`

Universidad de Sta. Isabel

GRADUATE SCHOOL
City of naga
In partial fulfillment of the requirement of the subject
PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING

VALUES AND VIRTUES

FIRST SEMESTER, SY 2016-2017

Submitted by:
JOY C. CHAVEZ
Ph.D.-HDM Student

Submitted to:
DR. RAMON LOCSON LIM
Professor

VALUE
AND
VIRTUES

Table of Contents
Cover Page . 1
Title Page 2
Table of Contents 3
Introduction . 4
Learning Outcomes.. 4
Discussion 5- 13
Summary and Conclusion .. 13
References .. 14

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. dcadc

INTRODUCTION

Values and Virtues are central to any organization; those operating in the national
security arena are no exception. What exactly do we mean by values and ethics? Both are
extremely broad terms, and we need to focus in on the aspects most relevant for strategic
leaders and decision makers. What we will first discuss is the distinctive nature of ethics
for public officials; second, the forces which influence the ethical behavior of individuals
in organizations; and third, explore the actions strategic leaders can take to build ethical
climates in their organizations.

It is defined by the following perspectives:

Qualities, characteristics, or ideas about which we feel strongly.

Our values affect our decisions, goals and behavior.
A belief or feeling that someone or something is worthwhile.
Values define what is of worth, what is beneficial, and what is harmful
Values are standards to guide your action, judgments, and attitudes.

The Character of Values

Values can be defined as those things that are important to or valued by someone.
That someone can be an individual or, collectively, an organization. One place where
values are important is in relation to vision. One of the imperatives for organizational

vision is that it must be based on and consistent with the organization's core values. The
organization's core values - in this case, integrity, professionalism, caring, teamwork, and
stewardship- were deemed important enough to be included with the statement of the
organization's vision. Dr. John Johns, in an article entitled "The Ethical Dimensions of
National Security," mentions honesty and loyalty as values that are the ingredients of
integrity. When values are shared by all members of an organization, they are
extraordinarily important tools for making judgments, assessing probable outcomes of
contemplated actions, and choosing among alternatives. Perhaps more important, they put
all members "on the same sheet of music" with regard to what all members as a body
consider important.

The Army, in 1986, had as the theme for the year "values," and listed four
organizational values- loyalty, duty, selfless service, and integrity and four
individual values- commitment, competence, candor, and courage. A Department of the
Army pamphlet entitled Values: The Bedrock of Our Profession spent some time talking
about the importance of values, and included its definition.
What we do, what we think, what we want and reflect what we value. All humans
have values and express them through how they behave and what they think and feel.
Values are the ideals or standards that people use to direct their behavior; values
are what people strive to realize in their lives. Values are the standards we use in making
judgments about what is important in life and what is right or wrong in human behavior.
We judge ourselves and others in terms of our values. We may not agree with another
persons values, but everyone lives by values that everyone makes judgments about what
is important in life through their values.
Virtues are character traits or dispositions in a person that embody and express
values that are judged desirable or admirable. A persons virtues define the ethical
character of a person. Virtues are values that have become intrinsic to the personal
identity and way of life of a person. If a value is practiced enough, it becomes part of the
personality and the character of a person. You become what you do, what you value and
aspire toward.
Not all values lead to virtues; some values lead to vices. If one values money
above all else, or power over others regardless of how we affect them, developing
character traits that embody these values would not be seen by most people as examples

of ethical character virtues. Do we see greed as a virtue? Do we see a domineering or

manipulative personality as virtuous? Do we see a psychopath as virtuous, that is,
someone who cares about his or her own happiness and personal gains (the psychopaths
central values) but not at all about others?
Hence, not all values are good. There are values that lead to unethical behaviors.
If I value being rich regardless of whether I need to steal from others or manipulate them
with false promises and lies to get rich then I will develop a whole set of character traits
that are vices, rather than virtues.
There are though values that if pursued and practiced lead to recognizable virtues.
Valuing truth leads to honesty, integrity, and courage; valuing justice leads to fairmindedness; valuing freedom and self-determination leads to self-responsibility and
autonomy; valuing others leads to respectfulness, compassion, and kindness. These
character traits are generally valued around the world and have positive effects on ones
life.

