PROFESSIONALIZATION AND PROFESSIONAL VALUES: A CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISON

A comparative study of professional values favored by American (N=293) and Turkish (N=94) social workers indicates considerable cross-cultural variation in the acceptance of certain values hitherto considered central to the social work profession. Moreover, adherence to professional values tends to be differentially associated with varying stages of professional training and career development, Turkish social workers, particularly, tend toward diminished adherence to professional values espoused during the course of professional training.