AARON MCPHERSON

Personal and Ethical Foundations

 

Category: Exemplary

 

In this competency, I have developed in the following areas:

• “Articulate key elements of one’s set of personal beliefs and commitments (e.g., values, morals, goals, desires, self-definitions), as well as the source of each (e.g., self, peers, family, or one or more larger communities)” (p. 16)

• “Appropriately question institutional actions which are not consistent with ethical standards” (p. 16)

• “Articulate an understanding that wellness is a broad concept comprised of emotional, physical, social, environmental, relational, spiritual, moral, and intellectual elements” (p. 16)

• “Recognize and articulate healthy habits for better living” (p. 16)

• “Identify and address lapses in ethical behavior among self, colleagues, and students” (p. 17)

• “Bolster one’s resiliency, including participating in stress-management activities, engaging in personal or spiritual exploration, and building healthier relationships inside and outside of the workplace” (p. 17)

 

If I had to pick a competency that was the most volatile, I would choose personal and ethical foundations.  In the same way that people say a work/life balance is a sliding scale, sometimes I feel that personal foundations has been that way for me.  At times, I am capable and have the time to engage in activities that are good for my health and at other times, I cannot.  With regard to ethical foundations, I feel that my parents taught me a strong sense of values, morals, and goals from an early age.  Over the past two years, both my personal and ethical foundations have been challenged, but this challenged has allowed me to develop for myself what is important to me.  Every day I remind myself that no one can take away my health from me, but someone can take away my job or my work.  Because of this, I have placed my mental, physical, and relational being at the top of my priority list.  The challenges of graduate school have helped me grow in both my understanding of health and wellness and what it means to be ethical.

           

I have grown substantially over the past two years in both my understanding of what ethical foundations are and what it means to act ethically.  During college, I was heavily involved in Honor Council, an organization that adjudicated cases of lying, cheating, and stealing.  Much of the work that I did on this council was based on the principles my parents had instilled in me, and continuing to do this work during college further instilled good ethical reasoning in my values and morals.  I believe that I have a very strong moral compass but I have seen that challenged over the past two years both personally and professionally.  In my personal life, there were situations in my family and in my relationship that caused me to question whether my parents were ethical people and whether or not I was ethical.  When I made mistakes and acted unethically, I could not understand how I could still value honesty so highly.  Through deep reflection I have been able to reconcile this disconnect and have learned that even when you do not act in accordance with your values, you can still hold those values as long as you reconcile your mistake in line with your values.  To this day I am still struggling with how changes in my family dynamic challenge my values, but continue to engage in conversations with those closest with be about how to reconcile this disconnect.  As I continue to learn and grow in this regard, I try to remind myself that regardless of my families actions, I still hold values like truthfulness above all else. For this competency I have chosen to use my half marathon medals and bibs as the artifact, because they represent resiliency, determination, and personal commitment to health.  Not only do they represent my commitment to completing the race, but also represent my commitment to training and ensuring I made time to devote to my health.  These are hanging in my apartment so that I can look at them every day and be reminded to take care of myself.

           

In my current position in the Division of Student Affairs, there have been several times where my values and morals conflicted with decisions made in the office.  When this occurred, I would challenge my supervisor and ask her why things were being done the way that they were.  More frequently, than not the decision-making power was out of our control or had a political motive tied to it.  I consistently questioned these situations, whether that be aloud or to myself, to encourage myself to critically think on the decision.  What I learned through these situations is that not everything is black and white, and in life, there may be times when decisions are made that do not align with your values.  What matters is whether you can reconcile it yourself.

           

Personal foundation are woven into my ethical foundations because I value honesty and integrity and those things contribute to my overall health and wellness.  Outside of my values, I have made a significant effort to figure out what is important for me to maintain my mental and physical wellness over the past two years.  With two significant life events, (my partner moving in with me and my parents divorcing) occurring over the past two years, finding a means to maintain wellness has been paramount to my success.  Like I mentioned above, this competency has been the most volatile for me as far as intensity, but I believe that over the past two years I have learned what I need to do to stay healthy and what I can do to make sure I do those things.  During college I ran two half marathons to help myself stay motivated to run.  Enjoying is one of those activities that I love doing, and when I do it, it takes my mind off everything else and relaxes me.  By running these two half marathons during graduate school, I was able to show my determination and maintain a healthy physical balance.  I have also continued to educate myself on how to maintain healthy habits for better living by engaging in exercise and diet, and by practicing positive self-worth.  Practicing positive self-worth is such an important aspect of healthy living and personal foundations, because often when you are working out and eating healthy, it is easy to be caught up in the tangible and physical aspect of how you look.  This is something I have struggled with during my journey of developing a healthy lifestyle and I continue to practice it every day.

           

I also have learned to practice personal foundations in my personal relationships.  Coming to grad school I was very focused on succeeding, but after a while I noticed that I was not as connected to my friends, my family, or my partner.  After a significant event with my partner and my family, I came to realize what was important in life and that is my relationships.  It has not come easy for me to always put these relationships first, especially when there is a lot going on at school, but I notice more know when I stop putting them first and have learned how to make sure I guarantee time for them, whether that be on the phone or in person.  One way that I started to do this with my partner was by examining what our love languages are, and then acting on those to show our appreciation for each other.  For my partner, he values quality time, so I make sure that I get things done so we can spend time together when he is home from work.

           

Prior to coming to graduate school I did not have much exposure to having personal foundations because I was raised in a family where my father worked a lot and that is how I thought life should be.  Through this program I have learned that personal foundations means creating the work life balance that is important for your health.  For me that fluctuates, but I know that taking care of myself, taking care of my relationships, and taking care of my work are all included in there.

 

Reference 

ACPA & NASPA (2015).  Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners.  Washington, DC: Authors.