Why are Character Virtues so Important in Life?

There are certain values that are positive and constructive and lead to character
traits that are ethical virtues. These values and corresponding virtues will, in fact, be the
key to creating a good life, a successful and happy life, academically, personally, and
professionally.
Lets start at a very general level and begin with happiness something everyone
presumably wants to pursue and realize. How does one achieve happiness in life?
One of the most interesting surveys of human values was conducted by the
contemporary positive psychologist Martin Seligman and his associates, summarized in
his book Authentic Happiness. What is particularly important about his research is that it
surveyed key values not just across cultures but across human history. A large selection of
influential writings from different cultures and different historical periods was identified
and presented to a group of investigators for review and summation. According to
Seligman, six fundamental virtues across all cultures and historical time periods emerged
from this review. The six virtues and subcategories are:

Wisdom (Curiosity, love of learning, judgment, ingenuity, social intelligence,

and perspective)
Courage (Valor, perseverance, and integrity)
Love and Humanity (Kindness, generosity, nurturance, and the capacity to
love and be loved)

Temperance (Modesty, humility, self-control, prudence, and caution)

Justice (Good citizenship, fairness, loyalty, teamwork, and humane leadership)
Transcendence (Appreciation of beauty, gratitude, hope, spirituality,
forgiveness, humor, and zest)

Your age will greatly influence your values. Different people and things influence
you at different ages: ages 1-7 (parents), ages 8-13 (teachers, heroes-sports, rocks, TV),
ages 14-20 (peers-values because of peers) and ages 21+ your values are established, but
you may test your values from time to time.
What is the difference between Values and Virtues?
The definition of values can be categorized into either "Personal Preference Values"
or "Principle Values."
John Heenan, founder and Director of "The New Zealand Foundation for Character
Education Inc." defines values this way;
"Values that are "Preferences" are personal choices that are subjective and changeable at
any time."
An example may be your value for material things as your house or car or perhaps your
special value put on a good education.
You will more than likely adjust these personal preference values as your life
circumstances change.
"On the other hand values that are "Principles," like honesty and compassion and
fairness, are consistent, trans cultural and objective."
The greatest difference is that "Preference" values are something: "To Have"
While values that are "Principles" are something "To Be", like honest, kind,
compassionate and responsible. (acquired through virtues)
Whereas, when we define virtue, we deem it as objective, an actual quality
considered morally good or desirable in a person. Virtues are the foundation to your core
value system, the very essence that makes up good character.

In addition to the above mentioned virtues, Patience, Consideration,

Trustworthiness and Forgiveness are just a few more examples.
Educational Values and Virtues
Now let us focus on education. There are a key set of values and virtues
connected with education, for example, learning, thinking, integrity, honesty, growth, and
excellence. These values and virtues reflect the general goals and standards of behavior
among educators and educational institutions. These values and virtues define what is
judged as important in the educational process and what types of character traits are seen
as reflecting these values.
Higher education, in numerous ways, attempts to model and teach those key
character virtues which embody these central values. Beyond learning specific facts and
skills, higher education highlights these virtues.
And further, educators invariably encourage their students to pursue these values
and develop these character virtues as well.
The reason is simple: Modeling and teaching these values and virtues, and helping
students to embrace and practice them, enhances their overall academic performance,
serving as the necessary foundation for the acquisition of factual knowledge and
intellectual skills. For example, the love of learning and thinking and the pursuit of
excellence enhance student performance in all academic disciplines. And further, it helps
to create educated individuals who will benefit others and society as a whole.
Although it is frequently assumed that natural intelligence, or being from the
upper socio-economic class, or having educated parents is the key to doing well in
school, the number one factor determining success is the practice of ethical character
virtues nothing else will help you as much.
Hence, the primary focus of education should be teaching these character virtues.
Further, becoming an educated person a lifelong learner involves living these virtues
throughout ones life. It is often said that a main goal in education, in this fast paced,
highly evolving world is facilitating the development of lifelong learners. Since things
keep changing so quickly and knowledge is growing exponentially, everyone needs to
keep learning throughout their lives. Character virtues are the key to developing this
capacity and desire. Academic ethics is therefore necessary for ones survival in the
future.
Essential Academic Values and Character Virtues

