Phl 323 - the Principles, Norms and Standards of Conduct Governing an Individual or Organization

Personal Ethics Development Paper

Courtney R. Denson

PHL 323

August 25th, 2014

Penny E. Hylton

Trevino and Nelson (2007), define ethics to be “the principles, norms and standards of conduct governing an individual or organization”. Ethics are learned and develop from the time that an individual is born and continues throughout his or her life. The ethical system comprises the underlying ethical principles, that majority of individuals use to make the right decision. The goal of developing values in any one individual is to have the ability to establish the capability to make judgments and ethical decisions. Ethical principles develop throughout one’s life and can be influenced by family, religion, culture, society and of course, life experiences. Defining my underlying ethical system, its primary principles and the sources that helped shape my ethics will all be discussed below.

There are many individuals who will have varying values and ethical standards, which may and may not be similar to the ones that I am used to. My ethical system was formed at an early age. Growing up in a single parent home, definitely influenced the way that I would value family members and peers. My mother and sister were the ones who helped me understand ethical situations. Dealing with right and wrong situations, they both made it point to express when I was in the right or the wrong. Ethics and values are established by ones environment, background and culture. My ethical system was based on being truthful, not committing larceny and being open when needing to. The primary principles were part of my ethical system to know what was right from wrong, while growing up with my mother and my sister. However, when learning right from wrong, there are some problems that may occur because it is definitely a learning process. The sources that helped me the most were my mother and my sister because they were always there to tell me when I have made a mistake.

When it comes to making decisions, one must use his or her critical thinking skills because some decisions are hard to be made. Critical thinking is when one has “the ability to apply reasoning and logic to new or unfamiliar ideas, opinions, and situations” ("What Is Critical Thinking", 2003-2014). When an individual had to second guess his or her thought about a decision, then it is best that critical thinking comes into play. The decision-making factor I have used to revise them is to use critical thinking because a wrong choice can be made, but you will have a chance to fix it. When an individual works, he or she will still have to deal with ethics in the workplace.

Every individual who is in the work force knows that there can be potential effects