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Unit 1 Foundations and Trends in Family and Consumer Sciences
specialists must be comfortable with and appre-
ciate human diversity. Without an apprecia-
tion for diversity, client needs will not be met.
Take, for example, a nutritionist who is working
with individuals from a culturally diverse back-
ground. If his or her client considers particular
animal protein sources unethical or even sinful,
and the nutritionist does not appreciate cultural
values concerning food choices, the advice and
expertise may go unheeded. Even if the food
item is not considered taboo, the client may have
no experience preparing or eating it.
Capacity building also means using “internal
and external leadership skills in order to move
an individual, a group, or a project forward”
(Buck, 2003). Many challenges faced by families
cannot be solved through individual or family
efforts alone; participation in public policy may
be needed. Family and consumer sciences profes-
sionals are not content with impacting their own
small sphere of influence; they seek to change
the greater community through larger policy-
level efforts. They are motivated by a deep inter-
est in developing the community. For example,
an interior designer may work with a client to
design a home that is accessible for individuals
with physical disabilities. He or she may expand
this work by sharing resources and knowledge
with other interior designers, architects, and
builders. This builds a larger network of people
sharing resources to enhance life for members
of the community. The designer may eventually
help develop building laws and regulations that
require housing to be accessible for all people
through his or her work testifying at hearings or
writing legislators about proposed bills. Many
family and consumer sciences professionals work
diligently to change and formulate public policy
at the local, state, and national levels. Chapter 5
will further explore public policy.
Professionalism
What makes a person a professional? Is it a
college degree? an advanced degree? Is it compe-
tence in a field? skills? character? a certain salary
level? expertise in a field? The answer could be
“all of the above” or “some of the above” depend-
ing on the profession. The term professional is used
frequently in the English language to denote an
expected level of behavior, but it also denotes
skills and competence. Sometimes competence
is measured in academic degrees obtained.
Sometimes it is a combination of both experience
and training. Whether a person is considered a
professional may vary by field, but certain expec-
tations are denoted with the concept.
According to the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary, professionalism is defined as the
“conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize
or mark a profession or a professional person.”
General principles that underpin a definition of
professionalism include competence, complex
decision making, decisiveness, and community
awareness.
Professionals demonstrate a continuing com-
mitment to excellence by pledging to develop
competence in their field. That is, they are pre-
pared technically with the skills needed to
perform the job well. These may be specific task-
oriented skills, or they may be skills related to the
facilitation of getting a job done. Competence is
measured differently in each profession.
Sometimes competence is measured through
competency exams, apprenticeships, academic
degrees, internships, and length of experi-
ence. For example, a registered dietitian must
hold a baccalaureate degree, have completed an
approved supervised practice, and have passed
the Registration Examination for Dietitians to
demonstrate competency in the nutrition field.
An interior designer must pass an exam to receive
national or state certification. On the other hand,
an apparel merchandiser can demonstrate com-
petence through on-the-job performance, suc-
cessful internship completion, a college degree,
or a combination of the above depending on the
requirements of the position. Professionals are
not only competent in their field, but also dedi-
cated to developing their competence and influ-
encing environmental changes around them.
Competence generally increases over time with
experience and lifelong learning.