Personal Responsibility
Personal
responsibility is a subjective matter that can manifest itself in many ways.
There are various ways for a person to be personally responsible, and learning
how to be that way is a task that should begin early. This essay has the
purpose of presenting many ways of being responsible. Also, this essay will
show the importance and applicability of those skills not only in an academic
environment but also in a personal and professional setting.
First, it is important to learn the definition of personal responsibility. ”Personal Responsibility is taking responsibility for your actions, accepting the consequences that come from those actions and understanding that what you do impacts those around you.” (Reynolds, 2012) This definition takes an interesting approach on the subject because it evaluates that every action has a consequence. Understanding this concept is crucial in becoming responsible because it forces people to realize that even though they can chose to act recklessly, they will always have to face what will come back from their attitudes. Another interesting approach and definition of the theme is the one presented by Len Wilson, who says “(…) personal responsibility is defined as a person’s ‘response-ability,’ that is, the ability of a person to maturely respond to the various challenges and circumstances of life”. (Wilson, 2012) He explained this idea as being directly related to the idea of “personal capital” which he describes as being “the inner resources, assets, and advantages of personal responsibility and character that one brings to the challenges and circumstances of life”. This concept is very interesting because it explains that when people lack this sense of personal responsibility, or this “personal capital”, they can fall victims of the circumstances and are not able to take charge of their decisions, thoughts and actions. Those people will also feel powerless, worried, entitled and apathetic. None of those attributes are positive or welcomed in society.
There are so many aspects of people’s
lives when being personally responsible will help them not only achieve goals
and succeed but also grow, develop, and become a better person all around.
Starting in childhood, this is the best time to introduce simple ideas of
responsibility to someone. At this time, children’s brains are like sponges
that are ready to receive and absorb all the information and education they are
presented to. So, at this point in their lives, it is important to start
introducing basic ideas of responsibility and organization. Teaching them that
after playing with toys they must put them away, being kind and respectful to
their friends and obeying adults will set the ground for a further education on
personal responsibility that will come later. Danita Johnson Hughes explains
that “Teaching personal responsibility to children begins by activating a goal
you may already have for your child: to help them become independent
individuals who will function on their own one day. But this is a goal that is
easier said than done. Allowing children to do things for themselves is tough.
Letting them unravel conflicts and learn from their own mistakes is difficult.
As a parent, educator or mentor, you want to jump in and save them from their
own incompetence by showing them the “right” way (i.e. your way)”. (Hughes,
2010) This is an interesting concept, because even though children must be
taught to be independent and solve conflicts on their own, it is the parent’s
duty to help mold their character and lead them in the right direction.
If personal responsibility was not taught to a person during childhood, it is crucial that it gets learned in the teenage years. At this time, this task might me more difficult than it was on the earlier years, because teenagers have a tendency to be more rebel and less likely to take advice from their parents. Luckily though, parents can count on two weapons to enforce the learning of responsibility: money and consequences. Tim Sanford, a licensed professional counselor, explains on his article “Teens and personal responsibility” this great way he taught his teenage daughters how to be responsible with money. He said that he and his wife calculated how much money they spent with them every year on clothes, toiletries, entertainment and other categories. After getting an approximate amount, they divided that by 26 and, every two weeks, started giving the girls that money. That way, they learned to spend wisely, knowing that if they spent some amount on something frivolous, they would not be able to buy something that they would actually need. Although this idea might be a little more difficult to implement than the counselor makes it sound, it definitely has some merit. Even though the trial period may be frustrating (with the girls spending all their allowance in one big purchase), in the long run they would be smart and independent with their money. When it comes to using consequences as a way to teach teenagers how to be responsible, Tim says “As you let the cause-and-effect process of life run its course, your teen learns as much from her mistakes as she does from her successes. It may be your responsibility to protect her from disaster, but it's not helpful to protect her from the inconveniences of foolish
For teenagers, as well as for adults, being personally responsible is crucial if they are in school. Either being in high school or working on higher education levels, it is almost impossible to do well and succeed academically if the student is not responsible, punctual, aware of deadlines and focused. Part of being responsible means knowing that each person is in charge of his or her own educational path. It is important to accepting responsibility for one’s own actions and being aware that in case of failure, he or she is the only person to be blamed. By doing that, the student will always keep track f what is expected from him or her and will avoid feeling overwhelmed with the adventure that is education.
REFERENCES
Antonaros,
M., Barnhardt, C., Holsapple, M., Moronski, K., Vergoth, V., & Association
of American Colleges and Universities, W. C. (2008). Should Colleges Focus More
on Personal and Social Responsibility? Initial Findings from Campus Surveys
Conducted for the Association of American Colleges and Universities as Part of
Its Initiative, Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social
Responsibility. Association Of American Colleges And Universities
Hughes,
D. (2010). http://www.danitajohnsonhughes.com. Retrieved
from http://www.danitajohnsonhughes.com/2010/12/lessons-in-personal-responsibility-for-children/
Sanford,
T. (2010). http://www.thrivingfamily.com. Retrieved
from
http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Family/Stages/Teen%20Phases/2010/oct/teens-and-personal-responsibility.aspx
Reynolds,
C. (2012). http://www.examiner.com. Retrieved
from
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-columbia/personal-responsibility-can-help-us-overcome-budget-problems
Wilson,
L. (2012). http://www.lenwilson.com. Retrieved
from http://lenwilson.us/personal-responsibility/
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