Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude
Unit 1
Ethics
Ethics is a set of principles that influences our decisions and determines the direction and goal of our lives. As a
theory, ethics provide the basic fundamental principles of moral judgement. While as a practice, it is
concerned about ends to be gained and the means of attaining it.
A society's own set of ethical norms serves as a guide for its people's behaviour, decisions, and actions.
 The preservation of principles and ideals is also a part of it.
 It takes more than just following a tradition or custom, rather, it necessitates research and
assessment of these rules in the context of universal truths.
What is the Dimension of Ethics?
 Descriptive Ethics:
It is the study of people’s values about morality and gives a general pattern or a way of life of people
in different types of communities. o It is concerned with what individuals genuinely perceive
to be correct or incorrect. Descriptive ethics studies the history and development of ethics. It gives a
record of certain taboos, customs, or principle. Theoretical model of Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of
moral consciousness explains descriptive ethics.
 Normative Ethics:
Normative ethics involves attaining moral standards that regulate right and wring conduct. It is the
study of ethical acts. It, therefore, focuses explicitly on the questions of ‘what is the right thing to
do?’. The Golden Rule is a classic example of a normative principle ‘We should do to others what we
would want others to do to us.’.
Normative ethics is also called perspective ethics. It basically intended to establish moral benchmarks
that define what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. It is an effort to find the best yardstick
for righteous conduct. How individuals should behave is determined by the study of ethical theory.
o The followings are some of the dimensions of normative effects
 Deontology Ethics: It contends that the ideal ethical action protects and respects the
moral rights of those impacts.
 Consequentialist approach: According to this approach, ethics of an action is
determined by its consequences, result or outcomes. The better consequences an
act produces, the better or righter that act was.
 Contractarianism: According to this viewpoint, moral rules are those that are
acceptable to all members of society.
 Natural rights theory: This viewpoint believes in the existence of absolute inherent
rights that are bestowed upon humans just by their humanity.
 Divine Command theory: It claims that behaviour is justified if God has ordained
that it is right.
 Meta Ethics: The term ‘meta’ means after or beyond and consequently, the notion of metaethics
involved a bird’s eye view of the project of ethics. Metaethics deals with the theoretical meaning and
reference of moral propositions and how their values (if any) may be determined. This dimension of
ethics investigates where our ethical principles come from and what they mean.
The issues that decide whether a certain issue or object is morally correct or wrong are the primary
concern of meta ethics. It is more concerned with the fairness of morality itself than with whether a
particular conduct is moral or immoral.
The meta ethics has been divided into two parts by modern philosophers.
o Non-Cognitivism: According to this conceptual perspective, whether we categorize anything
as right or wrong is a reflection of our moral knowledge.
o Cognitivism: This way of thinking places a strong focus on how facts and figures determine
what is morally right and wrong.
In metaethics, two issues are prominent: (1) Metaethical issues concerning whether morality exists
independently of humans, and (2) Psychological issues concerning the underlying mental basis of our
moral judgements and conflicts.
 Applied Ethics:
It is analysis of specific controversial moral issues, such as abortion, suicide, animal rights, or
euthanasia and helps to use knowledge of moral principles to present dilemmas.
Two characteristics are necessary for an issue to be considered as an ‘applied ethical issue’.
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o First, the issue needs to be controversial in the sense that there are significant groups of
people both for and against the issue at hand.
o The second requirement for an issue to be an applied ethical issue is that it must be a
distinctly moral issue and not just a social controversy.
Applied ethics encompasses a broad spectrum of areas:
1. Bioethics: This area deals with ethical issues in biology and medicine, such as the morality
of abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, and the allocation of scarce medical resources.
2. Business Ethics: This focuses on ethical issues in the business world, including corporate
responsibility, insider trading, bribery, discrimination, and ethical practices in marketing and
advertising.
3. Environmental Ethics: This area addresses the ethical relationship between humans and the
environment, including issues such as conservation, pollution, habitat destruction, and animal
rights.
4. Professional Ethics: This involves ethical issues related to the responsibilities and conduct of
professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and accountants, including confidentiality,
conflict of interest, and professional integrity.
5. Technology Ethics: This area examines ethical issues related to the development and use of
technology, including privacy concerns, cybersecurity, the digital divide, and the ethical
implications of artificial intelligence and robotics.
6. Legal Ethics: This focuses on ethical issues in the practice of law, including the duties of lawyers to
their clients, the court, and society, as well as issues of justice and fairness in legal proceedings.
Essence of Ethics (chase)
Essence – the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something especially something abstracts which
determine its characteristic.
Nature Essence
Contextual – change based on context like time, Impersonal set rules for good of money – for the
society etc. good of many
Different levels of operation – different on different Non-religious – does not go against religion, it
groups, for example: ethics on one particular friend detached from religion
group is different from another group, also on
different levels like locality, district, state, nation etc.
Subjective – is debateable, for example: All that society accepts is not ethics
compensation lak theih loh vanga national highway
block tum hi a block tumtu tan chuan a ethical a
mahse a bak mipui tan a ethical lo thei.
Inter-related – a hungry man is a angry man – Can be anti-law – slavery is legal, opposing it might
unethical at a point of time can be ethical, for be ethical
example: due to severe lack of foods one might
consider robbing as an ethical act. Another example
can be euthanasia
Found in non-human interaction – especially
environmental ethics. Example- slaughtering of cow
and dogs.
Transcending -
Maintained by sense of responsibility -
At the heart of ethics is a concern about something or someone other than ourselves, our own desires and
self-interest. Ethics is concerned with other people's interests, with the interests of society, with the ‘ultimate
good’. Thus, when people think ethically, they are giving some thought to something beyond themselves. The
essence of ethics can be understood as follows:
 The scope of ethics includes only voluntary human actions. This means the actions done by human
consciously, deliberately and in view of an end. It is concerned about that part of human conduct for
which human has some personal responsibility.
 It is a set of standards that a society places on itself and which helps in guiding behaviour, choices and
actions of its members.
 It is concerned about what is right, fair, just or good; about what we ought to do, not just about what
is most acceptable or expedient.
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 It endeavours to analyse and evaluate the principles embodied in various alternatives for conduct and
social order.
 It includes study of universal values such as essential equalities of all men and women, human or
natural rights, obedience to the law, concern for health and safety and, increasingly, also for the
natural environment.
 In order to understand ‘what ethics is’, it is important to know ‘what ethics is not’?
o Ethics is not morality: Ethics differs from morals and morality in that ethics denotes the
theory of right action and the greater good, while morals indicate their practice. Ethics is not
limited to specific acts and defined moral codes, but encompasses the whole of moral ideals
and behaviour, a person's philosophy of life. Moreover, morality does not demand
acquiescence from others the way ethics does. A person can remain moral all by himself
without accounting for morality of others, whereas ethics includes all.
o Ethics is not religion: While religion is individualistic in nature, ethics applies to everyone
irrespective of the religion one follows and even those who do not follow any religion
(atheist).
o Ethics is not law: In law, a person is guilty when he violates the law or the rights of others,
however, in ethics one is guilty even if one thinks of doing so.
o Ethics is not intuitive or feeling based: Ethics is not based on whether we feel something is
right or wrong. Sometimes, our intuition signals us that we are facing an ethical dilemma,
and we want to do the right thing, but feelings or intuition also may prevent us from
behaving ethically, perhaps out of fear or conflicting desires.
Determinants of Ethics
Our ethics is largely shaped by influences that determines how we live our lives in a society. These influences
are called determinants. They inform the way in which an individual acts or takes decision and tells us what
society expects from its members in a behaviour. These determinants can be largely categorized as
psychological, personal, religio-cultural and socio-political.
1. Pychological Determinants
 Human Conscience and Intuition – This school believes that what is good is good because it is good.
Its goodness or badness does not need any justification. Accordingly, what is good or not can be
detected by the intuitive moral sense. Basic moral truths are self-evident to a person who directs
his/her mind towards moral issues. Please note that moral truths according to an intuitionist are not
derived from rational arguments or from having a hunch or a feeling. They are simply realized by
pondering over moral issues. It is like an ‘aaha!!’ moment of realization.
2. Personal determinants
 Leadership – The leadership of a society or an organization or nation also helps to determine the
conduct of their followers or admirers is ethical. For example – Indian democratic, liberal, secular,
tolerant tradition has been the gift of our forefathers and makers of modern Indian society. However,
leadership is also prone to unethical practices. It depends on the virtue of the leaders themselves.
Thus, being ethical cannot always be equated to following the leader.
 Philosophies – Various philosophers and thinkers subscribe to different sets of ethics. For example –
for a consequentialist, ethics in action is determined by its outcome while for a deontologist, it
depends on the nature of the act itself. Thus, ethical values of an individual will depend upon the
philosophy to which it was closer to in formative years.
3. Religio-cultural determinants
 Culture – The ethical principles of an individual are also influenced by the culture and the country in
which she/he is based. For example - western culture seems to be individualistic while Indian culture
is based on values of universalism and multiplicity. Even literature, scriptures etc. guide person’s
conduct. For example – Vedic literature, Buddhist literature etc.
 God and Religion - It advocates universal and ideal ethical standards. Religious textbooks deal with
questions of how an individual should behave and how the society should be. For e.g. Christian
Morality is one of the important sources of ideal individual behaviour in west.
The conception of ‘Ram Rajya’ in India is more of an ethical society rather than a governance model.
Religion based ethics trace the source to God - something is good because God says so, the way to live
a good life is to do what the God wants. However, one should not identify ethics with religion.
Because then ethics would apply only to religious people. But ethics applies to the behaviour of the
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atheist as well. Also, the source of religion can scientifically be only traced back to humans. As such, it
is dependent upon context, situation and experience and is subject to errors and revision.
4. Socio-political determinants
 Society - In any society, most people accept standards that are, in fact, ethical. However, one should
not equate being ethical to "whatever society accepts" as society can deviate from what is ethical. An
entire society or its large influential section can become ethically corrupt. For example, Nazi Germany
or Stalinist Russia imposed on their citizens particular standards of living and tried to indoctrinate
them. Caste system in India has continued through millennia because of approval of influential
members of the society. Further, there are many issues where there is no social consensus. Thus,
ethics cannot be equated with whatever society accepts.
 Family, teachers and life experiences – Parents, family and teachers shape the value system of a child.
Their behaviour, conduct and teachings influence the direction in which the child steers. In fact,
affiliations to same religion, customs and tradition are seen in same family. However, some also break
free from the beliefs, notions and ideas of their parents and choose their own set of principles
according to own free will. For example – a boy may consider girl child same as that of male child
even if he and his sister was treated unequally by their parents.
 Law - The law often incorporates ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. However, one
should not equate being ethical to following the law. Laws, at times, can deviate from what is ethical.
For example – slavery laws in US did not make slavery ethical. On the other hand, laws which banned
slavery and gave equal rights reflect convergence of laws and ethics. Relationship between law and
ethics has been detailed above.
 Constitution – Constitution of various countries also is a way to establish moral disposition of their
society. For example – equality, accountability, democratic values are reflected in some country’s
constitution and autocratic, high-handedness, and inferiority, non-participative values are reflected in
the framework of other countries.
Because, law, society, religion can deviate from what is ethical, one needs to constantly examine one's moral
standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded. Being ethical requires continuous effort in
studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct and striving to ensure that we follow it in our routines.
Thus, individual by oneself is also one of the most important determinants of ethics – everyone has emotional
convictions or deep intuitions about the immorality of, say, murdering an innocent victim, about aborting a
female foetus, or regarding child abuse.
Skill in addressing ethical issues can be learned and cultivated if we recognize the importance of doing so. The
requirement is that we view our treatment of ethical problems as an ongoing process of designing the best
courses of action for specific situations we face. This demands that we are able to establish a framework for
understanding ethics in dynamic rather than static terms.
Why Do We Need to Be Ethical in Our Actions?

Every human being wants to be good. Each person desires what is best for oneself. The ethical principles and
moral practices help one to attain what is best. It helps a person to perfect himself/herself as a moral being.
Morality has to do more with one’s interior self than the practice of some customs or set rules. Viewed from this
point, morality is a deep-down desire in human person and is something to do with the very nature of human
person.
