RUNNING HEADER: VALUES PAPER COMPETENCY 2

Values Paper Competency 2

Angelita S. Pierce
Wayne State UniversitySW:3010
November 16th 2013

Values and Code of Ethics

Introduction
In this paper I will be discussing a few off my values as they relate to the NASW
(National Association of Social Workers) code of ethics. I will also give emphasis to those
values I find especially helpful as I practice in the area of social work.
I will describe situations from my life that helped to shape my values and support my
beliefs.

Values and Code of Ethics

Of the many values, which I have acquired over my lifetime, I will be focusing on the three,
which I view to be especially helpful to me as I practice social work; they are integrity,
devotion, and individuality.

Just I as I have them listed, I view integrity as the most important

of the three.
Taking a scene from my own childhood I think it is safe to say I lived a double life. From
about the date of my Birth up until age 9, I lived in a traditional, socially approved two-parent
household with my older sister (by eighteen months), and a dog, inside of a beautiful threebedroom home in a prestige section of the city.
My education up until then had involved a nanny (who I adored), a private Christian Day
Care, and a Catholic School Education. We were viewed as the typical Middle class
Black/African American family. Life was good? Maybe yes in some ways and no in others.
Trouble lurked around the corner and within months I found that my life seem to flip flop and I
was living another life. Not a bad life, not even a really unhappy one, just different. A major
change had come over my life.
My dad no longer lived with us; my parents had entered a different classification of Black
marriage, one word traded for another.divorce, another social problem.
In spite of the divorce my mother (now referred to as a single mom, much like myself some
nineteen years later) was still able to support and provide for us in a way what was considered a
middle-class lifestyle. My mom did, and still today attributes her ability to keep that image
going, to a wonderful support system, in both my paternal and maternal grandparents and a host
of family/friends (referred to as her village). (Continues to be a well-promoted social value that
Its take a Village to raise a child).

Values and Code of Ethics

With all of the above being said, in my second life, I changed because of the change in my
household, my family.
My basic demeanor was the same. The inner me, which is where, lies my integrity, but the
outer me became rebellious and at times appeared to be out of control.
I did all of the things that a good Social Worker practicing the Importance of Human
Relationships could have identified my issues and shown me ways of coping with a situation that
was totally out of my control.
Strange as it might seem my acts of rebellion was more like a delayed reaction. My middle
schools years included a move to a local suburb and a school, which was identified as a school
of excellence. For the most part I was fairly content. I didnt try to over achieve or anything like
that. I was content with doing enough to get by but had a lot of fun during those years.
It was in my second year that my dad moved to Seattle and re-married. Which is about when
the detention slips were given to me to take home, in which sometimes I did, but most times it
didnt (more trouble for me).
High school was a chore, poor grades, detention slips, truancy, suspensions and eventually an
alternative school.
With all of what I have shared dare not I forget the very un-sisterly relationship I was having
with my Big Sister who seem to NEVER do anything wrong, honor student, NHS, Athlete and
too much for me to tell, but regardless of how I treated /mistreated her (or maybe how we treat
each other); I loved her and I knew she loved me. We would always go to bat for each other
when up against any crisis.
My issues acted out in school were a major part of those years but the worst for me was
the terrible habit I acquired off lying, being frequently called a liar by family and friends, and a

Values and Code of Ethics

Habitual liar by my mom. My lying caused me to lose my parents trust (in almost everything),
and friends until eventually nobody wanted to be around me.
With the help of outside family counseling, and some good school social workers, in my
senior year I was able to return to my regular high school and take part in all of the senior
activities. I was on the way to recovery,
Learning how to control my feelings about things in which are not in my control. Most
important I learned how to practice and better understand the value of integrity. I understood
how most everything I was doing; school, lying and other antics were done for the sole purpose
of getting what I perceived as needed attention from my parents. Why I may have been lying to
get attention from them, what I didnt realize until a few years later is the fact that I had lost my
parents trust. I was living the story of the Boy who cried wolf. Because I really did reform
from a life of lying but when telling the truth I was often accused of lying with no one to blame
but myself.
It wasnt until someone had lied to me in a most profound kind of way when I felt and
understood the hurt and deceit that my family and friends experienced from my lies. While
learning the hard way I know the important of being honest and telling the truth at all cost.
Those years lead me to believe that, integrity is synonymous with honesty and being
trustworthy when my parents separated and eventually divorced I immediately had to make the
transition. And while I used my emotions as a crutch for my rebellious years I eventually had to
take responsibility for my actions and prepare for yet another change.
As I look forward to a future career in social work I know integrity Is a value to be exercised
by the worker when working with the consumer, but its also something I might hope to see/hear

