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A National Survey of Genetic Counselors’ Personal Values
Author(s) -
Pirzadeh Sara M.,
McCarthy Veach Patricia,
Bartels Dianne M.,
Kao Juihsien,
LeRoy Bonnie S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of genetic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1573-3599
pISSN - 1059-7700
DOI - 10.1007/s10897-007-9108-1
Subject(s) - hedonism , psychology , value (mathematics) , spirituality , social psychology , universalism , social value orientations , power (physics) , preference , clinical psychology , medicine , alternative medicine , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics , machine learning , politics , computer science , political science , law , economics , microeconomics
Abstract Personal values are motivational sources for an individual's actions [Hitlin and Piliavin (Annual Review of Sociology 30:359–393, 2004)]. Genetic counselors’ values may influence their behaviors in clinical practice, but a profile of their personal values has not been identified empirically. In this study, 292 genetic counselors completed the Schwartz Universal Values Questionnaire (SUVQ; Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 1–65). Boston, MA: Academic.), a widely used measure of value types, and provided information about their demographic characteristics. Results indicate that respondents highly valued benevolence , self‐direction , achievement , and universalism indicating a strong pattern of concern for the welfare of others. They placed considerably less value on stimulation , tradition , and power , which reflect personal interests. Respondents who reported practicing a religion scored significantly lower on stimulation and hedonism and higher on tradition and spirituality than those not practicing; married respondents and parents scored significantly lower on stimulation and achievement ; and males scored higher on power than females. The value types are described, and training and research recommendations are provided.