Our Virtues Tree

What are the key academic values and associated virtues that if pursued and
practiced, produce academic excellence and success? After introducing the list, each
item is described in some depth.
A. The Pursuit of Excellence The Value of Values
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly
because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted
rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. This
citation by Aristotle explains the importance of the quality of being outstanding or
extremely good.
The idea of excellence assumes that things can be done well or done poorly; all
actions and efforts are not equal in quality. Excellence within a given field usually
involves standards and principles that define and prescribe the nature of a superlative
performance. Such standards and principles of excellence are used to evaluate actions,
products, and results, and are used both to identify what is very good and what is not
good.

Excellence implies that there are values and standards relative to which we can
evaluate our actions and the actions of others.

If one does not believe in the concept of excellence one cannot define what it
would mean to grow. To grow is to improve to get better and only if we assume that
there is a better way to do things than we presently do, only then can we say that we have
grown when and if we realize this better way.
The first step toward developing character virtues and pursuing constructive
values is the realization that there are better ways to do things and worse ways; one
cannot believe that all actions are equal in quality and value, and also believe in
excellence.

Pursuing excellence motivates us and generates discipline and determination

(another set of virtues).
Pursuing excellence keeps us growing.
Pursuing excellence reflects optimism (another virtue).
Pursuing excellence requires courage (another virtue).
Pursuing excellence requires honesty in admitting mistakes and failings such
that we will learn (another virtue).
Realizing excellence produces authentic self-esteem and real confidence.

Rushworth Kidder, another social researcher, also suggests that there is a significant
degree of global consensus on human values. Interviewing a number of culturally diverse
people, each of whom has been acknowledged by their peers for their ethical thinking and
behavior, the following eight common values emerged from the interviews.

Love
Truthfulness
Fairness
Freedom
Unity
Tolerance
Responsibility
Respect for Life

As noted above, Martin Seligman identified six fundamental character virtues that
generally all cultures throughout recorded history have esteemed as admirable human
traits: Wisdom, Courage, Love and Humanity, Temperance, Justice, and Transcendence.
In a more general vein, the anthropologist Donald Brown has compiled a vast list,
numbering into the hundreds, of human universals across all cultures. This list includes
social conventions, modes of behavior, conceptual distinctions, and values. The
contemporary emphasis on cultural relativism appears clearly contradicted by Browns
research. We seem to have been misled by the propaganda of extreme individualism. As a

species, we think and behave in very similar ways, and part of this commonality is in our
values. It is simply not true that most of us believe or practice a philosophy of anything
goes or that one thing is as good as the next.
B. Self-Responsibility and Accountability
Within education (and within life) it is important to take responsibility for ones
actions rather than to blame or explain away ones behavior through situations and the
influence of other people. Responsibility assumes that each individual acts according to
choices he or she makes. We make our own beds and then we sleep in them.
Until one accepts responsibility for ones actions and ones present reality one is
disempowered to change things. One becomes empowered through accepting
responsibility. If a person cannot see or accept how their present situation is of their own
doing, they cannot see what they can do to change it they remain a victim of
circumstances in their own eyes and disempowered.
Achieving authentic happiness and developing character virtues are first and
foremost accomplishments. It requires effort, rather than being something that can be
purchased, or something that can be realized through momentary pleasures. Virtues
cannot be bestowed upon you these qualities require self-initiative, action, and work.
Developing and maintaining a sense of responsibility is one of the biggest
challenges facing everyone today. Although our Western culture emphasizes
individualism, there are several factors that work against nurturing a sense of
responsibility in our society:

Psychology is used by people to explain away their behavior, e.g., upbringing,

personality type, childhood environment, and genetic disposition are all used
by people to excuse their behavior.
Also people expect quick fixes that dont require any personal effort. People
expect that problems can be solved through pills or more efficient customer
service. People expect that problems can be solved through technology.
People expect problems can be solved quickly.
Although we espouse individualism, we are all influenced by social pressures
and norms of behavior. If everyone cheats, then so can I.
Ethical relativism is excessively used as a way to justify all types of
questionable behaviors.

