Personal Responsibility: Why It Matters - Article Example

The paper “Personal Responsibility - Why It Matters" is a motivating example of a term paper on social science. Personal responsibility is the acceptance of the set standards by the society about various issues and following them, accountability of one’s actions and taking action to amend what is wrong without blaming others or waiting for others to take the action while you take the back seat (Brown, 2009). Personal responsibility can also be described as freedom to conduct one’s life as long as they do so according to societal expectations, values, and more.

Accountability is the most important aspect of personal responsibility and deals with acceptance and answerability to the responsibilities one has been accorded. If all individuals in society are personally responsible for issues and situations, then society would be a better place than it currently is.Types of personal responsibilityBrown, (2009) describes several types of personal responsibility for an individual in society. These include but are not limited to: economic, academic, scientific, intellectual, political and civil.

Academic personal responsibility is the freedom and accountability of issues to do with academics. This, therefore, means that the individual should be disciplined; portray professionalism when dealing with students or other academicians, represent the academic institution fully and also be ready, to tell the truth to the academic community and especially about issues to do with incompetence.Economic personal responsibility has to do with having economic freedom to engage in economic initiatives and economic growth without being corrupt, exploiting people economically or instigating economic inequality and especially to those of lower economic standards.

Political responsibility, on the other hand, is about accountability to the society ensuring that there is no favoritism, coercion, repression, and lack of exercising of rights of others. As a person with political autonomy and power, accountability to the public which one leads should be the main idea and the rest follow suit.Other than those mentioned above, there is also intellectual responsibility which seems similar to academic responsibility but it is unique in each and every person. Having intellectual responsibility means that the individual has mental ability and capacity to choose between the wrong and right decisions and express the same to others with justifiable reasons to back the decision made.

It also includes accountability of the actions and decisions or expressions an individual makes.Scientific responsibility is the freedom to use the scientific methodology for the benefit of all in society and not to harm them. These benefits include carrying out researches whose findings may in the future help solve complex human problems or save their lives. Civil responsibility has to do with the rights and freedoms and ensuring that none of the rights and freedoms is being abused by oneself or by others and in the end making the society better.

Benefits and consequences from your actions or lack of actionsThe benefits of having personal responsibility are that individuals become obedient, less violent and productive. With personal responsibility, people follow the rules and guidelines provided by the society according to the set standards, they also shun the wrong and follow the right as they understand the consequences of not doing so hence avoiding scenarios that will lead to violence. When a society is peaceful and people are accountable for their actions and even wrongdoing, then they will achieve even more in all they do.

The lack of personal responsibility leads to negative consequences of corruption, violence, dishonesty, discordance, lack of freedom and shunning of the knowledge of wrong or right (Brown, 2009).Arguments supporting being responsible Being responsible means accepting liability for the wrongs one has committed, being rationale in decision making and problem-solving, being accountable and not blaming others when things do not go according to plan. Responsibility also implies that one takes care of their health both physical and emotional or psychological, finding ways to inflict positive feelings and thoughts to oneself hence leading to having self-affirmation, strength, virtues and even nurturing one’s talent.

All these responsibilities will lead to putting away past issues that are harmful and hurtful to oneself or others away and welcoming new positive energy that will lead to positive thoughts, responsibility for oneself and even others. Arguments favorable at not being responsibleLack of personal responsibility in an individual leads to negative consequences such as being angry, pessimistic, fear making decisions, being physically and emotionally unhealthy like engaging in drugs and substance abuse, dependence on others.

All these, in the end, lead to a lack of development of personal relationships and leading unsuccessful ventures and blaming others for all the wrongs happening in one’s life (Brown, 2009).