The rational nature of human person makes him/her aware of certain fundamental principles of logical and moral
reasoning. For the functioning of any society, we need certain rules and regulations. The conditions of a
satisfactory human life for people living in groups could hardly obtain otherwise. The institutions which are
designed to make life easier and better for humankind, cannot function without certain moral principles.
Morality is a lot like nutrition. Most of us have never had a course in nutrition or even read much about it. Yet
many of us do have some general knowledge of the field, of what we need to eat and what not. However, we also
make mistakes about these things. Often thinking of the good a particular diet can do in the long run for our
health, we may go for it although it may bring no immediate satisfaction. So too is our moral life. While nutrition
focuses on our physical health, morality is concerned about our moral health. It seeks to help us determine what
will nourish our moral life and what will poison it. It seeks to enhance our lives, to help us to live better lives.
Morality aims to provide us with a common point of view from which we can come to agreement about what all
of us ought to do. It tries to discover a more objective standpoint of evaluation than that of purely personal
preference.
Thus, Ethics can provide a moral map, it leads to thought to do something beyond themselves, Ethics acts as a
source of group strength and ultimately inculcating Ethics in one’s life make human beings good people and their
actions good as well.
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Ethics is not only about the morality of particular courses of action, but it's also about the goodness of individuals
and what it means to live a good life. Virtue Ethics is particularly concerned with the moral character of human
beings.
Consequences of Ethics in Human Action:

The consequences are the effects caused by an action. Many of our actions, decisions, and choices of everyday
life are made with an eye to the consequences. Human beings by nature tend to be consequence oriented.
That means we have a tendency to seek intended results and the quality of these results/consequences
depend on how much goodness they contain.
An action is judged to be good or bad on the basis of its outcome. If other people suffer, it is wrong. If people
benefit, it is right. Consequences, then, are an important consideration in our analysis of ethical conduct. The
cases where the consequences of an action are attributable to the doer who is held responsible for an effect,
involve the following conditions:
 If the doer holds notice (even if vaguely) or knows ahead what the consequences of a particular
choice or action will be, he/she is presumed to have willed the effect. For example, in case of a bad
effect, if a hunter sees an object, but is unsure whether it is a man or a deer. The hunter anticipates
vaguely what the consequences of firing a shot may be: killing of deer or killing of men. If the hunter
chooses to shoot anyhow, he has willed the effect, whether the killing of dear or killing of men.
 If the actor does not perform the act but causes another one to do it (in the form of help,
encouragement or persuasion), the first person is still morally responsible for the consequences of the
act to the degree that he or she foresaw those consequences. For instance, if a politician gives a hate
speech that incites communal violence in a sensitive area, he will be considered guilty of the
commission of a wrong act.
 If one remains silent or does not take any action - If a person witnesses a road accident and refrains
from helping the victim in critical condition, he fails to perform the duty of a good Samaritan
therefore, is guilty of errors of omission and the bad consequences (death of the victim) that follow.
 Thus, whatever increases, lessens or destroys the liberty and knowledge that are essential for a moral
act also increases, lessens or destroys the responsibility of the actor.
However, predicting consequences of human actions is difficult. There is whole theory of ethics that is based
on nature of consequences. It is called Consequentialism. However, please note that ‘Consequentialism’ is just
one part of ‘Consequences of Ethics’. Consequentialism is an ethical theory which says that an act should be
considered ethical if it is able to produce good consequences.
Ethics in Public Relationships
Public relationships are those that exist by the virtue of profession (for e.g. Civil services) or the position one
holds in professional life (for e.g. Prime Minister or President). Ethics in Public relationship guides one’s
behaviour, action and decision-making process. It is vital to maintain the integrity of the profession. For
instance, Ethical conduct such as adhering to rule of law by civil servants maintains the integrity of civil services
but instances of Encounter Killing, Preferential treatments etc. lower down public confidence in administrative
machinery.
Public relationship – Ethical Principles
 Rule of law – It is a constitutional directive for civil servants that must be adhered with. This brings
consistency and predictability in the conduct of civil servants. For example, Civil servants are expected
to honour due process of law with respect of investigation, inquiry and arrest in criminal cases. They
should restrain from torturing accused and encounter killings.
 Fairness & Justice – This is the basic demand of our constitution. This directs politicians and civil
servants to frame policy framework in order to accommodate all sections of society based on
the Principle of Equity. For instance, Affirmative Actions (Provisions of Reservation) for weaker
sections have been incorporated through various legislations.
 Transparency and Accountability – Public relationships require transparency and accountability in
order to ensure fairness in public dealings and increase public confidence. For instance, Social audit is
an important mechanism to ensure transparency in the expenditure of public funds and also makes
public servants accountable for any mismanagement.
 Honesty, integrity and Probity – These values direct a civil servant to show highest standards of moral
behaviour while engaging with public at large. For instance, Mere non-involvement in coercive and
collusive corruption (Honesty and Integrity) is not enough but civil servants are expected to expose
and fight corruption (Whistleblowing) till the end (Probity).
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 Impartiality and Non-Partisanship – Right to equality under Art 14 of the Indian Constitution is the
source of this principle. This helps civil servants to restrain from personal biases, engaging in nepotism
or potential conflict of interest situation. For instance, In Janta Darbar (Public hearings) organised by
various Chief Ministers, every citizen is allowed to raise their grievances without any preferential
treatment.
 Minimum level of Courtesy – It is highly important in the official conduct of civil servants in India. This
induces the sense of belongingness among the common masses. For instance, Prashanth Nair
(IAS) style of engaging with public at large earned him the title of ‘Collector bro’.
 Spirit of service – This is crucial in order to serve the purpose of service. Civil servants are expected to
go beyond the call of duty to serve public interest. This has dual benefits – inner satisfaction to the
person concerned and inspiration for his colleagues to fulfil the service goals.
Nolan Committee – Ethics in Public Life
 Selflessness – Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of public interest. They
should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or
their friends.
 Integrity – Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation
to outside individuals or organizations that might influence them in the performance of their official
duties.
 Objectivity – In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding
contracts or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make
choices on merit.
 Accountability – Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public
and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
 Openness – Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions
they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider
public interest clearly demands.
 Honesty – Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public
duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
 Leadership – Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership.
Ethics in Private Relationships
Private relationships are often given (For e.g. Life partner, Friends) or inherited (For e.g. Parents) that are
relatively permanent with more tolerance for imperfections. Ethics in private relationships refers to the basic
principles and values that govern interactions with family members, life partners, friends etc. They are based
on emotional bonds rather than any formal procedure that regulates them and therefore, informal in nature.
This can be best understood from the Life of Karna (A character from Mahabharata) whose friendship for
Duryodhan broke all boundaries of even blood relationships since he fought against his own brothers
(Pandavas) to honour the Ethics of friendship.
Private relationship – Ethical Principles
 Care and Affection – Emotional bond of affection and care goes beyond limitations. This bond is not
driven by legal rules or quid pro quo but by human emotions. For instance, In Mahabharata, King
Dhritrashtra had unconditional affection for his sons despite of their misdeeds and always took their
side while being the King of Hastinapur.
 Fidelity – This is key driver of marital relationship and essence of Ethics of marriage. It refers to being
loyal to one’s life partner and avoid sensual distraction or committing adulterous act.
 Confidentiality – In order to maintain sanctity of private relationships, secrecy and privacy are of
paramount importance. For example, we generally restrain ourselves to share secrets of our friend,
colleague, life partner etc. without their permission else it would bring disharmony in such
relationships.
 Truthfulness – Truthfulness is the key demand in private relationships. It amplifies the mutual trust
and strengthens the emotional bonds in such relationships. For instance, being always truthful helps
in avoiding unnecessary conflicts that may arise out of one’s alleged suspicious activities.
 Responsibility & Accountability – In private relationships, one is bestowed with various responsibilities
such responsibility towards child, life partner, parents etc. This requires fulfilling the responsibility
towards them and also being accountable to them, in case of non-fulfilment of responsibility.
 Tolerance and acceptance of minor imperfections – Human beings can never achieve perfection thus
there is bound to be conflict in private relationships in absence of any prescribed rules and
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regulations. Therefore, one must accommodate the imperfections of others to bring peace and
harmony in such relationships. For instance, your wife is quite introvert in public interactions, you
being a civil servant doesn’t like this but tolerate it for peaceful marital life.
Source of Ethics in private relationships
 Divine command and Religion – Those who are religious and theist accept Divine commands and
follow them in their personal life to please God in order to attain salvation. For example, Ten
Commandments (of Bible) is the source of guidance for Christians for their behaviour with family,
neighbour and society at large.
 Individual experiences (Intuition and Emotions) – Even intuition and emotions are quite crucial in
understating the proper behaviour towards private relationships. For example, Emotion of love and
care are naturally inclined towards our family which doesn’t need any social conditioning.
 Social conditioning – Some of the values are also learned from environmental factors that influence
human being such as Family, peer groups, society etc. For example, Child learns from his parents –
How one should behave with elders in the family.
 Law of the land (Constitution) – Some of the ethical principles are governed by legislations and
constitutional values. For example, not outraging the modesty of women is a Fundamental duty under
Indian constitution. Similarly, Adultery though now legal to commit but it can cited as the reason of
divorce. Thus, ensuring fidelity in marital relationship has legal directives.
Relation between Ethics in Private and Public relationships
The distinction between ethics in private and public relationships is a dubious one because both in public and
private lives, one has to live by some of the common ethical values. A person who is unethical in his public life
can hardly be expected to be ethical in his private life and vice versa. For instance, A dishonest civil servant is
least expected to show integrity in his personal relationship.
Separation of public and private relationships
1. Need of separation
 Domain of influence – Domain of both the relationship is completely different. It is important that
neither private relationship should impact public relationship nor vice versa. For instance, conduct of
civil servant should not get affected if he fought with wife before coming to office. Similarly, his
discontent due to his public work should not get manifested while having conversation with wife. This
is pre-requisite to maintain the sanctity of both the relationships.
 Conflicting roles – Domain of these relationships are not always in harmony but sometimes, they are
in the conflicting position. For instance, Mahabharata war happened as a result of King Dhritrashtra
conduct of mixing public relationship with private affairs. He behaved more like a father than a king
throughout his life.
 Potential conflict of interest – Avoiding conflicts of interest situation is one of the Public service
values. This requires strict separation of professional and personal life else civil servants might be
charged with nepotism, favouritism etc. even though he never made any favour.
 Divergence of values – Public relationship demands openness where private relationship is governed
by the value of confidentiality. For instance, Personal life of public figures should not be put public
scrutiny else it causes mental agony. This can be related with Dr Shashi Tharoor life when his wife
died under mysterious circumstances, people started coming with bogus stories and charged him with
abetment of suicide. Recently, Court has given him clean chit.
2. Limitations
 Areas of Convergence – Though there are some areas of convergence in spite of separate domain of
influence. For instance, in western countries, conduct of politicians in private life greatly affects their
political career. For e.g. – Barack Obama relationship with his wife, Bill Clinton-Lewinsky controversy.
 Rigid separation – This may turn out to be counter-productive since these relationships can be used to
enrich each other. For instance, value of affection and care learned through private relationships can
be used to give humane touch in public dealings.
 Shared values -Some values are shared or common to both the relationships. For instance, integrity
and compassion are common values to both the relationships.
Effect of private relationships on public relationships
Positive
 Positive attitude – Harmonious relationship in private life is the source of positive attitude for public
servants to effectively engage in public life. This attitude helps in going beyond the call of duty to
honour the spirit of public service.
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 Emotional bond – Emotional bonds that we share in private relationship can be leveraged upon to
give humane touch in public engagements. For example, a District Collector who is loving and caring
in personal life is also likely to show compassion towards poor and needy in his official role.
Negative
 Troubled relationship – Troubled personal relationships adversely affect behaviour of civil servant in
public sphere. Thus, healthy private relationships are a basic need, in order to have good public
relationships. For example, Training courses are provided to manage work-life balance
 Biasness – Our communication in private relationship is more often biased or prejudiced which
sometimes gets reflected in our public engagement. For instance, Civil servants from patriarchal
family often have stereotypes with respect to their female colleagues.
Effect of public relationships on private relationships
Positive
 Motivation – Public service values motivate civil servants to implement the desirable elements of such
values in private relationship. For instance, Civil servants uphold democratic values in letter and spirit
in their public engagement, this helps them to rear their child through Democratic Parenting.