Values and Code of Ethics

from them. For myself as the Social worker I cant see any ways to have a successful
worker/consumer relationship without the value of integrity.
A second value of importance to me is devotion. To be devoted to something or someone is to
be committed for the good and the bad, ups and downs, easy and hard times. Unfortunately
much of todays society seems to be void of devotions. There seems to be more o f a whats in
it for me, attitude.
Using the value of truthfulness I must admit that my own life seemed to follow that line of
thinking for a while.
After high school I enrolled in a Community College known to have a excellent nursing
program as I thought I wanted to be a nurse for all the wrong reasons Nurses make a lot of
money. I was not devoted to becoming a nurse, which is evident by the amount of effort, and
work I was willing to commit to. Not only that but after some serious research I determined
several of the criteria for the jobs required doing things that I have absolutely no interest. Not to
mentions the long hours, non-traditional work shifts schedules and several unpleasant duties.
Careers should be more then jobs and about more then money. Salary is a factor but making a
major one could create job dissatisfaction in the long run. A career I enjoy waking up for is more
rewarding then a larger paycheck.
As a student enrolled in the School of Social Work, I and those who know me can vouch for
my devotion to complete the necessary class work to reach my career goal in the end. I know
that devotion, dedication and commitment is important in the training and when done correctly
will transfer into the career, when working with my clients/consumers. Consumers who feel,
see, and hear the devotion given to them, in helping them to be a better social being, will become
more devoted to you and them in allowing you to help them succeed.

Values and Code of Ethics

The last of the three values of great importance to me now and in the practice of social work
is Individuality.
I unfortunately am part off a generation in which there seems to be a fear of individuality.
Not too mean people who are self absorbed into everything being about them; having a me, me,
me or I, I, I mindset. But rather a person who is that rare leader instead of follower. The ones
who dare to be themselves in spite of what others may think. In the circles that I travel or my
peer group. Most of the females have the same conversation and most o f the males have the
same conversation stemming on dissatisfaction with their lives. What is promoted on
commercials and on TV, the females want larger butts, and breast and more hair, the males want
the latest gym shoe or gold chain. I.e. at a recent social gathering most of the female were
engaged in meaningless chatter about the drama in a missing guest life (gossip) most of the men
were hyped on the new Jordans. It wasnt until I asked the question What do you think about
the outcome of the election and what your thoughts on the new major. The silence was so
loud it was resounding. Then all of a sudden everybody started taking at once. Most of the talk
was negative and full with complaints. The irony of it all was most of the complainers admitted
to not voting, which left me with a few conclusions. One being that I may be outgrowing some
of my peer-group buddies, another being that people are satisfied maybe even comfortable being
like everybody else. To be alike is to fit in and it seems to be the thinking of many young adults
today. The ideal or the practice of the value of individuality appears to be missing from many of
those of my generation. To stand up for what I believe in or speak my mind (in the right place
and time) appears to be unheard of.
As I pursue my career of choice in the study of Social Work I recognize the importance of
being true to myself in order to be true to my consumer. I will always respect them for their

Values and Code of Ethics

individuality and would expect the same from them. All three of my noted values would most be
seen as I advocate on their behalf when they are unable to do so for themselves.
With my values I am committed to all of the ethical principles of the NASW Code of ethics,
that being withstanding, there is still a population of consumers in which based upon my
teachings from home and from church which I would have a difficult time being an advocate for
and that group is the person(s) labeled as a pedophile.
A Pedophile is an adult who is sexually attracted and acts upon that attraction to children. I
have absolutely no sympathy for adult men or women who sexually abuse an innocent child.
When I first decided on Social Work as a career choice, I never really gave much though to a
population that I might be uncomfortable working with. It was not until I became an mother last
year and hearing about increasing numbers of sexual crimes committed against children that a
pedophile immediately became the exception to t he rule.
In learning that in many cases the pedophile themselves were often the victim of a sexual
crime still makes it difficult for me to believe I could be objective in trying to help a consumer to
live a productive life with what he has done.
After hearing stories of sexual molestation from close friends I can barely stand to listen.
Knowing that as a social worker I must abide by specific codes that are provided to our
consumers. Two such codes that are of importance to me are respect and self-determination.
In listing both of these it speaks to the fact that while I would be uncomfortable working with
pedophiles I would still have to respect the person as a human being
Realizing the society as a whole has already reduced them to the level of an animal.
My best effort in helping this type of consumer would be to search for a fellow
Social Worker who might have expertise and a willingness to take on their case.

Values and Code of Ethics

Doing this assignment has not affected my decision to be a social worker. It has opened my
mind more and allowed me to read and comprehend the NASW code of ethics. It also allowed
me to think about ways to handle different situations in and out of the work place, not only with
consumers but also with everyday people as well.
My thoughts about Pedophiles have not changed, there are areas I would be willing to assist
them with and in the areas where Im not willing to assist them I would respectfully and in a
non-judgmental way refer them to someone who would be willing and able to assist them.