Preview

Defining Personal Responsibility

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1048 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Defining Personal Responsibility
Defining Personal Responsibility and Obligations to Oneself
Angelica McElhone
University of Phoenix

Abstract
Personal responsibility is the choices and obligations we make in life. Everyone is responsible for their own actions no one else. We all must have good character, moral values and a healthy lifestyle in order to accept personal responsibility. Once we use our good character and moral values to help us know what is right and wrong, it is up to us to be responsible and make the right decisions. Also promoting a healthy life style show you are responsible mentally, physically and emotionally. All in all, once we accept the fact that we are the only ones who can change our lives by making good choices, we have accepted personal responsibility!

Defining Personal Responsibility and Obligations to Oneself

Personal Responsibility is realizing that you are responsible for the choices and obligations you make in your life! According to Dr. Dlugokinski, “Accepting personal responsibility may be one of the keys to happiness.” It is our responsibility to make sure we have good character, moral values and a healthy life style, no matter who influences you or how you grew up. Then and only then can you achieve this ultimate happiness. As we grow as people we develop many responsibilities throughout our life and we will always experience difficult choices. As a responsible person, it is up to us to decide what is good or bad, right or wrong and to accept the consequences of our actions.
Good character refers to the many qualities that distinguish one individual from another. (Merriam-Webster). Everyone has character, it is just up to us to decide which characteristics are our strengths and which are our weaknesses. Having qualities such as being trustworthy or punctual are good characteristics in a person, which if used correctly will have good results to our actions. Where does personal responsibility fit in? Well we are responsible to choose which



References: character. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster 's Medical Dictionary. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/character * I used this reference from the dictionary to give my readers a better understanding to what character means. I also wanted to explain that it is good character that is needed in a person’s personality that will help them achieve personal responsibility. People must avoid victimization mindset. (1995, May 24). Journal Record, pp. NOPGCIT. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/259366813?accountid=35812 * Dr. Eric Dlugokinski, psychologist and professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, says accepting your own responsibility requires determination, commitment and a recognition of reality. Dlugokinski said, "If you don 't know where your responsibilities start and stop, you continue blaming others and stay in an emotional rut forever." Defining personal responsibility, in many cases, requires soul-searching. Responsibility. (2007). Bloomsbury Business Library - U.S. Business Quotations, 133. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. * The article presents quotes related to responsibility from U.S. journalist Ambrose Bierce, Roman statesman Claudius Caecus and British poet Richard Aldington. This specific quote was delivered by the Romas statesman Clausius Caecus (fl. 300 b.c.).It was quoted in De Civitate (Sallust), sect. 1. This quote was perfect on concluding how I feel about personal responsibility. He says we are the arichetect of our own fate. He is saying that we decide how our lifes will turn out, no one else and that is accepting personal responsibility. It is a quote that sums up my whole paper in a single phrase. I have found out that it was quite difficult to find resources on the University Library for my essay. The library offers amazing resources for research but not much for personal essays. I did however manage to find a few quotes that fit perfectly in my essay. My first reference is not from the library, it is an internet resource from a reliable dictionary. This site is published so it is stating that it is reliable. The two sources given from the library are reviewed and published which means they are very reliable sources. I believe these resources strengthen my essay because it gives my reader a factual understanding.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The word character means moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Character flaws in the Crucible by author Arthur Miller seem very apparent as a common trait. The characters John Proctor and Reverend John Hale convey the dominant claim that character flaws do not define a person.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Personal responsibility is an essential element in every aspect of one’s life. What exactly does personal responsibility mean; the answer is most likely different for everyone. Chuck Gallozzi may have summed it up best when he stated, “Responsibility is not a burden, it is a blessing” (Gallozzi, 2009, title page). Those nine simple words speak volumes in that taking responsibility or holding oneself accountable, answerable, for their actions or inactions, accepting the consequences that result from those actions or inactions and most important, understanding the effect one has on family, friends, loved ones, coworkers, and classmates. Gallozzi went on to say, “No, we are not responsible for all that happens to us, but we are responsible for how we think, feel and act when they happen” (Gallozzi, 2009, Para 1).…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Father, what degree do you have? I reply to my children, I do not have a degree because college is not for me. Beside I have to work to provide the family needs in daily life. Are that enough responsibilities? Or is that an excuse you want to give to your children. Or you accept your responsibility by going to college to a degree. What is personal responsibility? To me, it is being responsible for your own actions, words, and thought. Although too much or lack-off personal responsibility can lead a great deal of stress, but having possessing a great personal responsibility can lead to college success because hard work, commitment,…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Educ

