequent occurrence for the co vetous husband stigmatizing him a cheater once and for all. Mr. Trimpie’s counter character, Patrick, found in Boyle’s short story entitled â€Å"All Shook Up† has his own prerogative concerning his execution of adultery in his story. Patrick’s wife, Judy, disappeared with another man prior to a newlywed couple, Cindy and Joey conveniently moving next door.Initially compelled to Cindy because of her sultry, suggestive manner, Patrick recalls a late night after what started out as a neighborly dinner, â€Å"She was kneeling beside me on the couch; then she kicked her leg out as if mounting a horse and brought her knee softly between my legs until I could feel the pressure lighting up my groin† (126). Still exhibiting his wedding band on the left ring finger, Patrick engages in the act of infidelity with Cindy shortly after this night.Describing the event, Patrick stated, â€Å"She felt good, and a little strange: she wasn’t Judy† (130) . Based on his assessment of the night, Boyle alludes to the reader that Patrick is still yearning for his wife. Patrick bluntly conveys, â€Å"I felt evil and betrayed and wanted his wife because I had wounds to salve and because she was there† (127). The meaningless sex with Cindy was an attempt to fill a void and heal the pain from Judy’s abandonment.In addition to his emotionless mind-set concerning Cindy and their intercourse, his lack of concern towards the young woman becomes more evident as he confirms, â€Å"I should have held her, I guess, should have probed deep in my counselor’s lexicon for words of comfort and assurance, but I didn’t† (130). Patrick views Cindy as well as their dance, as nothing more than a physical encounter, ruling out any deeper vehicle of motivation for his actions. Although the two men have contrasting motivations driving their less than admissible behaviors, they do however share common ground concerning their se xual interests and desires.Mr. Trimpie and Patrick alike are attracted to barely pubescent young girls who entice them with their youthful sex appeal. From the story â€Å"Caviar,† the pedophilic character Mr. Trimpie responds to the news of Wendy’s growing belly as follows: â€Å"I grinned like an idiot, thrilled at the way the panties grabbed her thighs- white nylon dancing pink flowers- and how her little pointed breasts were beginning to strain at the brassiere. I wanted to put my tongue in her naval† (113).Asserting such a disturbing observation, it is obvious that this man finds Wendy’s juvenile body parts, as well as childish undergarments as much of a turn on as the fact that she is carrying his child. Staying true to the paralleling interest in adolescent females, in the short story â€Å"All Shook Up,† Cindy, the woman Patrick kanoodles with is also a young lady who exerts her youthful charm on the much older man. Describing Cindy, Pat st ates, â€Å"She was wearing a halter top and gym shorts, her hair was pinned up, and her perfect little toes looked freshly painted† (121).His innocent depiction of a young girl standing at his front door exudes sexual frustration. Evident in this passage, Boyle writes: â€Å"I wanted her like a forbidden fruit, wanted her like I’d wanted half of the knocked-up, washed-out, defiant little twits who paraded through my office each year† (127). Just as disturbing as Mr. Trimpie’s erotic observations of Wendy, this passage is Patrick’s confession that he too secretly craves the taste of a freshly ripened young woman. Further emphasizing the two men’s interest in similar types of women, Boyle disguises coincidental details with reference to the women in his text.Boyle illustrates Wendy in the short story â€Å"Caviar† by stating, â€Å"Her eyes were gray, and there was a violet clock in the right one† (121). Resembling Wendy’ s gray eyes, Cindy in â€Å"All Shook Up† is described in the same manner: â€Å"Her eyes were gray, the color of drift ice on the river† (111). Both men who commit the infidelity identify with one another in regards to their type of secondary woman. Both acts of adultery have serious impacts on the lives of Mr. Trimpie and Patrick. Although cheating on a spouse typically results in formidable outcomes, the aftermath for each of the two men in â€Å"Caviar† and â€Å"All Shook Up† are surprisingly converse.

Obesity The Problem Of Obesity - 2110 Words

Obesity in Children by Jackie Vu†¨C02171413 Goldenwest College for Psyc G118: Lifespan Development Dr. Yvonne Valenzuela November 16, 2014 Obesity in Children The problem of obesity in children is a serious issue in the United States and across the world. Results of recent research indicated that approximately one quarter of children ages 2-5 and one third of children of school age are considered to be overweight or obese in the U.S. (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, Flegal, 2014). According to a 2013 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children are considered to be obese if their body/mass index (BMI) is calculated to be at or above the 95th percentile for children of their same age and gender. This problem of childhood obesity is serious, because obese children have a higher likelihood of becoming obese adults and thus suffer both physical and mental health problems related to their obesity (CDC, 2013). Childhood obesity is a disease associated with many other childhood health problems including diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension, as well as mental health problems including depre ssion, difficulty with body image, and social problems (Papoutsi, Drichoutis, Nayga, 2013). Whereas adults can make their own decisions about what foods to eat each day and in what quantity, children are by virtue of their age and their dependence on adults unable to make these same decisions (Papoutsi et al., 2013).Show MoreRelatedObesity : The Problem Of Obesity1643 Words   |  7 PagesTeen Obesity In Chicago Many Latino teens in Chicago suffer from what is called obesity. Throughout the Chicagoland, there are a variety communities that show health factor. 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