FOURAY BAY COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE (USL)

SOCIAL SCIENCES AND LAW DEPARTMENT

SELF REFLECTION PAPER

NAME: ANDRA HAWA KAMARA

MODULE: HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IN THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

COURSE: SOCIAL WORK

YEAR: TWO (2)

ID: 43205

LECTURER: MR. SYLVANUS WUDIE CONTEH Jr.

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Personal Values and Beliefs

Our experiences, attitude and beliefs are part of what makes us who we are. They affect how we think, what
we do and how we do it. Our background, upbringing, experiences and relationships will all have played a
part in the way we see things. Sometimes our attitudes and beliefs could lead us to assume things about
people that are not right or fair. It is important that we realise this and develop self-awareness so that we can
learn to check that this does not happen. We should take the time to learn about and understand the different
attitudes and beliefs of others so that we can work with individuals in a way that takes these into account.

Beliefs are:

 Things in life that we feel strongly about, that guide us in our daily life and are linked very closely to
our morals and values.

 Our beliefs might not necessarily be based on facts but an opinion.

 Our beliefs are not just formal ones e.g. about religion but can be about other things such as what we
regard as right or wrong

Attitudes – are the approaches, opinions and mind-set that we have develop through our upbringing and life
and learning experiences.

Personal Values are:

 The principles and standards upon which we lead our lives

 They are influenced by our beliefs, our background, education, and our individual and wider social
networks

 Some of our personal ideas can originate from prejudice, myths and assumptions

 We need to be aware of how our values influence what we do

 We were not born with values but acquire them throughout our lives. They are something that can be
changed.

Many of us struggle with finding direction, making big decisions, and even knowing how to act in day-to-
day situations. When we take the time to consider our core values, these things become crystal clear.

Core values point the needle of our compass, illuminating the pathway toward living a meaningful life —
one that’s filled with passion and purpose.

Instead of allowing outside influences like media, pop culture, or social environment to shape our life, we
can be true to ourselves.
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What does it mean to be true to ourselves?

“A lot of the conflict you have in your life exists simply because you’re not living in alignment; you’re not
being true to yourself.” ― Steve Maraboli, 

Every house needs a sturdy foundation. You can build a beautiful home, but it will sink into the ground
without a solid base. 

The same is true with our values. Just like the foundation of a home, core values provide the groundwork for
our actions, decisions, and behaviors. 

Without a base, your “home” falls apart, and we lose a sense of purpose and direction. We may appear to be
successful, but still, feel lost. Until we define what success means to us, we’ll be chasing empty
accomplishments.

If we don’t understand our values, we may violate them without realizing it. This can lead to feelings of
guilt and shame, without knowing why.

Researchers confirm that when people have a clear set of core values:

 It’s easier to make big life decisions around pursuing passions, long-term career goals, and
relationships.
 They are less likely to engage in destructive thought patterns, especially in difficult life situations.
 They tolerate physical pain more easily.
 They have greater self-discipline and focus when studying or working.
 Social connections are stronger.

Our values describe what is important to us in the way we live our life. They give meaning to our life, and
are the foundation for our beliefs, they influence our decisions, actions and behaviour and impact the life we
choose to lead. Examples of these core values include freedom, respect, openness, independence, privacy,
financial security, creativity, optimism, happiness, family oriented, success, healthiness, compassion,
kindness, perseverance, spontaneity, trust, perfection, modesty, loyalty, fun, professionalism and accuracy.

Core value example: Freedom

If I chose freedom, I value “the power or right to act, speak, or think as I want without hindrance or
restraint.”

Here are some examples of actions I could take to align more fully with freedom as a core value and belief
in my life:

 Express myself freely and openly.

 Build a life in which I can create my own schedule, travel, try new things, etc.
 Nurture relationships with friends and family who give me the freedom to be myself.
 Become my own boss.
 Include enough free time in my schedule.
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Core value example: Wellness

Identifying wellness as a core value, the active pursuit of health would become a priority in my life.

Here are some day-to-day examples of how my short-term actions would line up with this personal value
example:

 Fuel my body with nutritious foods.

 Stay active through regular exercise.
 Take care of my mental health by taking breaks, getting enough rest, spending time with loved ones,
and asking for help when needed.
 Avoiding self-destructive habits.

This is how my short-term actions can put me more in line with my long-term core values? I can also use my
core value system to assess opportunities and make decisions as they arise.

Everyone has a different set of values with varying degrees of importance given to each value. You may be
conscious and very aware of your values or you may hold them in your subconscious acting on them but not
being consciously aware of them. When you live your life in line with your values you are likely to feel
fulfilled, however where your values are in conflict with each other or how you are living your life you may
feel stressed and unhappy.

So how do our values impact us at work or in our business?

Supporting and energising our work:

Where our values are aligned with our work or business we will find that they support and energise our work
e.g. If we have a value of trust and we feel trusted by everyone we deal with at work and we trust them. It
may be that some of our values are aligned, whereas others are not. If this is the case we will be happy with
elements of our work but not others. The more we can align our values with our work or business the
happier we will be in all areas of our life.

Conflicting with our work: 

Where some or all of our values conflict with our work we are likely to feel very unsettled or stressed. e.g. If
we have a value of timeliness but we are finding that due to the rapid growth of our business we have too
much to do and things are not being completed in a timely fashion, we are likely to feel very uncomfortable.
In this situation we may be able to align our work more towards our values and feel better by employing an
extra member of staff. When we are feeling like this consider our values and look for ones that are currently
conflicting with our work and then take action to change the situation.

Creating stress at work: 

When we are feeling stressed at work it is important to understand the root cause of the stress by exploring
the situation and to take action to tackle the cause and hence reduce the stress. One potential cause would be
a disconnect between our values and what is happening at work or in our business. We may have a value of
financial security but our business cash flow position is much stretched. This may be making one feel
financially insecure and could be the cause of our stress. When you are feeling stressed and are trying to
identify the cause and look for a disconnect between our values and what is happening at work or in our
business.
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Impacting your relationships at work:
Our relationships at work may be impacted because our values and those of the person we are dealing with
are different. We may take different positions or behave in particular ways based on our respective values or
the other person may find something an issue because of our different values e.g. an employee who values
privacy may get upset and find it disturbing when we ask questions about his/her personal life. Differing
values can also create conflict in our relationships at work. Consider the values of others as well as our own
and try and move conversations from individual positions to what is most important to both of us and the
business as a whole in order to improve our relationships at work or in our business.