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. If you have a lively and positive character, it will channel towards your motivation. You will be determined and will do almost anything to achieve or…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Peraonal Responsability

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The term “personal responsibility” can appear self explanatory. When looking deeper, there are many aspects to becoming personally responsible. I believe there are many choices I can make that pertain to the success of my career. While looking at the goals that need to be accomplished to reach that level of success, there needs to be a great deal of determination and concentration. I believe this is an immense part of personally responsible.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Personal Responsibilty

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Thesis Statement: Personal responsibility is defined as taking responsibility for your actions and accepting the consequences of those actions because taking responsibility for your actions means you do not try to blame others for you not being able to finish school or your goals. Also, accepting the consequences of our actions teaches us to be more mindful of our choices and we can react to our mistakes. Even though blaming others for our failures is easy because we are more likely to feel better about the situation if someone else has to face the consequences.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Personal Responsibility

    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Personal responsibility is extremely important in life because it dictates the quality of your life. Your life is directly affected by the level of personal responsibility you practice. The definition of personal responsibility is vague and broad. It is comparable to defining a personality trait that includes several traits in one. These traits include ethics, moral decisions, freedom of choice, self-discipline and accountability. Personal responsibility also plays a vital role in your success as a student. Your success as a college student has a direct correlation with personal responsibility. As a college student it is also important to have strategies in place for your success. Having a plan on how you are going to succeed keeps you on track and helps you to enhance your personal responsibility. Personal responsibility does not have the same meaning for everyone or the value that is placed on this practice.…

    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    College Success Thesis

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The way I see it, personal responsibility is taking full responsibility for your all your actions and the way you handle yourself in the everyday life.…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The definition of personal responsibility according to Dictionary.com, responsibility is “the state or fact of being responsible” (2010). Personal is defined as “intended for use by one person:” and “done in person without the intervention of another” (2010). According to what it means to me, personal responsibility has accountability, choices, success, failure, happiness, consequences to adhere to and the ability to delay self-gratification. Personal responsibility appeals to me heavily because I have had to be personally responsible all of my life. I am who I am in life because of choices.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Personal responsibility means holding yourself accountable for our actions, owning up to our own behavior and dealing with the consequences, whatever they may be. In life, we cannot rely on other people to do things for us. It is so easy to blame the people around us when things go wrong, but ultimately it is up to me to determine whether or not I will succeed in life. Everyone has goals in life, but the only way to achieve them is to be realistic and set goals for themselves. Responsibility is more than just thinking or wanting to do something; it is about the actions that go along with those intentions. I love this quote from…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What does personal responsibility means to me? It means you don't try to find excuses when you did something wrong, and don't try to blame someone else.…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Personal responsibility can mean taking ownership in everything one does. It means different things too many people for different reasons. “Broadly defined, personal responsibility is a state in which an individual feels a sense of obligation to a situation or event.” DePasquale, J. P. (2000). Without personal responsibility one may fail not only in college or their job but also ultimately in life. I plan to practice personal responsibility in my education as well as life. One may need personal responsibility for the most success in life, there is a relationship between personal responsibility and college success.…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Personal Perspective

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In conclusion, although it not easy to admit that you’ve made a mistake, personal responsibility means admitting when you’ve made a mistake for two main reasons. First, everyone one makes mistakes. But most importantly, it’s easier to correct a mistake if you admit you’ve made one.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Personal Responsibility is something everyone needs to have if they want to succeed in life. I am glad I was taught from the beginning that taking responsibility for my all of my actions will make me a stronger and smarter person. What everything crumbles down to is that if a person does not take responsibility for their actions then they can never achieve or succeed in…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Academic Success

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In this paper, I will define what personal responsibility is to me and the role it plays in academic success. In my thesis statement, I state that personal responsibility starts from within. Its takes discipline and a willingness to do what you feel needs to be done. Failure or success in whatever you choose to do or not do in any area of life is based on your actions or inactions.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays