Lesson 9
Responsibility: Do the Right
Thing or Face the Consequences
Introduction
 According to the PURE model, responsible action or
doing the right thing is the key to living the good life.
 Most problems can be resolved by accurately
proportioning responsibility.
 Who is responsible for my marital problems?
 Who is responsible for addiction?
 Who is responsible for date rape?
 Who is responsible for depression?
The Negative Meanings of
Responsibility
 Responsibility is an unwelcoming word.
 It implies finger-pointing and blaming.
 It implies guilt-trips.
 It means moral obligation and burden.
 It poses a threat to personal freedom.
The Positive Meanings of
Responsibility
 A sense of moral agency.
 A sense of freedom & self-efficacy.
 A sense of trust-worthiness & personal significance.
 Being a worthy member of a group.
 Having control over my future and destiny.
Freedom and Responsibility
(We covered this topic in lesson 3)
 Without freedom, there’s no responsibility.
 Viktor Frankl maintains that we always have the
freedom of choice.
 We are condemned to freedom.
 We are blessed with the capacity for freedom and
choice.
Existential Perspective
 To Frankl (1985), responsibility means “response-
ability” to meet the demand of meaning unique in
each situation as well as the demand of life.
 According to Jean Paul Sartre (1973), “existence
precedes essence”. The responsibility to exercise
freedom to choose how we exist determines what
kind of people we become.
Responsibility as a
Moral Duty
 Max Weber (1904) in the book Protestant Ethic and the
Spirit of Capitalism argues that we have a moral duty
to work hard and achieve material success.
 People who fail to put effort are held responsible or
blamed for the poor outcome.
 Moral victory is achieved because of the effort to
overcome temptation.
Responsibility for Others
 “Responsibility includes the wisdom to be
responsible for others…as well as for oneself ”
(Sternberg, 2003, p. 5).
 Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself ” (Luke
10: 27).
 “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).
 The story about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 2537).
Jesus’ Ministry
 Jesus spent most of his time healing the sick and
feeding the poor.
 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the
oppressed free.” (Luke 4:18)
Reasons for the decline of personal
responsibility
 Victim mentality
 Entitlement
 Dependence on others
 Defense mechanisms
 Self-serving bias (hedonic bias)
 Fundamental attribution bias (actor-observer bias)
 Scapegoating
Restoration of Responsibility
 Ultimately, we are responsible for what we do with
our own lives and what happens in society.
 The fundamental choice before us is:
a) Blame others for our miseries, OR
b) Assume full responsibility for our own existence
and future.
 We may not be responsible for what happens to us
but we are responsible for how we react to it.
Don’t Blame the Victim
 Emphasizing personal responsibility without blaming
the victim. It means empowering the victim to take
control of their own future and rise above the
trauma.
 Only in carrying out our responsibility for ourselves
and others can we find fulfillment.
Developing Responsibility
 Recognize the rippling effects of our choices and
actions.
 Exercise freedom within internal and external
constraints.
 Assume full responsibility for our lives.
 Have the courage to do the right thing regardless of
personal costs.
 Hold ourselves accountable to others and God.
The 3 R’s of Good Citizenship
 Responsibility
 Respect
 Resourcefulness
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Teaching Responsibility
(According to Alfred Adler)
 Provide an encouraging and democratic environment
 Encourage social interests & cooperation.
 Discipline thru natural & logical consequences.
 Avoid putting children in a position of inferiority.
 Don’t do for children what they can do themselves.
 Both pampering and neglect can undermine the
development of responsibility.
Conclusion
 No matter how legitimate, blaming never moves
us forward.
 Responsible action is the key to flourishing.
 We all have the freedom and responsibility to
create a better future.
 Remember the rippling effect for our words and
actions.
Inspiration Thoughts
The price of greatness is responsibility.
—Winston Churchill
Everything that is really great and inspiring is
created by the individual who can labor in freedom.
— Albert Einstein