Personal Responsibility: an Acedemic and Professional Consideration
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: AN ACEDEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL CONSIDERATION
Ross McDonald
University of Phoenix
GEN/200: FOUNDATIONS FOR GENERAL EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
February 25, 2013
Students transitioning from high school to college today face many challenges. They are besieged by a host of external influences that may shape or cloud their ability to take responsibility. These influences include family, friends, religious beliefs, personal biases, and socioeconomic background. Even though these external influences seemingly dictate the decisions we are able to make, personal responsibility ultimately is an individual’s ability to respond to the ever-changing influences presented in life in a mature and reasonable way, employing the sum of our knowledge and experience and our willingness to accept and be held accountable for the consequences of our actions.
Doherty (1998) argues that society’s increasing refusal to hold individuals accountable for their actions and a tendency to blame others for the individual’s circumstances are a concerning trend. Doherty (1998) cites the tragic Jonesboro, Arkansas shooting in 1998 as a case in point, where two teenagers opened fire on students at a middle school. His article examines the reactions of the political and intellectual classes at the time and their unwillingness to place responsibility on the perpetrators, instead blaming all of us individually and collectively. Personal responsibility, however, must begin with a smaller, individual action.
For example, for students to attain any level of success in college, they must accept responsibility for the decisions they make every day. These decisions will include when to study and for how long, when to go to class, what type of job they need, and how they will socialize. Nontraditional or adult returning students face the same challenges but have more experience in handling these issues in most cases than traditional students. This experience,
Ross McDonald
University of Phoenix
GEN/200: FOUNDATIONS FOR GENERAL EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
February 25, 2013
Students transitioning from high school to college today face many challenges. They are besieged by a host of external influences that may shape or cloud their ability to take responsibility. These influences include family, friends, religious beliefs, personal biases, and socioeconomic background. Even though these external influences seemingly dictate the decisions we are able to make, personal responsibility ultimately is an individual’s ability to respond to the ever-changing influences presented in life in a mature and reasonable way, employing the sum of our knowledge and experience and our willingness to accept and be held accountable for the consequences of our actions.
Doherty (1998) argues that society’s increasing refusal to hold individuals accountable for their actions and a tendency to blame others for the individual’s circumstances are a concerning trend. Doherty (1998) cites the tragic Jonesboro, Arkansas shooting in 1998 as a case in point, where two teenagers opened fire on students at a middle school. His article examines the reactions of the political and intellectual classes at the time and their unwillingness to place responsibility on the perpetrators, instead blaming all of us individually and collectively. Personal responsibility, however, must begin with a smaller, individual action.
For example, for students to attain any level of success in college, they must accept responsibility for the decisions they make every day. These decisions will include when to study and for how long, when to go to class, what type of job they need, and how they will socialize. Nontraditional or adult returning students face the same challenges but have more experience in handling these issues in most cases than traditional students. This experience,
References: The above references support my essay in the following ways. Mergler provides an excellent definition of personal responsibility that is applicable to students in particular and life in general. Mergler’s work also directly relates to developing programs to teach students personal responsibility in an academic setting. Doherty’s article from Reason supports my assertion that individuals are blaming outside influences for their actions and that society is not holding the individual personally responsible. Mergler’s work is in the form of a scientific paper, presented as a doctoral thesis, and was accepted by the Queensland University of Technology. It is, therefore, a reasonable choice as a dependable reference for my essay. Doherty’s work was presented in the periodical Reason. Reason claims in their mission statement that they are a monthly print magazine directed at “free minds and free markets.” While I agree with the material presented here, some may call into question the reliability of this reference based on its political slant. Both Mergler’s and Doherty’s works are relevant to this essay. Mergler’s work is directly related to personal responsibility in an academic setting. She provides a very well reasoned definition of personal responsibility and lays out a plan for students and faculty to implement and follow. Doherty’s work asserts, as I do, that individuals are not demonstrating personal responsibility in society today. Doherty cites the tragic Jonesboro, Arkansas shooting in 1998 as a case in point, where two teenagers opened fire on students at a middle school. His article examines the reactions of the political and intellectual classes at the time and their unwillingness to place responsibility on the perpetrators, instead blaming all of us individually and collectively. Mergler holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Queensland University of Technology. This is a doctoral dissertation and a scientific study and does not seem to contain any bias. Philosophy is, however, by its very nature a subjective discipline. Doherty is the senior editor for Reason magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and is a libertarian/conservative journalist. Accordingly, his article may contain bias in that direction.