C. Self- Honesty and Self-Understanding

One of the major goals of education is to foster increased self-awareness and selfunderstanding. Just as one should become knowledgeable about the world, one should
strive toward increasing self-understanding. Knowing oneself is a key ingredient to
success: What do you really want in life? What do you believe? What are your key
values? What are your feelings and thoughts about yourself? What are your weaknesses
and what are your strengths? Answering these questions is essential to determining what
direction and goals you should pursue.
Honesty is a key element in the development of self-understanding. One cannot
become self-aware without self-honesty. Self-honesty involves developing a fair and
accurate self-assessment, admitting ones mistakes, and therefore taking responsibility for
correcting them. Unless one is honest with oneself one cannot grow and learn you cant
fix a mistake or failing unless you admit to it.
D. Courage
Courage is one of the key virtues identified by Seligman. Courage comes into
play in many ways in life. It takes courage to accept self-responsibility for ones life; it
takes courage to be honest and admit to ones mistakes; it takes courage to face the
challenges and uncertainties of the future; it takes courage to tenaciously pursue ones
goals; it even takes courage to love. Integrity requires courage, as does hope. Pessimism
and depression probably involve a lack of courage.
E. Integrity
Integrity refers to consistency in thinking and behavior. It means practicing what
one preaches. It means expressing the same beliefs to different people instead of saying
one thing to one person and another thing to someone else simply to please each person.
Of course, people modify their behavior depending on social context, but when one
carries this behavior to an extreme one loses integrity. The opposites of integrity include
hypocrisy, deceptiveness, being a coward, lack of conviction, and insincerity.
Being authentic is connected to integrity, for people often sacrifice integrity
through lies and distortions of what they believe and think. Authenticity is similar to
being honest, presenting oneself without distortion or deception.

How Do We Define Principles?

To define principles in the personal context, we perceive them to be rules or beliefs
governing morally correct behavior and attitudes.
More specifically, your personal convictions and commitments to what is true to your
heart, the personal code of ethics in which you put your faith in.
Guiding principles root from the virtues you value most and will not abandon or
compromise under any condition.
Examples might be your conviction and adherence to:
"The Golden Rule"; Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

This is by far one of the most important principles you can promote in your children.
If
you
abandon
this
principle,
then
you
disregard
of Justice, Respect, Fairness and
many
others
as Caring, Consideration, Kindness, Courtesy and Thoughtfulness.

the

Another principle might be the biblical principle in the "Ten Commandments":

"Thou Shalt Not Steal"

If you were to violate this principle you would disregard the many virtues such
as Honesty, Trustworthiness, Consideration, Justice, Self discipline, Respect and
Integrity.

virtues
such

Consequently, your principles stem from your core values. In order to define your
personal core values and family values you need to clarify which "Virtues" shape those
values.
The Importance of Personal Values and How to Find Them
(Our values inform our thoughts, words and actions. )

Our values are important because they help us to grow and develop. They help us
to create the future we want to experience.
Every individual and every organization is involved in making hundreds of
decisions every day. The decisions we make are a reflection of our values and beliefs, and
they are always directed towards a specific purpose. That purpose is the satisfaction of
our individual or collective (organizational) needs.
When we use our values to make decisions, we make a deliberate choice to focus
on what is important to us. When values are shared, they build internal cohesion in a
group.
There are four types of values that we find in an organizational setting: individual
values, relationship values, organizational values and societal values.
Individual values
Individual values reflect how you show up in your life and your specific needs-the
principles you live by and what you consider important for your self-interest. Individual
values include: enthusiasm, creativity, humility and personal fulfillment.
Relationship values
Relationship values reflect how you relate to other people in your life, be they
friends, family or colleagues in your organization. Relationship values
include: openness, trust, generosity and caring.

