Unit 1: Identifying Personal Values, Beliefs and Attitudes

1.1 Overview | 1.2 Objectives | 1.3 Preparing | 1.4 Practicing | 1.5 Reflecting | 1.6 References

1.1 Overview

Each of us has an idea of what is meant by the terms "values," "beliefs," "attitudes" and we recognize that our personal values, beliefs and attitudes influence the way we view trends and events and determine which issues we consider important. For example, things that are now happening in nursing in particular, and in the health system and society in general, may or may not be "issues" to a nurse, depending on her or his personal and professional values, beliefs and attitudes.

1.2 Outcomes

• define "value," "belief," and "attitude;"
• describe the steps involved in "valuing;" and
• analyze the relationship between one's values and one's view of an issue.

1.3 Preparing

Think about your most recent nursing practice environment. Think of a time when you and your nurse colleagues were discussing something in your practice with great interest and emotion. Often these "charged" discussions arise as a result of an issue. In your Learning Journal (Word .doc file), list two or three issues that you believe exist within your nursing practice environment. Try to identify specifically:

1. Did you identify these issues because of your "values," or your "beliefs," or your "attitudes," or a combination of all three?
   
2. Did you consider any one of the issues you identified to be of more importance? If so, why?

Required Reading

From your textbook, read the following chapters:

• The legacy of colonization for the health and well-being of Indigenous people: Toward reconciliation orienting to difference: Beyond heteronormative sexualities
• Interpersonal violence and abuse: Ending the silence

1.4 Practicing

View the following PowerPoint Presentation.

Identifying Values, Beliefs, and Attitudes

(This is a slide show with audio. Make sure the audio on your computer is working before watching. You may need to advance the slides manually using the play button at the bottom of the window.)

Defining the terms:

Access Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary then enter the following terms separately: value, belief, and attitude. Read the definitions provided. Choose the definition that you feel is most closely associated with the concept of you as nurse identifying a nursing issue.

Write your definitions in your Learning Journal.

Many values are acquired in childhood. However, values are not static – they may be adopted, changed, clarified, or rejected throughout life. Socialization is the process by which an individual's value system is shaped. Socialization variables include, but are not restricted to, culture, education, occupation, political orientation, religion and gender. Clearly, some of these variables not only influence values, but are influenced by them, and some are likely to affect a person at one stage of the life cycle more than at another.

There are several ways in which a person may come to acquire a particular value. One process is as follows:

• Choosing: freely from alternatives after thoughtful consideration of the consequences of each alternative;
• Prizing: cherishing, being happy with the choice, willing to affirm the choice publicly;
• Acting: doing something with the choice doing something repeatedly, in a consistent manner.

An example from practice is as follows:

•  Choosing: After years of experience in public health nursing and graduate studies involving the study of interpersonal violence, an RN mindfully chose the following values:
  • "I value personal safety."
  • "I believe safety is a pre-requisite for health."
• Prizing: This led to the public affirmation of this choice. After reading a newspaper article regarding an incident of family violence in her city, this RN wrote a letter to the editor. In this letter, she articulated her beliefs regarding safety and linked these beliefs to what she believed was biased reporting of this violent incident. The RN signed her letter and included the designation RN following her name.
• Acting: Over the years, this RN consistently became involved with violence prevention both personally and professionally. For example, she wrote a code of conduct to promote sportsmanship/prevent bullying among community soccer players, parents and coaches. Another example involved when the RN was at work in a busy public health clinic. One of her colleagues became angry when the furniture in a clinic room was re-arranged. This anger was expressed through a verbal outburst including swear words directed towards nursing staff in a voice loud enough for patients to hear in the waiting room nearby.  Although she feared repercussions, her beliefs moved her to follow through with a formal complaint process so that action might be taken to prevent a similar violent incident in the future. 

Reflect on one of your values. Consider how you chose it, how you prize it and how you act on it.

When personal values clash with those of patients, colleagues, the workplace and/or the health system the result is a values conflict. How do you think might the values of nurses clash with the values of:

• Patients?
• Other members of the health care team?
• Politicians?
• Media?
• General Public?

