Factors That Promote a Good Value System: Values are principles or standards of behaviors one’s judgement of what is important in life. They are the important enduring beliefs or ideals shared by the society about what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable, acceptable or unacceptable. They are what guide and help us as individuals to make good choices.
A lot of factors help to shape and develop the values of an individual and some of them include:
a. Family: this is the first community that the individual knows and they go a long way to shape the ideals of the individual. If the parents are people of good values, then they are most likely to produce children with good values. Parents inculcate their values into their children while children also learn from their siblings and other family members.
b. Environment: where a child grows up can determine his or her lifestyle and the value they imbibe. The social and physical environment of the child count on this front.
c. Religion: religious teachings and beliefs also help to shape the morals of an individual which is what gives them their values.
d. People in the society: while we relate with people in the society our values are developed and shaped.
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A value system is a set of consistent ethical values and measures used for the purpose of ethical or ideological integrity. A well-defined value system is a moral code. A value system gives structure and purpose by helping to determine what is meaningful and important. It helps express who we are and what we stand for.
An individual value system provides a framework within which an individual act in ways that are consistent and expected.
For any organization, system or society to have a functional and effective value system, its members must be individuals who have values on their own.
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Factor That Promote a Good Value System
Having a good value system requires showcasing the same values and traits over time and not just a one-off.
Here are some of the characteristics that promote good value system:
1. Integrity: this is having a firm adherence to a code of very strong moral, ethical or artistic values, being incorruptible. To have integrity means to live in accordance with one’s deepest values regardless of the circumstance.
As a value this is one of the important in building a value system, because regardless of the circumstance, an individual with integrity will never waiver or change their stance as long it is the right one. Living a life of integrity means that the individual’s actions are based on a consistent framework of principles which adhere to sound logical truths. Their actions are always open for everyone to see and they don’t have to worry about hiding anything they do.
2. Tolerance: this is the quality that makes us allow other individuals to express their views or do things their own ways, even though we may not agree with them. A tolerant person is able to work very well with others especially people with different views and beliefs without adverse reaction.
Tolerance builds good value system because it allows other people the right to express themselves so long as they don’t impose or impede the rights of others and allows individuals the opportunity to learn new information and be corrected on their old beliefs.
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3. Consistency: in some ways this is linked to an individual with integrity. Consistency is when the individual always behaves in the same exact manner overtime. The individual doesn’t change his stance on a particular issue just because some of the circumstance has changed.
Consistency is very important in promoting a value system because when an individual or organization has been noted to have the same attitude or reaction towards a particular subject or topic, they can be relied on to provide a regular opinion that never waivers or changes and they can be trusted to treat people equally, regardless of age, belief or social status.
A consistent person has no room for discrimination or segregation because to him, all individuals are the same.
4. Fairness: this is the ability to treat everybody equally. A fair person judges a case as they are. It is natural to appeal to fairness in order to resolve cases. A fair and equitable person will always look to the logical aspect of issues before making any judgement. Showing fairness is making a decision that is pleasing to all parties involved and offering a solution that is attractive everyone.
Fairness means treating everyone equally irrespective of status. It is also about maintaining a just and equitable system for everybody to get the same opportunities and treatment without favor.
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5. Trust: this is a firm belief in the reliability, truth and ability of someone or something. Trust exists in interpersonal relationships. As individuals we have a natural disposition to trust people who have overtime proven their integrity. The degree to which we are willing to trust someone is a measure of belief in the honesty, fairness and benevolence of the person we want to trust.
Trust is not just given to an individual, it is a privilege earned. When someone has proven time and again that they can be relied and called upon when needed and they never disappoint, that is how to earn the trust. Earning it is a sure good way to build value as it is one important testament of an individual’s character.
6. Commitment: this implies seriousness or pledging to a purpose or course. A large percentage of community members must be committed to recognize social values. A person who is committed to something is willing to go above board to see that the course to which he is committed to sees an expected end. It is the same as making a promise, that no matter the circumstance, the individual does his best to ensure that his integrity is protected.
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7. Communication: in this regard, we are talking about communication as a tool for developing an understanding among entities or groups through the use of sufficiently mutually understood and agreed terms. It is an apparent answer to divisions that exist between one and other, private and public and inner thought and outer world.
Communication is the primary tool for bridging gaps, solving and avoiding conflicts while also ensuring that majority of opinions are heard out. In promoting a good value system. It is also invaluable for improved coordination and teamwork. It is important to have an effective communication system as it ensures that everybody’s opinion and feelings are taken into consideration. People will not feel they don’t matter or that their thoughts and ideas are irrelevant as there is a proper channel for them to air their views.
Helping people to communicate empowers them to recognize important issues and find common grounds for action, and builds a sense of identity and participation in order to implement their decisions.
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Conclusion
All the factors that promote a good value system are all inter-related and connected, because for an individual or organization to have integrity, they must have proven they could be trusted and to do that they have to be consistent in all their ways and dealings.
Fairness, tolerance and communication are very important especially when managing and dealing with persons of different social classes.
All these factors are indispensable and crucial to the existence and togetherness of any system. When they are kept to the letter, progress and fulfillment are very much inevitable.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.