Understanding Civic Awareness, Responsibility, and Justice

Civic Awareness

The civic conscience tells us how we should behave as citizens. Elements of civic awareness include:

• Every citizen must know well the great ethical project that humankind has the challenge to achieve: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Every citizen should be aware of their rights and duties.
• Every citizen should promote positive feelings, be sensitive to the pain of others, and warn when duties have not been complied with.

Types of Responsibility

• Psychological responsibility: We are responsible for those things we do consciously and freely.
• Ethical responsibility: This is the knowledge and fulfillment of one's duties and obligations. Each individual is responsible for fulfilling their duties.

We call a person irresponsible when they know what they are doing but act on impulse or without anticipating the consequences.

Collective Responsibility

These are situations that do not derive from a single act, but from the cumulative acts of many people.

Who Are We Responsible For?

• Of ourselves and our health.
• Of our family.
• Of other human beings.

What Is Justice?

A just person is not merely one who knows what is right, but one who behaves fairly. We all want to be treated fairly, but what is justice? Defining justice is complicated.

Solidarity

Solidarity is defined as:

• A feeling that binds us to others.
• The recognition of our need for mutual support and respect.
• The acceptance of common rights and responsibilities.
• The performance of acts of cooperation.

Our Strongest Motives

• Motive for affiliation: The desire to be recognized, admired, and loved by others.
• Motive for power: This is present when someone seeks to impose or command others.
• Motive for success: The feeling when you realize you are able to do or accomplish something.

How Do We Reason and Stay Motivated?

• Given encouragement: We are all more capable than we think.
• Overcoming a challenge: When an activity is not motivating, we must approach it as a challenge.
• Achieving a reward: Giving ourselves a prize when we overcome some difficulty.
• Resisting: Nobody wins on the first try.

Discouraging Ideas in Adolescence

In adolescence, individuals begin to be interested in and concerned about many things. In addition, some of their basic ideas change. The belief appears that ability, rather than effort, is what matters, leading them to make false judgments.