 Induction and Training – Civil servants are trained in way to become vigilant and responsible citizen of
the country. This responsibility pushes him to oppose social evils being practiced in private
relationships. For example, not accepting Dowry from in-laws or opposing practice of dowry at home.
Negative
 Spillover effect – One’s misconduct in public relationship slowly getting reflected in personal
relationship. For instance, Public servants who lacks integrity at work place are generally bound to be
unfaithful to their life partners. They are found to be engaged in adulterous act. Think about corrupt
politician and bureaucrats whose sex scandals came into public domain (Bill Clinton – Lewinsky sexual
scandal).
 Work Life Balance – Even excess involvement in public life doesn’t go well with private relationships.
You might have heard about civil servants ending up marital relationships on the pretext of paucity of
time for partners or work priorities, in turn, not able to bring harmony between personal and public
relationships.
In what ways do ethics influence public relationships
Ethics significantly influence public relationships by shaping the trust, credibility, and integrity of interactions
between individuals, organizations, and the broader community. Here’s an overview of how ethics impact
public relationships:
1. Building Trust and Credibility
 Honesty and Transparency: Ethical behaviour fosters trust and credibility. When individuals and
organizations are honest and transparent in their communications and actions, it builds confidence
and reliability.
 Consistency: Ethical consistency in actions and messaging helps maintain public trust. People are
more likely to trust those who demonstrate consistent ethical behaviour.
2. Enhancing Reputation
 Positive Image: Organizations and individuals known for their ethical conduct enjoy a positive
reputation. This enhances their public image and makes them more attractive to clients, customers,
partners, and the community.
 Brand Loyalty: Ethical behaviour cultivates brand loyalty. People prefer to associate with and support
entities that demonstrate ethical responsibility.
3. Fostering Respect and Fairness
 Respectful Engagement: Ethics promote respectful interactions with the public, ensuring that all
individuals are treated with dignity and consideration.
 Fairness: Fair treatment of all stakeholders, including customers, employees, and the community,
reinforces a sense of justice and equity.
4. Mitigating Conflicts
 Conflict Resolution: Ethical principles provide a framework for resolving conflicts amicably. When
disputes arise, ethical guidelines help ensure that solutions are fair and just.
 Preventing Misunderstandings: Clear and honest communication, guided by ethical standards, helps
prevent misunderstandings and misinformation.
5. Encouraging Accountability and Responsibility
8|Rema Ralte GS-IV

 Accountability: Ethics demand accountability for actions. When individuals and organizations take
responsibility for their actions, it strengthens public trust.
 Responsibility to Stakeholders: Ethical behaviour ensures that the needs and concerns of all
stakeholders are considered and addressed responsibly.
6. Promoting Social Good
 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Organizations that engage in CSR activities demonstrate their
commitment to ethical principles by contributing positively to society. This enhances their public
relationships and community standing.
 Community Engagement: Ethical engagement with the community, through initiatives that support
social causes and public welfare, fosters stronger, more positive relationships.
7. Legal and Regulatory Compliance
 Adhering to Laws: Ethical behaviour involves compliance with laws and regulations, which helps avoid
legal issues and enhances public trust.
 Ethical Standards Beyond Legal Requirements: Going beyond mere legal compliance to uphold higher
ethical standards strengthens public relationships.
8. Enhancing Communication
 Clear and Ethical Communication: Ethical principles guide clear, honest, and respectful
communication. This ensures that messages are conveyed accurately and appropriately, enhancing
mutual understanding.
 Listening and Responsiveness: Ethical behaviour includes actively listening to the public’s concerns
and responding appropriately, fostering a two-way relationship built on respect and consideration.
9. Improving Decision-Making
 Ethical Decision-Making: Decisions guided by ethical principles are more likely to be perceived as fair
and just by the public, improving relationships and trust.
 Transparency in Decisions: Explaining the ethical rationale behind decisions helps the public
understand and support those decisions.
Summary Ethics influence public relationships by building trust, enhancing reputation, fostering respect and
fairness, mitigating conflicts, encouraging accountability, promoting social good, ensuring legal compliance,
enhancing communication, and improving decision-making. Ethical behaviour in public relationships creates a
foundation of trust and mutual respect, essential for positive and lasting interactions with the community and
stakeholders.
In what ways do ethics influence private relationships
Ethics play a crucial role in private relationships by fostering trust, respect, and mutual understanding. Here
are several ways in which ethics influence private relationships:
1. Building Trust and Honesty
 Transparency: Ethical behaviour involves being honest and open with each other. Transparency about
feelings, actions, and intentions builds trust.
 Reliability: Consistently acting in a trustworthy manner ensures that partners can rely on each other.
2. Enhancing Respect and Dignity
 Mutual Respect: Ethics demand treating each other with respect and dignity, which strengthens the
bond and ensures both parties feel valued.
 Empathy and Understanding: Ethical behaviour include empathy, the ability to understand and share
the feelings of another, fostering deeper connections.
3. Promoting Fairness and Equity
 Fair Treatment: Ethical relationships are based on fairness, ensuring that both parties are treated
equitably and justly.
 Equality: Ethical principles advocate for equality in relationships, where both parties have equal say
and consideration.
4. Encouraging Responsibility and Accountability
 Taking Responsibility: Being ethical means taking responsibility for one’s actions and their impact on
the relationship.
 Accountability: Holding oneself accountable ensures that mistakes are acknowledged and corrected,
maintaining the relationship's integrity.
5. Supporting Clear Communication
 Honest Communication: Ethics guide individuals to communicate truthfully and clearly, reducing
misunderstandings and fostering effective dialogue.
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 Active Listening: Ethical behaviour involves actively listening to the other person’s concerns and
feelings, which strengthens mutual understanding.
6. Resolving Conflicts Peacefully

 Fair Conflict Resolution: Ethical principles provide a framework for resolving conflicts fairly and
peacefully, ensuring that both parties feel heard and respected.
 Compromise and Understanding: Ethics encourage finding mutually acceptable solutions through
compromise and understanding.
7. Fostering Loyalty and Commitment
 Dedication: Ethical relationships are characterized by loyalty and commitment, ensuring that both
parties are dedicated to the relationship’s well-being.
 Support: Being ethically committed means supporting each other through challenges and celebrating
successes together.
8. Promoting Kindness and Compassion
 Caring Actions: Ethics encourage acts of kindness and compassion, which enhance the emotional
connection and strengthen the relationship.
 Forgiveness: Ethical behaviour includes the ability to forgive, which is essential for overcoming
mistakes and moving forward together.
9. Maintaining Privacy and Confidentiality
 Respecting Boundaries: Ethical relationships involve respecting each other’s privacy and personal
boundaries, which fosters a sense of security and trust.
 Confidentiality: Keeping shared information confidential ensures that both parties feel safe in being
vulnerable and open.
10. Nurturing Growth and Development
 Encouraging Growth: Ethical relationships support personal growth and development, encouraging
each other to pursue their goals and aspirations.
 Constructive Feedback: Providing honest, constructive feedback helps both parties grow and improve,
strengthening the relationship over time.
Summary Ethics influence private relationships by fostering trust, respect, fairness, responsibility, clear
communication, peaceful conflict resolution, loyalty, kindness, privacy, and personal growth. By adhering to
ethical principles, individuals can create strong, healthy, and enduring relationships based on mutual respect
and understanding.
Shared ethical elements in public and private relationships
 Truthfulness – Being truthful is the basic demand in both the relationships in order to maintain the
integrity of relationship. For instance, civil servants must be truthful to his life partner to maintain
fidelity in marital relationship, in addition being truthful political masters and citizens helps one to
earn reputation in professional life.
 Altruism – Being altruistic is highly desirable in both public and private relationships. For instance, civil
servants are expected to be compassionate in public engagements, in addition this virtue helps one to
give patient hearing to the needs of loved ones.
 Dedication – This is crucial in order to avoid inner conflict. For instance, being fully dedicated to life
partner helps one to avoid adulterous act and in public sphere, restrains civil servants to engage in
corrupt activities and honour spirit of public service.
 Accountability and Responsibility – Taking responsibility of one’s action and being adequately
answerable for the act of commission and omission is the shared values of both relationships.
Upholding these values boost trust and confidence among the stakeholders. For example, civil
servants are hold accountable and responsible for sexual harassment in both the relationships, be it
done at home or workplace.
 Interpersonal relationships – Interpersonal communication improves the quality and productivity of
relationship at both personal and public level. This is very crucial in order to maintain Work-life
balance. Inter-personal communication helps civil servants to make her partner understand the
nature of public service, in case his partner is unhappy with him for not spending quality time with
her. Similarly, this helps in holding communication with subordinate staffs to make them feel special
and unique.
10 | R e m a R a l t e GS-IV
As we know, relationship is an inescapable necessity in our life since our personality is the mere manifestation
of how we manage these relationships. For instance, personality of a crook is nothing but the troubled
relationship, he shares at personal and societal level. Thus, there is a need to manage these relationships in
proper manner by upholding concerned ethical principles as discussed above.
Generally, People think that personal and public relationships are diverging in nature and must have different
standards to practice but we have the problem with separation. Even Mahatama Gandhi disagreed with this
viewpoint. He held that, conducts of public servant should be open to public scrutiny since they are devoted to
the profession of public service barring few intimate relationships such as Relationship with life partner. This
doesn’t mean that his adulterous conduct is beyond public scrutiny.
However, excessive public scrutiny is also not feasible. We have recently seen controversy surrounding Cine
actor Sushant Singh Rajput Case wherein his girlfriend conduct was subjected to media trial. Though she is a
public figure but we have to self-examine, to what extent her personal relationship should be scrutinised in
public domain.
This requires to strike a balance between public and private relationships instead of seeing them as mutually
exclusive domains. Ethics principles governing these relationships should be leveraged upon to enrich our
relationship at both levels.
[see decode while practicing answer writing: Pg-90]
‘Value’ comes from the Latin word ‘valere’, which means to be of worth, to be strong, something that has a
price, something precious, dear, etc. Values are a set of standards, rules or regulations of behaviour which
play a crucial role in shaping the life of individuals, rules or regulations of behaviour which play a crucial role
in shaping the life of individuals.
Q. Discuss the role of the family in the development of the value system in an individual.
Introduction
Approach
 Introduce by importance of family system in Indian context.
 Discuss the role of family in development of value system in an individual.
 Conclude Suitably.
A. Family is the first social institution to which an individual interacts and learns the moral values through
the process of socialisation. The value system practised in the family becomes automatic to the young
family members.
Body
Role of Family in Building Value System
 Environment of Family: The family shapes the child’s attitude towards people and society, and
helps in mental growth in the child and supports his ambitions and values.
o For example, a blissful and cheerful atmosphere in the family will develop love, affection,
tolerance, and generosity.
 Learning By Modelling: A child learns his behaviour by modelling what he sees around him and thus
family plays a major role in helping a child socialize.
 Traditions & Customs: Ideas passed down from generation to generation make up family values.
o Customs And Traditions followed and taught by the family leads a disciplined and
organized life.
 Preparing Base for Next Generation: It teaches the individual how to behave and project himself to
the next younger generation and the emotional support adds the importance of family values.
 Elementary Introduction to Ethics: A child has a strong sense of what is right and wrong and are
less likely to become victims of deviant influences.
Conclusion
Family helps in instilling the moral values like truthfulness, happiness, peace, justice in children’s thoughts,
feelings and actions and they function as ideals and standards that govern their actions in their life.
Q. Describe Human Values and explain the role of society in the inculcation of values in the members of
the society.
Approach
 Start your answer by giving a brief about Human Values.
 Discuss the role of society in the inculcation of values.
 Conclude suitably.
A. Introduction
These are values which are essential for people to behave like humans. Since a person is born as human
different from animals therefore, society has evolved some values due to human interface, and interaction
with other fellow humans.
They are values which guide the behaviour of two or more humans. Compassion, empathy, and solidarity
are some examples of human values.
Main Body
 Religion and culture are somewhat intertwined, and the inculcation of values through societal
channels is most influenced by their codes. Hindu teachings, for instance, strongly influence Indian
values such as tolerance and reciprocity.
 Tradition and customs are fundamental components of any society structures. Some of the basic
principles of tradition and custom include allegiance (Raksha-Bandhan), belonging (Holi), and so on.
