Professional Development and Ethics

This chapter discusses professional behavior and responsibility for faculty is often delineated through the ethics codes put forth by the professional organizations to which they belong. One of the core concepts of human development and family studies (HDFS) is that humans grow and change throughout the lifespan. For many, one of the earliest steps in forming a professional identity in HDFS is to explore and identify foundational areas of interest. Another potentially obvious step in developing a professional identity is the acquisition of knowledge and expertise in a particular area of study or practice. Essentially, they report screening digital identities for the purpose of assessing professional and personal character. The final component of professional identity development that addressed here is that of ethics, specifically moral principles or standards used to guide professional behavior. Several professional organizations have developed ethical codes of conduct or ethical standards to guide the behavior and decision-making of their members.