How Personal Values And Ethics Influence Decision Making

Personal values, as well as ethics, influence how individuals formulate decisions. The values determine an individual’s outcomes, as well as goals, in life and the related decisions. The goals that an individual chooses and the related decisions made are external expressions of his or her personal values. The individual makes decisions based on the values. Notably, the selection of the individual’s goals is in itself a decision.

My personal values, as well as ethics, influence my decisions. Commonly, I respond to the ethical dilemmas that I come across situationally. When I focus on applying altruistic personal values, I am more likely to formulate ethical decisions than when I focus on self-enhancement. My personal values influence my perceptions of specific situations; hence the decisions I make with respect to the situations.

At times, my personal values, as well as ethics, may be in conflict with the biases, needs, and preferences of my clients along with their families. That is because I may not be sharing particular values with them. For instance, I value safety. When I am attending to a patient, I always check for the possible dangers around. A patient who values enjoyment, or excitement, very much, may view me as being unnecessarily cautious. I would not be sharing the same perspective with the patient regarding the dangers.

The ethical framework that describes my worldview best is the theory of values. The theory focuses on ethics or morality, rules that inform persons on acceptability of their behaviors (Gilson & Ward, 2007). The framework affords me a sense of direction with regard to my actions.