 Depending on the type of political state, which can be either democratic or authoritarian, the
population are taught the appropriate values. However, occasionally our values regarding the
current system can be influenced by the politics of other states.
 Values held by society's participants are also influenced by its economic structure. The socialist
economy, for instance, encourages the virtue of equity, whereas the market economy instils the
qualities of inventiveness and competition.
 The importance of mass media has increased in the digital age. E.g. The recent issue over social
media corporations disclosing user information to private organisations for the purpose of
analysing voter behaviour for political gain (Cambridge Analytica case). It has a role to develop
community values or promote hatred toward the people of other communities.
 Civil society influences people's values by organising people around a common cause and
employing media, protests, etc. to further that cause. The MKSS campaign, which resulted in the
RTI Act, 2005 in India, for instance, promoted openness and transparency in government.
 Through demonstration or persuasion, leaders can change the attitudes of their followers.
Celebrities, for instance, have an impact on how others dress, eat, behave, etc.
Thus, society helps a long way in the inculcation of different human values like compassion, sympathy,
cooperation, etc.
Q. Discuss the role of parents and schools in inculcating values among children.
Demand of the question Introduction. Contextual introduction. Body. Discuss the role of parents and schools in inculcating v
among children. Conclusion. Way forward.
Parents and school play an important role in inculcating values among children. They help in socialisation of
children by influencing them with their attitudes and beliefs and it is from them that children primarily get
their values.
Role of parents in inculcating values among children:
1. Role models: Parents are a child’s first teachers and role models. Children listen, observe and
imitate their parents. So, it is important that they should be good role models the kids would want
to follow.
2. Moral development: Child’s experiences from birth especially at home, frame his/her morals,
which he eventually develops. Parents, they play a significant role in instilling the morals that they
feel are valuable. Moral development shapes the child’s decision making process.
3. Family values: Ideas passed down from generation to generation make up a family values. It
answers the basic question of how one wants to live the family life. Family values enhance the
character and turn the children into good human beings.
4. Right conduct: Parents communicate this not just by discussing it with their children but also by
walking the talk. They transmit simple habits, like keeping the surroundings clean, being truthful
and honest etc.
5. Activity based learning: Activities like games and story-telling have a significant impact on children.
This way parents can impart the desired values. Take for instance the value of sharing and caring.
6. Attitude development: The family, shapes the child’s attitude towards people and society, and
helps in mental growth in the child and supports his ambitions and values. Blissful and cheerful
atmosphere in the family will develop love, affection, tolerance, and generosity.
Role of schools in inculcating values among children:
1. Ethical behaviour: In school, children are members of a small society that exerts a tremendous
influence on their moral development. Teachers serve as role models to students in school. They
play a major role in inculcating their ethical behaviour.
2. Peers: Peers at school diffuse boldness and consideration for others. They play a major role in
developing ethical behaviour in children.
3. Role model: The teachers are the first role model to the children outside their family. When the
children see the model showing concern for others, motivating them for their good deeds and
cooperating and helpful with their academic issues, the children learn them by observing and
imitating it with fellow peers.
4. Helping: The children are taught basic morals and values in school. They are taught by emphasizing
the idea through many activities, stories and tales, which will encourage them to engage in more
helping behaviours.
5. Appreciation: The school is a place to learn appreciating the children for developing prosocial
behaviour, especially for any specific action they have done to help others.
6. Character building: The school and teacher has a powerful and enduring influence in the formation
of the character of every future citizen.
7. Skill development: Teacher acts as a pivot for the transmission of intellectual and technical skills
and cultural traditions from one generation to the other.
8. Mentor and guide: Teacher is a source of information, a guide, a mentor, a surrogate parent, a
motivator, all at the same time. Teaching is the only profession which always deals with the future.
9. Appropriate behaviour: School is an important place specially to build appropriate ways of
behaving towards friends, peers, the poor, elders and more.
10. Value teaching: School help in teaching a child values like empathy, sympathy, warmth, respect,
integrity and honesty and its importance.
The role of a parent and teacher in the changing social scenario is becoming very challenging. In the earlier
times the teacher was the only source of information and commanded respect on this count. Today, we
have multiple information centers like books, coaching centres, the audio visual aids such as audio
cassettes, video tapes, microfilms and internet services that provide information to those who need it.
Society is becoming more materialistic and values appear to be pushed into the background. So the parent
and teacher role is very crucial in developing values in their child.
Sources of values
 Family factor
The most important factor which influences the value system of an individual is his immediate family. A family
is a social institution with a bond of common beliefs, religion, customs, culture, language and a way of life.
The child rearing practices adopted by parents shape the personality of a child.
The task, role and function of families have not changed with time.
 Educational institution
Of all the social factors, school and other educational institutions play the most important role in developing
the value system of an individual. It is in a school where the child is introduced to the world as he or she gets
out of the comfort zone of the family.
Moreover, the interactions with the teachers, classmates and other people in the school make the child
inculcate values important to the teaching-learning process.
 Socio-cultural Factors
Cultural factors include everything that is learned and passed on from generation to generation. Culture
includes certain beliefs and patterns of behaviour. Whether a person is cooperative, friendly, or hostile often
depends upon the cultures and also within certain groups of a particular society.
 Social factors apart from educational institutions which contribute to the value system of an
individual are religious, economic, and political institutions in the society.
o The economic policy of a country may favour economic development even if it is not
inclusive in nature. Such an approach may disregard the value of equality and equal
opportunity.
o Political institutions may favor capitalism over communalism and merit among the youth of
that nation.
o Religion often plays a very important role in inculcating values especially in countries like
India where people are often conservative and take pride in their religion.
Unit 2
Attitude
Attitude refers to the views, beliefs or evaluations of people about someone, place, thing, ideas or an event. It
can be positive, negative or neutral. Attitudes are formed through learning, emotions and past experiences
and are powerful in influencing the behaviour of the people.
An attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in
a person's behaviour. It encompasses a range of mental states, beliefs, and emotions towards specific people,
objects, or situations. Attitudes can be positive, negative, or neutral and are influenced by individual
experiences, social interactions, and cultural contexts.
For example, a person believes that smoking is unhealthy, feels uncomfortable when people smoke, and
avoids being in situations where people smoke.
Classification:
 Explicit:
o If a person is aware of his attitudes, and they influence his behaviour and beliefs, his
attitudes are explicit.
o Explicit attitudes are formed consciously.
 Implicit:
o A person may be unaware of his implicit beliefs though these still have some influence on his
conduct and behaviour.
o Implicit attitudes are subconscious attitudes.
What are the Components of the Attitude?
Attitude has three components.
1. Cognitive component: This refers to an individual’s beliefs and thoughts about the object or person.
For example, if someone has a positive attitude towards exercise, they may believe that exercise is
good for their health and well-being.
2. Affective component: This refers to an individual’s emotional response to the object or person. For
example, if someone has a negative attitude towards a political candidate, they may feel anger or
disgust when they see or hear about that candidate.
3. Behavioural component: This refers to an individual’s tendency to behave in a certain way towards
the object or person. For example, if someone has a positive attitude towards recycling, they may be
more likely to recycle their waste and encourage others to do the same.
Attitudes can be formed through a variety of processes, including direct experience, socialization, and
exposure to persuasive messages from others. Attitudes can also change over time, through processes such as
persuasion, cognitive dissonance, and social influence.
What are the Functions of Attitude?
 Knowledge Function:
o Attitudes have a knowledge function, which enables individuals to understand their
environment and to be consistent in their ideas and thinking. Most attitudes serve this basic
function in some measure. For example, an individual who has a positive attitude towards a
particular brand of shoes may use that attitude to organize information about shoes, making
it easier for them to make a purchasing decision.
o Some attitudes are useful as they help us to develop a better understanding of the world. It
also helps us to know the reasons behind any incident. These attitudes help in developing
attraction towards people, things or events which will be useful in future. It provides
meaning (knowledge) to life.
o Attitude helps in determining pre-calculated steps or predicts future events and gives us a
sense of control. Thus, knowing a person’s attitude helps in predicting his behavior. Attitude
helps us to organize and structure our experience.
o Example of Knowledge Function:
If we know the person who is religious. Then we can predict that he will go to
temple/mosque/church etc, according to his religion for worshiping the God.
 Utilitarian Function:
o Attitude helps individuals in maximizing benefits and minimizing disadvantages while
interacting with individuals, groups and situations in their environment. Utilitarian attitudes
lead to behaviour that optimizes one’s interests.
o It is also known as “Adaptive function”. We adopt positive attitudes towards things that help
us or reward us. And try to increase the awards as much as possible and decrease the
punishments. It means that we develop positive attitudes towards things that are associate
with Rewards. Which develops negative attitude towards things that are associate with
punishments.
o Thus, a person always tries to avoid punishment. In other words any attitude that is accept
by a person’s own self-interest is consider to serve a utilitarian function.
o Attitudes can serve a utilitarian function by helping individuals to maximize rewards and
minimize punishments. For example, if a person has a positive attitude towards exercise,
then they are more likely to engage in it, resulting in health benefits. On the other hand, if a
person has a negative attitude towards drug use, then they are less likely to use drugs,
avoiding negative consequences.
o Example of Utilitarian Function:
In an election, generally the people from ST/SC/OBC will support party which promises to
keep the reservation. While the people from General category will support party which
promises to end reservation. Thus, the voting behaviour or attitudes of both the groups are
influenced by their interests served and utility.
 Performing a Social Role:
Attitudes help perform a social role, helping in an individual’s self-expression and social interaction.
o Subscribing to a given set of attitudes signals one’s identification with important reference
groups to express one’s core values, and to establish one’s identity. This social role of
attitudes is known as social identity function, it underlies an individual’s desire to establish
his individual and social identity.
 Maintain an Individual’s Self-Esteem:
o Attitudes can serve as defence mechanisms for handling an individual’s internal mental
conflict which reflect tensions within the individual psyche.
o The defence mechanisms hide an individual’s true motives from himself or psychologically
isolate him from groups perceived as hostile or threatening.
o Attitudes maintain self-esteem in other ways also. An individual’s attitudes toward many
things are influenced by his view on how they affect his own self-assessment.
 For Example: Our attitudes toward our friends and social acquaintances depend on
whether we regard such association as enhancing or lowering our social standing.
 Ego-Defensive Function:
o This function of attitude protects us from accepting real or bitter truths about our-self. It also
helps a person during emotional conflict situations. And it is also used to define our self-
respect or ego. In other words, it is use to save our self-image. Thus, this function involves
different defence mechanisms used by the people to protect themselves from psychological
harm.
o Attitudes can serve an ego-defensive function by protecting individuals from uncomfortable
or threatening information. For example, a person who has a positive attitude towards
smoking may discount or ignore information about the negative health.
o These mechanisms include Denial, Rationalization and Repression etc. Generally, a person
uses the ego defensive function when he is frustrating and wants to satisfy his ego.
 Value-Expressive Function:
o This function helps a person in expressing his fundamental values towards other persons. In
other words, it serves to express one’s central values and self-concept. Central values tend to
establish our identity and gain us social approval thereby showing us who we are, and what
we stand for. Generally, it comes with humanity.
o Attitudes can serve a value-expressive function by allowing individuals to express their core
values and beliefs. For example, an individual who strongly believes in animal rights may
have a negative attitude towards products that have been tested on animals, and this
negative attitude expresses their core values.
o The Knowledge and Utilitarian functions comprise of outside needs (i.e. materialistic aspects)
while, ego-defensive and value expressive functions comprises of inner needs (i.e. spiritual
aspects). To become a successful person a person, need to create between inner needs and
outer needs.
What are the Causative Factors behind the Formation of Attitudes?

 Culture:
o Culture exerts enormous influence on an individual. Culture in itself includes religion,
tradition, customs, prohibitions, rewards and sanctions.
o Socialisation is the process by which culture shapes the attitudes of the people.
o Culture teaches individual beliefs, attitudes and behaviour that are acceptable in one’s life
and society.
o For example: Consuming beef in India is generally considered taboo but in western countries,
there is no such restriction.
 Family:
o Family is the most important and closest social group for a person. It is the nursery for
attitudinal formation.
o Parents are more influential among the family system who structure and mould the attitude
of a child.
o Extended family and sibling relationships, in particular, play an important role in attitude
formation.
