Which statement best captures the relationship between ethics and professionalism?

Which statement best captures the relationship between ethics and professionalism?

• A. They are synonyms
• B. Ethics describes norms; professionalism describes attitudes
• C. Ethics describes attitudes; professionalism describes norms
• D. Neither applies

Answer: (C)

Ethics establish the standards for right and wrong in a professional context. Professionalism is how you carry those standards into practice—your attitudes, demeanor, competence, and responsibility on the job. So ethics defines the norms, and professionalism expresses those norms through your attitude and behavior. The idea that ethics are just attitudes or that professionalism is just norms doesn’t fit the way ethics set the rules and professionalism demonstrates them in action.

Ethics establish the standards for right and wrong in a professional context. Professionalism is how you carry those standards into practice—your attitudes, demeanor, competence, and responsibility on the job. So ethics defines the norms, and professionalism expresses those norms through your attitude and behavior. The idea that ethics are just attitudes or that professionalism is just norms doesn’t fit the way ethics set the rules and professionalism demonstrates them in action.