Values Clarification is the process of becoming more conscious of and articulating what you value or consider worthy. The process of values clarification is ongoing, reflective and it guides decisions and behavior.

Think of a situation in which you felt your values were being challenged. How did you know you were having a values conflict? What were the signs? How did you feel? What were your thoughts?

Write your ideas in your Learning Journal.

Relating One's Values to One's View of an Issue:

Many issues arise from the conflicting values of different groups. In Canada, an ongoing health care issue is the universality of access to health services. The values that an individual holds about the health needs of all individuals will influence his or her interpretation of the issue. Some groups have declared that health services are overused, and that eliminating some "less essential" services (for example, therapeutic abortion) from health coverage would influence consumers to use these services in a more prudent manner.

Other groups advocate maintaining all essential health services under government financial coverage. In analyzing such an issue, you must be able to state clearly those of your values that relate to the worth of individuals and their right to specific health services. In analyzing an issue or even determining if an issue exists, it is vital that you identify all personal and professional values that would impinge on the issue.

Nursing Values

Access the the Canadian Nurses Association Code of Ethics

The first part of the code, "Nursing Values and Ethical Responsibilities," describes the core responsibilities central to ethical nursing practice. These ethical responsibilities are articulated through seven primary values and accompanying responsibility statements, which are grounded in nurses’ professional relationships with individuals, families, groups, populations and communities as well as with students, colleagues and other health-care professionals.

Nurses in all domains of practice bear the ethical responsibilities identified under each of the seven primary nursing values. These ethical responsibility statements, which appear in the full text of the code, are intended to help nurses apply the code.

Assignment Reminder: Assignment 1

Choose a focus for Assignment 1. If you are having difficulty in deciding on an issue or trend, check out the Trends and Issues link in your Resources.

1.5 Reflecting

Define the following terms. To see the answer, drag your mouse (hold the left mouse button down as you move the mouse) between the two arrows.

• Value
  Answer: -> A value is an active standard that defines social and professional behavior and affects moral judgment. Values  are organized hierarchically in a values system according to an individual’s priorities (Rassin, 2008).<-
  

• Belief
• Answer: -> A belief is the way in which reality is structured and understood (Beebe, Beebe, Redmond, & Geerinck, 2004)<-
  

• Attitude
• Answer: -> An attitude is a learned predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to a person, object or idea (Beebe, Beebe, Redmond, & Geerinck, 2004).<-

"Twenty-five years ago, nurses were conscientious and focused solely to the good of the patient. Today's young nurses do not hold the same values." Do you agree with this nurse educator's comments? Support your position.

Interacting Options

• Review the list of values in the Self Assessment: Values Checklist.
• Select 10 that are most important to you.
• Put these values in order from 1 to 10 (beginning with 1 as your most important personal value).
• In what context(s), might the order of these values be different for you?
  
• Think of a time when you chose to "re-order" your values. What was going for you on when this occurred?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ1lPPTPSR4

This is a clip from Michael Moore's documentary, Sicko (Part 5).

• What does this clip tell the viewer about Canadians' values regarding the health system?
• Consider your values and those of the Canadians represented in this video clip.
  
• How do your values align with or diverge from the values portrayed in this video clip?

1.6 References

Arnold, E. C. & Boggs, K. (2019). Interpersonalrelationships: Professional communication skills for nurses (8th ed.). Elsevier.

Canadian Nurses Association (2017). Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses. Ethics - Canadian Nurses Association (cna-aiic.ca).

Merriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary. http://www.m-w.com/

McDonald, C. & McIntyre, M. (2019). Realities of Canadian nursing: Professional, practice and power issues (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Moore, M. (Director). (2007) SICKO - Canadian Waiting Room Scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ1lPPTPSR4.

Rassin, M. (2008). Nurses’ professional and personal values. Nursing Ethics, 15(5), 614-630.

Last updated: June 13, 2022 © Copyright 2005 Athabasca University
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