Organizational values
Organizational values reflect how your organization shows up and operates in the
world. Organizational values include: financial
growth, teamwork, productivity and strategic alliances.
Societal values
Societal values reflect how you or your organization relates to society. Societal
values include: future generations, environmental awareness, ecology and sustainability.
Broadening our minds through visualization
An effective method of identifying our values is to picture our future.Take the
time to reflect on the many different aspects of your life. Where do you see yourself as
you continue to age gracefully? What are the things that are most important to you? What
do you hope to accomplish in life?
Searching for and finding the answers to these questions will help you discover
your own values. For instance, if you picture yourself growing old and remaining close to
your family and spending valuable time with your grandchildren, then a strong sense of
family is one of your core values.
You can have many values in life. You just need to discover which ones
are your highest priorities. That way, at the end of each day, you can feel confident that
you are nurturing the most important parts of your life.
There are certain values that almost everyone feels are important. You may find
that some of these are significant to you as well, as part of your core beliefs.
Examples of Values:
1. Adventure. Are you a thrill-seeker? If things start to feel a little stale, do you
quickly feel bored? If so, a sense of adventure is probably close to your heart and
you might be happier with trying new experiences and new ways of doing
everyday things.

2.

Relationships. Valuing relationships includes finding all relationships important,

not only the romantic kind. If you value loving relationships, it may mean those
with a family member or a friend. Having this as an important value to you means
that you hold your interactions with your loved ones to of great importance, and
you act like it. You make and take the time to make an investment into those
relationships.

3. Spirituality. If you align with certain religious or spiritual practices, then the
beliefs of that practice are probably very dear to your heart. You may find greater
fulfillment in spending some of your free time studying, practicing and going
on spiritual explorations.
4. Creativity. Creative thinking helps the world in many ways, but it is not a core
value for everyone. If you enjoy discovering and creating new things, perhaps it is
one of yours. Try thinking outside of the proverbial box while you are actively
participating in the things that you enjoy, such as poetry, music, or painting.
5. Making a mark on the world. Most people will say that, in the end, they just
want others to think of them kindly or remember them warmly. There are many
ways that you can make your mark on the world, if this is really important to you.
You can help other people through volunteer work. You can create something new
to help the world at large. Or you can be a positive influence on others. The list is
endless.

The thing that you really need to do in order to discover your values is find what
makes you truly happy. Then ask yourself why those things bring you joy. The answers
will lead you to your core values, and to whats important

If you feel like your life has taken a wrong turn somewhere, you can often sort
things out by thinking with the end in mind. Make the time to figure out where you
would like to find yourself in the future. Are the steps that you are taking right
now helping your future self walk down the right path? If the answer is no, maybe it is
finally time to think about walking a new road based on your core values and what you
really believe in.

SUMMARY
The value is the principle of excellence itself the belief that what is superlative,
superb, or very good can be defined and demonstrated in action, and that it is through
believing in and pursuing excellence, that life is given meaning and purpose. In this case,
the virtue associated with this value is the general quality of being virtuous (or
believing in and pursuing virtue) being principled or possessing character the virtue
is the practicing belief in and pursuit of excellence in all spheres of life.
It is associated with this standard are justice and fairness. Generally, the same
terms or similar ones are used to describe the virtues a fair (or fair-minded) person or a
just person. The vices associated with this standard include bias, favoritism, and greed, or
being unfair, self-centered, and inconsiderate
The value behind self-responsibility is nothing short of the belief that each
individual can and should determine (chose) their own life and make their own destiny.
The value is individual freedom and self-determination. The general virtue is selfresponsibility; specific character traits (or subsidiary virtues) connected with selfresponsibility include being trustworthy, dependable, self-initiating, conscientious, and
autonomous.
Honesty and truthfulness are the character virtues associated with the value of
truth. Honesty pertains to both what we tell other people and how truthful and open we
are to ourselves about ourselves. Courage, as another important character virtue, is often
necessary in order to be honest. An atmosphere of trust depends on honesty and truth.
Integrity and authenticity are other character virtues associated with honesty and
truth. One cant learn and grow without being honest. And open-mindedness, a quality
discussed below under the love of learning and thinking, cant be realized without being
honest and possessing a real concern for the truth.
Education values knowledge and learning (the acquisition of knowledge). The
corresponding virtues include inquisitiveness, wonder, curiosity, open-mindedness, or
simply the love of learning. The vices or deficiencies associated with this standard

include apathy, disinterest, close-mindedness, arrogance,

intellectualism, or simply a lack of fascination with life

defensiveness,

anti-

It is important to emphasize that in the case of thinking the value involves

standards and principles. There are normative criteria that define the value, e.g., clarity,
precision, relevance, and consistency. There are rules for good thinking. The virtues
pertaining to good thinking include being rational, reflective, and thoughtful which
refer to specific intellectual virtues associated with critical thinking.
The values are the betterment of human society, reciprocity and justice, and
mutual respect. The virtues are social conscience, a sense of responsibility and desire to
contribute to society, empathy, care and concern for humankind, and respect for others.
The vices are disrespectfulness, narcissism and self-centeredness, entitlement, and
insensitivity to others

CONCLUSION
The final factor to consider regarding virtues, the pursuit of virtues will help
individuals make more valuable and positive contributions to the improvement of human
society. This indeed should be a goal in education: To facilitate the development of
individuals who will positively contribute to society. Contributing to the evolution of
humanity is a form of transcendence and gives life purpose and meaning.
This central idea presented in this workshop is that the development of character
virtues is the key to academic success. These character virtues, in fact, define the essence
of academic success or academic excellence. Becoming an educated person amounts to
practicing and pursuing these virtues.
The character virtues, identified and described in this workshop include selfresponsibility, the love of learning and the love of thinking, honesty, fair-mindedness, and
wisdom. Wisdom is seen as the highest and most comprehensive of the character virtues
that are developed through education.
Principles of deep learning, critical thinking, and positive psychology (including
flow, self-efficacy, and optimism) are essential to realizing these character virtues.
The development of character virtues address a variety of general life concerns,
such as happiness and meaning and purpose in life, and furthermore, character virtues
such as wisdom, optimism, courage, and self-responsibility support a constructive and
positive approach to the future. Furthermore, Ethics is the key to academic excellence, as
well as excellence in life.

REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Apriebo, Roxel A. (2005). Applied Consumer Psychology. Manila: Rex Book
Store, Inc.

A. Academic Integrity Websites

Center for Academic Integrity
http://www.academicintegrity.org/
Fundamental Values Project (Academic Integrity)
http://www.academicintegrity.org/fundamental_values_project/index.php
Ten Principles of Academic Integrity
http://sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/faculty_and_staff/academic_integrity/ten_principles_for
_academic_integrity.html
Academic Integrity and the World Wide Web
ethics.sandiego.edu/.../Lawrence%20M.%20Hinman,%20%20%20Academic
%20Integrity%20and%20the%20WWW...
Fundamental Principles of Academic Integrity
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/eac/Summer2000/Readings/Principles.html
Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity University of Waterloo
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/ait/values.html
Academic Integrity Queens University

http://www.queensu.ca/academicintegrity/news/AIGazette.html
Ten Revised Principles of Academic Integrity
www.longwood.edu/judicial/academicintegrityfaculty.pdf
Academic Integrity and Authentic Education
http://cai.ucdavis.edu/authenticeducation.html
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Merrimack College
http://www.noblenet.org/merrimack/academic_integrity/def.htm
Academic Integrity Roosevelt University A Guide for Student
http://www.roosevelt.edu/plagiarism/
Academic Integrity at Rutgers University
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml
B. Books