 Social Groups:
o Several social groups apart from family play an important role in attitude formation which
includes friends, peers, colleagues, etc.
o Consider the voting pattern in India. There are people who do not listen to candidate’s
speeches, read newspapers or follow debates. They talk with friends, family, etc. and vote for
a candidate. Families, friends and other such social groups most definitely influence the
choice of a candidate.
 Institutions:
o A man is never alone. From cradle to grave he is under the influence of one institution or the
other.
o For example: Educational institutions like schools and colleges act as repositories of
knowledge, direct and shape the beliefs, values of a person and thus form attitudes.
 Familiarity:
o Familiarity breeds positive attitude. Man, generally has a fear of the unknown, so anything
familiar might make him or her feel at peace.
o Familiarity and classical conditioning act on emotions of an individual and therefore shape
the affective component of attitudes.
What are the Techniques to Bring Change in Attitude?
 Classical/ Pavlovian Conditioning:
o In this technique, the person is exposed to a positive and neutral stimulus repeatedly and
after some time the response to neutral stimuli becomes the same as response to positive
stimuli.
 Instrumental Conditioning:
o A process in which a positive behaviour when rewarded has more chances of repetition
unlike the negative behaviour which if repeated would lead to punishment and thus less
chances of repetition.
o Example:
 Parents celebrating the success of a child by praising them among friends will form a
positive attitude of the child towards success. Further, when parents punish the
child for their mistakes, it discourages the child from making those mistakes again.
 Social Observation:
This involves learning from our social environment such as family, school, media and its expression.
Attitude change is influenced by various factors such as
 Persuasion: It is an active attempt to change another person’s attitudes, beliefs or feelings. People can
be motivated through emotional appeal, rational calls through radio, TV, social media etc leading to
attitudinal shift. It can be enhanced if the speaker is a renowned personality. For instance, roping in
celebrities for spreading the message of Swachh Bharat Mission.
 Dissonance: People can change their attitudes when they have conflicting beliefs about an issue
(Cognitive Dissonance) so as to reduce the mental discomfort created by these incompatible beliefs.
 Experience or Upbringing: Attitude of children can be changed depending on the parenting attitudes,
family’s belief and values etc.
 Mode of spreading the message: Face-to-face transmission of the message is usually more effective
than indirect transmission, such as through mass media. For example, a positive attitude towards Oral
Rehydration Salts (ORS) for young children is more effectively created if community social workers
and doctors spread the message by talking to people directly, than by only describing the benefits of
ORS on the radio.
Attitude’s influence and relation with thought and behaviour
Attitudes have a significant relationship with both thought (cognition) and behaviour (actions). This
relationship can be understood through the three components of attitude: affective, behavioural, and
cognitive. Here is how attitudes interact with thoughts and behaviours:
1. Cognitive Component (Thoughts):
 This component involves beliefs, ideas, and knowledge about the attitude object. For example, if
someone believes that exercise is beneficial for health, this belief forms part of their cognitive attitude
towards exercise.
 Thoughts can influence attitudes by shaping how we interpret and process information. Positive or
negative beliefs about an object or situation can reinforce our attitudes towards it.
2. Affective Component (Feelings):
 This involves the emotional reactions or feelings toward an object, person, or situation. For instance,
someone might feel happy and energized about the idea of exercising, which forms the affective part
of their attitude towards it.
 Emotions can drive attitudes by making certain thoughts more salient or significant. For example,
positive feelings towards exercise might strengthen the belief that it is beneficial.
3. Behavioural Component (Actions):
 This refers to how attitudes influence our actions or behaviours. For example, a positive attitude
towards exercise might lead a person to engage in regular physical activity.
 Behaviours can also reinforce attitudes. If a person has a positive experience with a particular
behavior, such as feeling healthier after exercising, this can further solidify their positive attitude
towards exercise.
Interrelationship Between Thought, Attitude, and Behaviour:
 Attitudes Influence Thoughts: Our attitudes can shape the way we think about certain subjects. For
instance, if we have a positive attitude towards a political candidate, we are more likely to think
favourably about their policies and decisions.
 Thoughts Influence Attitudes: New information and experiences can alter our beliefs and,
consequently, our attitudes. Learning new facts about a topic can change our attitude towards it.
 Attitudes Influence Behaviour: People are likely to act in ways that are consistent with their attitudes.
For example, someone with a positive attitude towards recycling is more likely to engage in recycling
behaviours.
 Behaviour Influences Attitudes: Engaging in a behaviour can led to changes in attitudes, especially if
the behaviour leads to positive or negative outcomes. This is known as the principle of cognitive
dissonance, where people change their attitudes to align with their behaviours to reduce
psychological discomfort.
Overall, the relationship between attitudes, thoughts, and behaviours is dynamic and reciprocal. Attitudes
guide how we think and behave, while our thoughts and behaviours can also shape and reinforce our attitudes.
Attitude’s Influence and Relation with Thought and Behaviour
Case 1 – Attitude ≠ Behaviour
 For example, plenty of people may support a particular candidate, but they may not take the pain to
go out and vote for him, Thus, attitudes may not always predict the actual pattern of one’s
behaviour.
 LaPierre’s study shows that the cognitive and affective components of attitudes do not necessarily
coincide with behaviour.
Case 2 – Behaviour ≠ Attitude
 There can also be instances where negative behaviour co-exists with a positive attitude. This usually
occurs when the positive attitude needs to be stronger. For example, consider a person with a
positive attitude, not to jump a queue.
 However, when he sees everyone around him doing the same, he may think he will lose, if not jump
queues. Thus, he may behave opposite to his original attitude – which we can call as positive.
Case 3 – Attitude = Behaviour

 Psychologists have found that there would be consistency between attitudes and behaviour when:
 The attitude is strong and occupies a central place in the attitude system.
 The person is aware of their attitude.
 There is very little or no external pressure on the person to behave in a particular way. For
example, there is no group pressure to follow a particular norm.
 The person’s behaviour is not being watched or evaluated by others.
 The person thinks that the behaviour would have a positive consequence and intends to
engage in that behaviour.
 Note: Persons with high integrity usually show a direct relation between attitude and behaviour.
Case 4 – Behaviour = Attitude
 People dislike Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is when a person experiences psychological
distress due to conflicting thoughts or beliefs. To reduce this, people may change their attitudes to
reflect their other beliefs or actual behaviours.
 This means they prefer their attitude and behaviour to be aligned in the same direction. By giving
incentives to behave contrary to the attitude, Leon Festinger and James Carl smith (study in 1954)
proved that the first attitude can be changed to suit their external behaviour.
Example: Thoughts and Attitudes in Health Behavior
Background
John is considering starting a new exercise routine. His thoughts and attitudes towards exercise will play a
crucial role in whether he adopts and sticks to this new behavior.
Scenario 1: Thoughts and Attitude Influence Each Other Positively
1. Initial Attitude: John has a positive attitude towards exercise, believing it is beneficial for his health.
2. Thoughts: He thinks about the long-term health benefits and feels motivated to start.
3. Behavior: John joins a gym and begins working out regularly.
4. Reinforcement: As he starts to feel more energetic and sees improvements in his physical fitness, his
positive attitude towards exercise is reinforced, and he continues to engage in regular workouts.
Analysis: In this scenario, John’s positive thoughts and attitudes towards exercise positively influence his
behavior, and his successful experiences reinforce his positive attitude.
Scenario 2: Change in Thoughts Leads to Change in Attitude and Behavior
1. Initial Attitude: John is sceptical about exercise, thinking it might be too time-consuming and not very
enjoyable.
2. New Information: A friend shares a success story about how exercise improved their health and mood.
3. Change in Thoughts: John starts to think about the potential benefits of exercise more positively.
4. Behavioural Shift: Motivated by this new perspective, John decides to give exercise a try and begins with
small, manageable workouts.
5. Outcome: As John experiences the benefits, such as increased energy and better mood, his attitude
towards exercise becomes more positive.
6. Attitude Change: His initial scepticism shifts to a positive attitude, making him more likely to continue
exercising.
Analysis: Here, a change in thoughts (influenced by new information) leads to a change in attitude and
behavior, resulting in a positive cycle of reinforcement.
Scenario 3: Thoughts Change, but Attitude and Behavior Remain Unchanged
1. Initial Attitude: John has a negative attitude towards exercise, believing it is too difficult and not
enjoyable.
2. New Thoughts: He reads articles and hears from friends about the benefits of exercise and starts to
intellectually understand its importance.
3. Behavior: Despite this new information, John does not start exercising because he still feels it will be too
hard and unenjoyable.
4. Cognitive Dissonance: John’s thoughts about the benefits of exercise conflict with his persistent negative
attitude.
5. Outcome: His negative attitude remains strong, and he does not change his behavior.
Analysis: In this scenario, although John's thoughts about exercise become more positive, his strong initial
negative attitude prevents him from changing his behavior. The disconnect between thoughts and attitude
highlights how deeply entrenched attitudes can resist change despite new, positive thoughts.
Conclusion: These examples illustrate the complex interplay between thoughts, attitudes, and behavior.
Positive thoughts and attitudes can reinforce each other and lead to positive behaviours, while new
information can sometimes shift thoughts and attitudes leading to behavior change. However, strong initial
attitudes can sometimes persist despite changes in thoughts, preventing behavior change.
How is Attitude related to the Value System?

 A value system refers to the order and priority an individual or society grants to ethical and
ideological values.
 While two individuals or groups may share a set of common values, they may not give equal weight or
preference to those values.
What is the Difference Between Attitude and Behaviour?

Attitude Behaviour
 Attitude is defined as a person’s mental  Behaviour implies the actions, moves,
tendency, which is responsible for the way he conduct or functions of an individual or
thinks or feels for someone or something. group towards other persons.
 A person’s attitude is mainly based on the  On the other hand, the behaviour of a
experiences gained by him during the course of person relies on the situation.
his life and observations.  As opposed to, behaviour expresses a
 Attitude is a person’s inner thoughts and person’s attitude.
feelings.  On the contrary, a person’s conduct is
 The way of thinking or feeling is reflected by a reflected by his behaviour.
person’s attitude.  Attitude is a human trait but behaviour is an
 Attitude is defined by the way we perceive inborn attribute.
things whereas behaviour is ruled by social
norms.
Moral Attitude
Moral views on what constitutes “right” and “wrong” behaviour serve as the foundation of moral attitudes.
More powerful than moral concepts are moral attitudes.
It is commonly known that among all categories of natural values, ethical values rank highest. Moral principles
such as goodness, purity, truthfulness, and humility of man are valued more highly than qualities such as
genius, brilliance, exuberant vitality, and the beauty of nature or of art, as well as stability and power of a
state.
Studies have shown that moral ideals are always a person’s particular values. Only man is capable of
possessing them and realizing them. A person is morally good or bad depending on his or her acts and
attitudes, will and efforts, love and hatred, joy and sadness, and fundamental attitudes.
A man with these qualities—humility, purity, honesty, and affection—will have a personality that exudes moral
principles.
Man will lack moral goodness as long as he disregards the moral values of other people, is unable to
distinguish between the positive value inherent in truth and the negative value inherent in error, and is unable
to understand the positive value inherent in human life and the negative value associated with injustice.
Families, communities, religion, and education all play significant roles in forming moral convictions.
Moral attitudes have the advantageous implication that they are entangled with powerful emotions. As a
result, normal societies avoid abnormal behaviours out of fear of social ostracization, such as child
molestation.
Moral attitude characteristics
 Reverence
 Faithfulness
 Veracity
 Goodness
Reverence
The foundation for realizing a man’s moral principles is the capacity to hold moral beliefs, uphold them, and
respond to them. Only the individual who possesses reverence bears these signs.
An emotion or attitude of profound respect for others that is tinged with wonder is known as reverence. It is
the mindset that can be referred to as the beginning of all moral life since it is in it that man first adopts a
posture toward the world that allows him to make spiritual judgments and understand values.
Reverence t is the essential prerequisite for all deep knowledge, especially the ability to understand values.
Every response to value, every surrender of anything valuable, is predicated on reverence, which is also a
necessary component of that response.
The foundation of all moral behaviour toward our fellow humans and toward ourselves is the fundamental
attitude of reverence.
Every true love begins with the fundamental attitude of reverence. Similar reverence is seen in acts of kindness
toward others, respect for another’s rights and freedom to make decisions, restraint of one’s own hunger for
power, and awareness of another person’s rights in all contexts.
Faithfulness
Among the characteristics of a person’s moral attitude that are fundamental to his or her entire moral
existence, faithfulness is another crucial aspect.
Faithfulness is the idea of consistently putting one’s allegiance into action and remaining faithful to someone
or something, despite adverse circumstances.
A man will be more capable of becoming a vessel of moral ideals, a creature in whom purity, justice, humility,
love, and goodness will dwell permanently and radiate from him to the world around him, the more faithful,
consistent, and solid he is. This loyalty in the truest meaning of the word is a basic moral principle that applies
to all people.
Veracity
Reliability is yet another fundamental predicate of a person’s moral life. A person who is dishonest not only
displays a serious moral deficiency, but also suffers from crippling effects on every aspect of his personality,
moral life, and ability to uphold moral principles.
The dishonest individual does not hold values in high regard. He takes a lordly posture over the being and
handles it any way he pleases. This attitude conveys a sense of haughtiness, disdain, and impertinence.
Integrity, constancy, and responsibility awareness are the cornerstones of a moral existence in general. It has a
great value in and of itself, and like these other qualities, it is also necessary as a fundamental assumption of a
personality which is true.
Goodness
The foundational element of moral principles is goodness. Goodness is the only moral value that more fully
embodies the entire reign of moral values than any other.
A man’s goodness is not restricted to having kind thoughts for just one person they adore. When someone is
described as being good, it indicates they consistently demonstrate their open goodness and have a loving,
giving character toward all men.
Because goodness is a fundamental attitude and position rather than being restricted to a specific transient
attitude like every other virtue.
While the other fundamental attitudes, such as respect, loyalty, awareness of one’s responsibilities, and
truthfulness, react to the world of values as a whole, better not only reacts to the world of values but also
reflect the entire world of values in the person.
Political attitudes
When political beliefs shape political behaviour, they are significant.
Political attitudes are people’s perspectives on the aspects of public life that political psychology studies, such
as opinions on nationalism, political conservatism, political liberalism, and political radicalism.
Political views range from being exceedingly liberal to being extremely conservative. According to a large
number of academics, a political attitude refers to the beliefs and values that support the functioning of a
given political system.
These attitudes were considered to include both favorable and negative evaluations of the political system, as
well as knowledge and abilities on how it functions. Which political parties people support, how they vote, and
how they participate are all influenced by these attitudes. Family, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and area are
the factors that influence opinions.
Political attitude reveals which political party a person supports, their preferred political ideologies, and their
preferred social, economic, cultural, and foreign policies, among other things.
Political attitude-shaping factors include:
 Family
In most cases, the first and most enduring effect on young people’s political ideas comes from their families.
Despite generational differences and incongruities within the family, children often have political views that
are similar to those of their parents.
Children prefer to vote in the same manner as their parents, which is understandable despite generational
differences. Children from politically engaged families are more likely to share their parents’ values and
outlooks.
As kids get older and are exposed to outside influences, their perspectives inevitably veer away from their
parents.
 Religion
Voting behaviour is frequently influenced by religious beliefs. Religion is the belief system that individuals
adhere to. Recent events have shown that the religious right has favoured Republican Party candidates over
Democratic Party candidates by endorsing more conservative candidates for public office.
People that identify with the “Religious Right” have different political views than everyone else. The religious
right generally leans toward conservatism. This tendency is more obviously connected to social problems like
gay rights and cow protection than it is to economic or international concerns.
 Race & Ethnicity
It has been determined that African Americans have been more closely associated with the Democratic Party
over the past 50 years than any other recognized group.
Some experts think that this allegiance is dwindling. Numerous studies have shown that Asian Americans tend
to vote conservatively, although there is still a dearth of hard data to support this.
 Economic forces
A lot of academics have stated that economic pressures are a major motivator for selecting a specific political
position, and this does actually seem to be a significant role. Typically, those who are prospering in society do
not want it to alter.
The impoverished, on the other hand, stand to benefit greatly from gradual change and have little tangible to
lose. Possibly, at least. However, economics is not the only determinant of political beliefs.
 Age
Age plays a significant role in the formation of political attitudes. Young people are typically more liberal than
older people. This may be due to the elder generations’ inherent interest in maintaining the status quo, which
the younger generations do not yet have.
In addition to lacking money, young people also lack a sense of loyalty and community.
 Psychological factor
Certain individuals are more suited psychologically to liberalism or conservatism than others. One must have a
relatively high tolerance for disarray in order to be liberal.
 The nature of people
It is a key determinant of political attitude. One is likely to tilt to the right of the spectrum if one think that
most humans are fundamentally selfish, bad, and violent.
Anyone who believes that people are inherently wicked will have a tendency to rely on harsh regulations and
severe penalties for those who break them in the assumption that such actions are required to curb
inappropriate behaviour.
People who believe their coworkers are generally well-meaning and rational, on the other hand, will tend to
lean left. They will make an effort to avoid limiting human liberty with “needlessly” strict rules and to negotiate
with offenders.
 Gender
It has been seen in our social structure that women frequently adopt political attitudes that differ from those
of their husbands or other family members, notwithstanding this tendency. Since they seek equal rights, equal
pay, better chances, etc., women generally lean toward liberal.
But their political opinions also depend on their family, social position, and religion. Women are more inclined
to support their political parties when the chief minister is a woman (such as Jayalalitha or Mamta Banerjee).
Women have started casting their votes for parties that support “women’s issues,” such as women’s
protection, reservation, equal pay, and equal legal rights, in the current political climate.
 Process of developing a political stance
Every society aims for the efficient governance of its citizens to ensure the smooth operation of the system
and to sustain harmony and coordination within the community.
The state, the government, the political parties, and the election or selection of representatives are just a few
of the mechanisms or agencies that any society develops. How people develop their political attitudes and how
they transmit their ideals from one generation to the next are guided by political attitude formation.
A political system cannot function without the process of forming political views. Political attitude
development and political attitude progression go hand in hand.
A person develops orientations, ideas, values, norms, and behavioural patterns relevant to the political system
through the process of developing their political attitude.
The patterns of sociopolitical behaviour are determined by political attitude formulations. Political attitude
formation is a psychological term since it affects both individuals and society as a whole.
Stages in the process of forming a political mindset
There are four stages in the process of forming a political mindset, according to Easton and Dennis.
 A youngster recognizes authority through particular people, such as parents, police officers, and the
nation’s president.
 It is necessary to distinguish between private and governmental authorities.
 It develops knowledge about impersonal political institutions like the national legislature, the courts,
and voting practices.
 There are differences between political institutions and the people who participate in the activities
linked with such organizations, leading to romanticized perceptions of specific people like the
president or congress.
Functions of the formation of political attitudes
 Maintaining Political Culture: In stable circumstances, maintaining political culture is a crucial
component of forming political attitudes. The communication of political cultures from one
generation to the next serves this purpose. However, in the current climate, political socialization
does not necessarily serve to sustain political culture.
 Changes in Political Culture: A crucial aspect of developing political attitudes is the modification of
political culture.
 Building Political Culture: The practice of forming political attitudes is used to create political culture.
With the implementation of a new political system, every society must construct a new political
culture.
 The foundation of the current political system is the fact that in totalitarian states, there is no room
for opposition or disagreement, whereas, in open societies, there are many opportunities for such
things.
 Continuity and Change: The process of forming attitudes involves both continuity and change, and this
is a crucial component.
 The process of forming political attitudes is ongoing, and it is accomplished by a number of
institutions and agents. People go through a number of stages before becoming fully socialized.
Five groupings can be used to classify the various agents that influence how political attitudes are formed.
 Peer groups and families are interpersonal organizations.
 organizations, including workplaces, schools, and places of worship.
 newspaper, television, and radio are examples of mass media.
 The legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy are specialized political input
systems.
This spectrum generally illustrates how people feel about social concerns and the place of government in
society. Liberals, who tend to reside in the Northeast and the West Coast, have traditionally held the view that
the government should focus more on assisting the economy and less on foreign policy.
Conservatives, who predominate in America’s middle and southern areas, tend to believe that the economy
requires more assertive foreign policy and less government backing.
Liberals frequently advocate unconventional social reforms, such as allowing same-sex marriage, whereas
conservatives Favor upholding tradition and are more inclined to credit Christianity with influencing their
opinions.
Part of Political ideology and attitude are crucial in determining political ethics because:
 Ideology in politics is an edge service. A positive political attitude is required in society for effective
politics. Assemblies and Parliament will work longer hours as a result, which is what the constitution
and the people ethically expect.
 Politics ethics largely depend on how accessible a party is to the public and how quickly complaints
are resolved. While each is supported by political philosophy, both serve as yardsticks for political
attitudes, and having a good one is crucial.
 Positive political attitudes promote political ethics, which is significant because it draws young people
into politics and restores faith in democracy during trying times when the country needs it.
In conclusion, moral views inspire people to engage in altruism, voluntarism, and social service. Because moral
attitude is such a powerful emotion, it may be used as a defense against violent behavior and insane behavior
and yet be accepted by society.
It inspires individuals to engage in terrorism, massacres, and riots. People do not get along with individuals
who do not share their moral attitude because moral attitude is related to powerful emotions.
Political attitude is a belief and behavior system that bases decisions on electoral outcomes.
Positive political attitudes can result in exhibiting zero tolerance for corruption, being pro-poor, providing
welfare for weaker groups, and listening to public grievances; however, negative political attitudes can take
the form of regionalism and communalizing the populace in order to polarise them during elections.
The political party it supports is founded on political philosophy.
It resembles a party’s internal constitution. Every political party has a sound and pro-people political ideology,
but they rarely adhere to it because, in order to win elections, individual politicians’ political attitudes are put
into action, leading to the use of bribery, lobbying, false protests, walkouts, insensitive defamation of other
parties, and perks politics.
Social Influence and Persuasion
How does social influence work?
The process by which people are exposed to persuasive communication and, as a result, acquire and alter their
attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behaviours are referred to as social influence. When people construct their
beliefs based on the opinions of others rather than independent reasoning, social influence is more prevalent.
Social Influence Determinants
Social influence is the purposeful or inadvertent change in behaviour that one person brings about in another
as a result of how the affected person sees themselves in relation to the influencer, other people, and things in
their surroundings.
You can use persuasion to convince someone to modify their behaviour or views or to win their acquiescence.
Some of the crucial elements affecting social influence include the ones listed below:
 Reciprocity
When someone has recently complied with their demands, people are more likely to do the same for them.
People also feel compelled to return favors if they believe they owe the other person something.
Because it causes guilt feelings when someone does not reciprocate when expected, reciprocity is an
important consideration in decision-making.
Additionally, it results in a perpetual circle of reciprocal generosity in which people continue to do favors for
one another.
 Dominance
People in positions of power are less likely to be persuaded by reason than by threats and other forms of
coercion.
Physical attractiveness: According to some research, people who are physically appealing are more persuasive
than others, even if they don’t appear to be more knowledgeable or competent.
People who are attractive are more likely to be accepted, praised, and liked. Other research demonstrates that
while women find males wearing red shirts more attractive, men find women wearing red apparel more
attractive and sexually desirable.
According to research, this may be the result of unintentional links between the colour red with romance or
love.
 Scarcity
When we think of something as scarce, we typically want it more than when we think of it as plentiful.
Three Social Influence Areas
The following are the three areas.
 Conformity
When we conform, we follow the rules and standards of a situation or a group. We may act in this manner out
of social conformity or because we think it is morally appropriate. Study on the #SelfieWithDaughter Case
Parents from all over the nation who were celebrating the birth of their kids were featured in the selfie
campaign. Most people wanted to fit in, thus an increasing number of parents shared selfies of their daughters
online.
The #SelfieWithDaughter campaign was started by a proud father in a village in Haryana, and it quickly gained
international attention.
Compliance is consenting to carry out a request made by another person. When we obey, we carry out their
instructions.
Usually, we do this in order to avoid punishment or to get something in return. For instance, we might
cooperate with a request to do something because we want a buddy to or we don’t want to get in trouble.
Modifying one’s behaviour after receiving a clear request from friends, neighbours, family, etc.
In this, people pretend to agree with one another in public while keeping their disagreements to themselves.
Obedience is an action taken in response to a command from someone in a position of authority over us, such
as a police officer. Most of the time, the person giving us the command utilizes some kind of force to persuade
us that what they are asking us to do is vital.
Justifications for Obeying
 Visible Badges
To remind people who are in charge, the General’s badges are distinct from the Captain’s.
 Responsibility Diffusion / Transfer
Diffusion of responsibility when working in a group and transfer of accountability when you are told to
complete the task by a superior or another person in authority.
Persuasion: What Is It?
One type of social impact is persuasion. It is the act of persuading someone to accept a viewpoint or take an
action. There are various ways to employ persuasion, but they all have the same goal: persuading someone to
agree with you.
The sender (the person giving the message), the recipient (the one being convinced), and the circumstance all
play a role in persuasive messaging (the environment in which messages are delivered).
Persuasion occurs in three stages
Pre-suasive conditioning is the term used to describe the initial step of persuasion. This occurs when someone
is exposed to a message repeatedly over time until they start to accept it as the norm and grow accustomed to
it. The central route to persuasion is the name of the second phase. This occurs when a person thoroughly
considers the arguments being made to them and makes a decision regarding whether or not to accept them
based on logic and reason.
The peripheral road to persuasion is the name of the third step. This occurs when a person accepts what is
being stated without giving it much thought by focusing simply on a few key points of the argument or perhaps
just one word in a sentence.
Persuasion Theory
By utilizing written or spoken words to convey knowledge, sentiments, or logic, or a combination of these, one
might persuade the Target group to change their attitudes and behaviors toward an event, an idea, an item, or
another person (or people).
Persuasion is a Receiver Centric Exercise; it should be noted. It is what the receiver understands, not what the
source says, that matters.
There are four components to persuasion.
Which party is the information’s or message’s original source?
Recipient / Target Audience: It is given the data provided by the source.
Convincing Message: Appeal made by the source channel or medium that transmits the message or
information to the recipient
It can be summed up as – Who says, what, to Whom through what means
Persuasion theories: Robert Cialdini‘s six principles of persuasion are the most widely used persuasion theory.
The principle of reciprocity holds that we should return favors in kind. For instance, we feel obliged to repay
someone who has given us a present.
Our desire to be consistent with our prior behavior is referred to as commitment and consistency. When we
make a commitment to something (like starting a diet), it is challenging for us to change our minds.
This concept can be used against you if someone urges you to refrain from doing something again after you
have already committed not to.
It might be challenging for you to refuse to do X if they demand that I stop sharing your secret if you don’t do X
because of your prior agreement. People will continue to act as long as a reward or penalty is attached to it,
thus it can also go the other way. Humans are believed to practice operant conditioning in these situations.
Social proof is based on the idea that people would look to those around them for indications of how to act in
a particular circumstance. An excellent illustration would be the attire worn to a party.
To know how to dress appropriately for the event, one may think about observing what other people are
wearing before determining what to wear.
This idea is used by authorized persons to persuade an audience by depending on their credibility. Similarly to
this, businesses frequently rely on celebrity endorsements to spread their message. The belief is that if a well-
known individual like a product, then consumers would as well.
When people like another person or business, they are more inclined to comply with their wishes. This is
known as like.
Celebrities are frequently thought to only support brands they firmly believe in due to their celebrity and
riches, however, it has recently become clear that 50% of the time they do so unpaid!
When something becomes widely accessible, people tend to want it less, which is known as the scarcity
principle.
Limited-edition products and sales are examples of things that are scarce. Limited offers are a common
strategy used by businesses to entice potential buyers to choose their products over those of rivals.
Persuasion’s results
People are susceptible to a variety of impacts from persuasion. It has the power to alter how individuals feel,
think, and act. It has the power to affect people’s opinions and decision-making processes. Persuasion can also
result in more submission and obedience.
Persuasion can also change someone’s perspective. For instance, some people who are persuaded by a public
speaker could experience a boost in self-confidence or a sudden need to take action (source).
Effects of Persuasion
According to Miller (1980), Persuasion can shape, reinforce, or modify reactions. These are three different
persuasive effects. Creating pleasant associations between a thing, a person, or a concept “shapes” attitudes.
Contrary to popular belief, many persuasive messages are intended to support rather than change the
opinions of the audience. When we think about persuasion, this is perhaps the most significant persuasive
impact and the one that comes to mind first. Attitudes can and do change as a result of communication.
Persuasion styles
There are primarily two styles of persuasion:
 METHODICAL PERSUASION
The use of logic and reasoning to persuade someone is known as systematic persuasion. Heuristic persuasion
relies on emotions, but systematic persuasion is based on logic, reason, and evidence.
 HEURISTIC INFLUENCE
When you utilize emotional appeals to persuade someone, you are using heuristic persuasion. An
advertisement for a horror film is an illustration of heuristic persuasion in action. Giving a rational justification
for why people should support your political party would be a persuasive message with systematic persuasion.
Persuasion’s elements include
Persuasion is primarily composed of three elements: source, message, and recipient. The one or thing
persuading is called the head. The source’s attempt to convince the recipient by what they say or do is known
as the message.
The target of persuasion is the recipient. Credibility, knowledge, and reliability are examples of source factors.
A coherent and well-reasoned argument supported by evidence is one of the message factors.
Strong feelings can also be persuasive since they draw attention to themselves and prevent listeners from
considering excuses for not complying. The degree to which people’s needs are addressed in response to
requests and how open they are to receiving messages are both considered reception elements.
Social Influence’s Function in Persuasion
Social influence is the process by which other people’s attitudes, ideas, and behaviors have an impact on a
person. When someone tries to persuade another person to alter their attitude or conduct, persuasion is a
type of social influence that takes place.
To persuade someone, the persuader may employ a variety of strategies, such as posing a threat or offering a
reward.
What distinguishes persuasion from social influence?
One person tries to persuade another to change their attitude or conduct through the one-way process of
persuasion. Social influence, on the other hand, is a two-way process in which both parties attempt to
influence one another.
Two friends trying to convince each other to quit their relationship with their current partner is an example of
social influence. In this instance, they make an effort to socially sway one another by utilizing logic and feelings
to decide.
It is conceivable for the two persons to differ over whether one friend should remain with their partner or
break up with them. In the absence of conflicts, it would be considered persuasion as opposed to social
influence because there was no difference in the participants’ opinions.
conclusion
The ability to employ social influence for good or harm makes it a potent instrument. It has the power to
influence individuals to take actions they might not otherwise take or to comply with demands. Understanding
how social influences operate may help you make wiser decisions in your life because there are many different
methods to affect other people.
Q. “Social influence and persuasion can contribute in eliminating social evils in the society”. Discuss
Approach
 Write an introduction briefly explaining social influence and persuasion.
 Discuss how social influence and persuasion can bring about behavioural change.
 Illustrate the interlinkage between social influence and persuasion
 Discuss the utility of social influence and persuasion in civil services
 Conclude by summarising your answer.
A. Introduction
Social influence is an attribute that can bring change in a person’s behaviour, thoughts, feelings and
attitudes that results from interaction with another individual in society.
Persuasion is defined as communicative activities that are mediated. It is the process of changing or
reinforcing attitudes, beliefs or behaviour of a person.
It can be intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of the way the changed person perceives themselves in
relationship to the influencer. It is different from conformity, power and authority. These are fundamental
functions of communication.
Body
Behavioural Changes Brought About Social Influence and Persuasion
 Change in outlook of individuals: Social influence is the process by which individuals make real
changes to their outlooks and behaviours as a result of communication with others who are
perceived to be similar, desirable, or expert.
 Adjustment in views: People adjust their views with respect to others to whom they feel similar in
accordance with psychological principles such as balance.
Interlink Between Social Influence and Persuasion
 Social influence and persuasion are the keys to bring behavioural changes to solve social evils like
caste system, patriarchy, climate change, solid waste management.
 Using social influence of celebrities and campaigns have been quite effective in persuading people
to adopt any desired behaviour. For example:
o United Nations taking help of popular Hollywood actors to promote campaigns for climate
change and gender equality.
Utility Of Persuasion and Social influence in Civil Services
 Executing Government schemes: Sometimes persuasion and social influence works better than
coercion. Making celebrities ambassadors for various social schemes like Beti Padhao Beti Bachao
is a manifestation of the same. Success of the initiatives like Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan- cleanliness
drives and Ujjwala Yojana’s give it up campaign can be attributed to persuasion.
 Moral conditioning: Persuasion can bring change in the social attitude of people. For example,
regular announcements to keep the station clean persuade people to change their behaviour. The
Selfie campaign was a major success in promoting the Beti Padhao Beti Bachao scheme.
 Incentivising good behaviour: For instance in income declaration schemes a window was open to
declare black money with some fine and no legal action that incentivized people instead of
penalizing them.
 Following rules: It helps in making people follow rules which bring inconvenience to them, like
District collectors visiting houses in the morning to persuade people for waste segregation before
disposal
Conclusion
Thus, social behaviour and persuasion are effective attributes to deal with issues like girl child education,
inter-caste marriage, temple entry for women. These methods are democratic and in sync with the
Gandhian ideals of preferring insistence over coercion. In civil services, they can be viable in bringing about
behavioural change keeping intact the dignity and respect of all stakeholders.
How do Attitude Influence Behaviour?
 Positive Attitude:
o A person who has positive attitudes towards work and co-workers (such as contentment,
friendliness, etc.) can positively influence those around them.
 Example: People with a good attitude are active and productive and do what they
can to improve the mood of those around them.
 Negative Attitudes:
o A person who displays negative attitudes (such as discontentment, boredom, etc.), will
behave accordingly.
 Example: People with these types of attitudes towards work may likewise affect
those around them and behave in a manner that reduces efficiency and
effectiveness.
 Selfish Attitude:
o It will guide an individual's actions in a selfish manner.
 Example: Holding one's self-interest as the standard for decision making.
 Logic or Rational Attitudes:
o It develops rational behaviour.
 Example: A rational person will not act superstitiously and will always try to find
rational behind any act.
 Egoistic Attitude:
o It will result in a negative attitude and behaviour.
 Example: Elder individuals control their younger siblings even if they are wrong to
satisfy their ego of being elder.
 Attitude based on Values and Beliefs:
o It will act according to the values.
 Example: In India touching the feet of elders is guided by an attitude of giving
respect to them.
What do we understand by Moral and Political Attitudes?
 Moral Attitude:
o Morality refers to righteousness. Moral attitudes are attitudes concerned with righteous
manners. Thus, Moral attitudes is not a neutral concept. It is a bias towards righteousness or
virtuousness. Some of the moral attitudes are:
 Goodness
 Respect
 Love & Compassion
 Selflessness
 Empathy
 Political Attitude:
o Political Attitudes are a set of which an individual approaches a political problem and which
determines his line of conduct towards that problem.
o It’s also a set of rules & regulations, customs, traditions, beliefs that influences the political
system of that country.
o The sum total of political attitudes of an individual reveals that person’s outlook on the
political aspect of social living. They define the relationship between the citizen, govt and
functions of the political system.
o Examples:
 Voting behaviour of voters in an Elections decided by political attitudes followed by
individual and political parties
 Govt policies were of socialist nature when India got independence but after the
LPG era in 1990’s India opened its economy and followed pro market policy.
What is Social Influence and Persuasion?
 Social influence:
o It is an attribute that can bring change in a person’s behaviour, thoughts, feelings and
attitudes that results from interaction with another individual in society.
 Persuasion:
o It is defined as communicative activities that are mediated. It is the process of changing or
reinforcing attitudes, beliefs or behaviour of a person.
o It can be intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of the way the changed person perceives
themselves in relationship to the influencer.
o It is different from conformity, power and authority. These are fundamental functions of
communication.
What is the Theory of Persuasion?
In many commercial and administrative situations, attitude is formed by persuading people to change their
attitudes, beliefs and habits. It describes the ideal means of persuading people to change their beliefs,
attitudes and habits.
 This theory is also known as the Elaboration Likelihood theory of attitude.
 For Example: Governments may try to induce parents in rural areas to enrol their children in primary
schools.
Factors Determining Success of Persuading People:
 Audience Characteristics:
o To change the attitude of people on any object, they have to be provided with information
which they may not possess.
o It is the audience who has to receive and process the information.
 Their ability to do this depends on their intelligence.
 People with higher intelligence are unlikely to be persuaded by one- sided
messages.
 The conventional view is that it is hard to persuade people with high self-esteem to
accept new attitudes.
o But the relationship between self-esteem and willingness to change one’s attitude seems to
be curvilinear.
o It means thereby that individuals with average levels of self-esteem are more ready to
change their attitudes than those with either high self-esteem or low self-esteem.
o The state of mind and mood of the target audience also influence the manner in which they
respond to the message.
 Source Characteristics:
o These refer to the person who is delivering the message.
o The variables which determine how effective a person will be in delivering the message are
his expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness to the audience.
o The audience, in order to be convinced, have to be assured that the message is authoritative
and authentic.
 Cognitive Routes:
o A message seeking to change an attitude can appeal to an individual’s intellect or logical
faculty.
o This appeal can be either through the central route or the peripheral route.
o Central Route:
 In the central route to persuasion, the individual is presented with the data and
motivated to evaluate the data and arrive at an attitude changing conclusion.
o Peripheral Route:
 In the peripheral route to attitude change, the individual is encouraged to not look
at the content but at the source. This is commonly seen in modern advertisements
that feature celebrities.
o Example: For example, having a popular athlete advertise athletic shoes is a common
method used to encourage young adults to purchase the shoes.
Some Quotes Related to Attitude

 Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal, nothing on earth can
help the man with the wrong mental attitude. - Thomas Jefferson
 All birds find shelter during a rain. But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are
common, but Attitude makes the difference. -A P J Abdul Kalam
 Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. -Albert Einstein.
 Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope.” -Helen Keller
Aptitude
Aptitude is a natural ability or innate potential to learn or acquire a skill. It is a natural tendency for successful
learning of some specific set of skills, which can be further enhanced with adequate knowledge and training. It
indicates aptness/suitability to succeed in a particular field. In other words, aptitude is a natural talent or
inborn ability that makes it easier for us to learn or do certain things/tasks.
How is Aptitude Different from Interest, Skill or Intelligence?
 Interest is something that attracts us without the need to have any particular skill for a thing. A
person may be interested in a particular activity, job or training, but may not have the
potential/aptitude to perform well in that particular area and achieve success. For example, one may
have an intense interest in music, but not enough ability to succeed in a career as a performer.
 Skill is the knowledge or ability to perform a given task with ease and precision, aptitude on the other
hand, it denotes the potential to get skilled if training is done. While skills are the abilities that can be
acquired by way of reading, observation, practice, and training, aptitude is inborn and unique.
 Intelligence is the capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental
activity. It is the ability to learn and apply skills. On the other hand, aptitude is the specific ability of a
person to master a skill. However, aptitude requires a degree of intelligence to do the job well.
What is Aptitude for a Civil Servant?
 With the advent of the new public administration and increasing diversity in the administrative field,
an administrator needs to adorn both physical and mental aptitude.
 She should have both General Mental Ability (basic thinking capacity and learning ability to perform
any intellectual task) as well as the desired value system of public administration to perform his duty,
not only efficiently, but also effectively. Roughly the kinds of aptitude desired in a civil servant include:
o Good communication/interpersonal skills
o Leadership, management and organizational skills
o Critical thinking and listening ability
o Skill to effectively manage and raise resources
o Ability to establish collaborative networks and successful teamwork
o High level of professionalism
o Ability to think on their feet and develop innovative solutions
o Skill of persuasion and ability to negotiate with difficult people
What are the Roles and Importance of Aptitude in Civil Services?
 The civil services form the permanent structure and backbone of the administration. A qualitative,
professional, skilled and committed workforce is, hence, imperative to maintain the high standards of
public administration.
 In Indian public administration, the civil servants are entrusted with a diverse set of responsibilities
such as from simple administrative and clerical tasks to complex decision making, policy
implementation and serving as a link between government and citizens. Hence, it is vital for civil
servants to possess diverse skills such as grasping capabilities, good analytical skills, and the ability to
establish collaborative networks and successful teamwork.
 In public administration, leaders face different kinds of problems and challenges every day such as
high unemployment, insufficient government spending, fast changing socio-economic scenarios, etc.
Laws and administrative rules cannot explain everything, and leaders cannot always mimic previous
successes because the elements affecting each challenge change day to day. In such cases a civil
servant needs an abundance of impromptu decision-making skills and critical thinking ability to
exercise discretion with conviction.
 The emerging concept of e-governance and motto of ‘Less Government More Governance’, demand
transformational changes in the machinery of government as well as in the work style and orientation
of government officials.
o With the role and functions of administrators having become swiftly changing and
increasingly challenging, civil servants must be equipped with the necessary skills and
capabilities to meet these new challenges.
o They must have the aptitude to master new technologies and new styles of functioning. They
should serve as the ‘Agents of Change’ to catalyse reform initiatives.
 In a diverse country like India, the civil servants often face complex and often contrasting socio-
economic objectives and challenges often creating a deep sense of moral/ethical dilemma in them
about their own duties and functions. This demands an inherent aptitude to prevail over
contradictions, solve dilemmas and keep up the spirit to perform in spite of adverse circumstances.
 Under the framework of ‘inclusive governance’ administrators need to build teams across diverse
stakeholders. For example, to create a favourable business climate in a city, an economic
development director needs to bring together local business leaders, the Chamber of Commerce and
also environmental advocates. This demands a civil servant to possess an ability to receive and act
upon feedback as well as effective interpersonal skills to bridge the gaps and encourage collaboration
for a common objective.
What is the Difference between Aptitude and Attitude?
 According to some experts, success is 99% attitude and 1% aptitude. As per research studies,
recruiting people with the right skills can be costly if they do not have the right attitude, where there
is a lack of ‘fit’.
o In a study by Leadership IQ (of over 20,000 new hirings over 3 years), it was found that 46%
of the people hired fail within the first 18 months on the job and they did not fail for lack of
skills, but rather for lack of attitude. Thus, having people with the right attitude is considered
more important for organizational success than having people with high aptitude and a
wrong attitude.
 Attitude is a motor driving the acquisition and use of a specific ability. If a person is fully equipped for
a role, but lacks real enthusiasm, the best skill-set will count for very little.
o For instance, a person having an aptitude for music, but lacking the desire to hone his/her
skill will not make him/her a good musician no matter how greatly he might be gifted. It
requires an attitude of competitive learning to develop and hone one’s skills.
 When a positive mindset is undertaken, performance on nearly every level productivity, creativity and
engagement improves. Thomas Edison once said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine
percent perspiration.” Therefore, to succeed in life, a positive attitude towards hard work and
perseverance are extremely important.
 We are not all equally talented in every task put before us:
o Another point of view is that not everyone has the ability to learn the skills, especially at a
proficient level. A person who is keen, but has no natural talent, ability and skill can hardly
excel in the field. For instance, a person who has the willingness and enthusiasm to start a
new business venture but lacks the required business acumen will succumb to its pressure
and challenges. Thus, a person with a good attitude, but no aptitude, is no good.
o A person with a higher aptitude can outperform in learning a skill or performing a task while
others struggle despite having a positive inclination towards it. For instance, sports are a
common activity, but only an athlete or a sports person with unique talent and strength
excels in the field. Excellent leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and George Washington had great
skills and knowledge to capitalize on their strengths and develop the greatest potential in
others.
 Aptitude without Attitude is Blind; Attitude without Aptitude is Lame:
o As per this view, both the right skills (aptitude) and the disposition (attitude) are equally
important to excel in a particular field. It is the right blend of the two inherited and acquired
qualities respectively that go hand in hand in determining the gains and losses in a person’s
life.
o For instance, a person who is hardworking and sincere in his job as well as committed to his
organizational goals but lacks the initiative taking capabilities and the aptitude for leadership
owing to his lack of soft skills, cannot be deemed fit for a higher-level post. Similarly, if one
has smart, persuasive and team-building skills, but owing to the callous attitude towards
work he cannot be trusted with a higher authority position.
o The examples of famous scientists like Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein show us that along
with their specific abilities, they also had the right disposition/mental attitude to face the
challenges and not to give up even after successive failures.
For “Foundational Values of Civil Services” refer to: first lexicon then decode.
Nolan Committee Recommendation:
Nolan Principles for the benefit of people who serve the public in whatever capacity, the Committee on
Standards in Public Life (the Nolan Committee) defined seven guiding principles of behavior for public life in
1995 and advised that public entities create codes of conduct integrating these principles. The seven Nolan
Principles are as follows:
 Selflessness:
o Decisions should only be made in
the public interest by those holding
public office. For the sake of
obtaining money or other material
advantages for themselves, their
families, or other friends, they
shouldn't do this.
 Integrity:
o Holders of public office shouldn't obligate themselves in any way, whether financially or
otherwise, to outside parties who could have an impact on how they carry out their official
obligations.
 Objectivity:
o Public officials should base their decisions on merit while doing public business, including
public appointments, contract awards, and recommendations for incentives and perks.
 Accountability:
o Civil servants are subject to the scrutiny that is appropriate to their position and must answer
to the public for their choices and conduct.
 Openness:
o All choices and acts that public office holders do should be as transparent as possible. When
the larger public interest plainly requires it, they should provide justification for their choices
and only restrict information when necessary.
 Honesty:
o Public officials have a responsibility to declare any private interests that may conflict with
their official obligations and to handle such conflicts in a way that protects the public
interest.
 Leadership:
o Leadership should be used by public authorities to promote and support these ideas.
10th Report of Second Administrative Reforms Commission:
The most important guide for the development of a Code of Ethics for public services has been the
recommendations made in the 10th Report of Second Administrative Reforms Commission. The Commission
recommended that in addition to upholding the constitutional spirit, the civil servants shall be guided by the
values which include adherence to the highest standards of integrity and conduct; impartiality and non-
partisanship; objectivity; dedication to public service; and empathy and compassion towards the weaker
sections.
 Integrity:
o Integrity refers to the ability of an individual to remain consistent and dedicated to his
personal and professional values and beliefs. It means adopting similar standards or moral
principles in similar situations across time and interested parties.
o In other words, it means to be honest and consistent in thoughts, speech and action. It is a
quality of eliminating the gap between ‘what we think, what we say, and what we do’. A man
of integrity is never influenced by contentions and pressures from outside and would only
respond to his conscience.
 Impartiality:
o Impartiality is a kind of characteristic or quality of making decisions without bias and
prejudice. An instance of impartiality is one in which there is no favouritism. It rejects
granting an undue advantage to any individual, societal group, or organization. Being
impartial means that all choices should only be based on merit.
 Non-partisanship:
o Non-partisanship is known by its act of not supporting any political party, even if one strongly
agrees with its ideals. Non-partisanship is the absence of adherence to ideals of any political
party, organization, or group.
 Objectivity:
o Objectivity is recognized as one of the most crucial characteristics in governance. It requires
institutions to adhere to logic, law, and established standards, practices, and norms.
Objectivity means being true in spite of one's feelings, ideas, and beliefs. It allows public
officials to make wise judgments based on data.
 Dedication to public service:
o Dedication is the quality of being motivated in one's profession, purpose, vision, or actions.
Dedicated public servants strive to accomplish the goals set by the administration. An inner
drive or excitement for working in the greater good of the public is implied by dedication to
public service. Without any external formal technique to drive that desire, it is the
commitment, passion, and sincere desire to achieve something that counts.
 Empathy:
o The capacity to perceive and appreciate other people's experiences and feelings is known as
Empathy. It is the potential to comprehend another person's mental status and creatively
experience another person's sentiments.
 Tolerance:
o The ability to accept and tolerate differences in others, even when you disagree with them,
can be referred to as tolerance. Tolerance makes it possible for people to live in harmony.
People's resilience in the face of a variety of ideas and beliefs demonstrates their tolerance.
Learning more about other viewpoints and concepts from across the world can help you
comprehend the world more clearly.
 Compassion:
o It is a deeper level of empathy, demonstrating an actual desire to help the suffering person.
It is a unique feeling of sympathy for the suffering of others that involves emotions and
empathy towards others, a sense of understanding, and the drive to protect.
The Nolan Principles were innovative when they were first put forward because they placed more of a focus on
culture and behavior than on methodology. Although the fundamental ideas are essentially acknowledged by
everybody, there have always been challenges in putting them into reality, with certain sectors adopting and
applying them more successfully than others. When making commissioning choices, the NHS has always
exercised extra caution in implementing the principles.
Solved Free Questions
[Answered] What do you understand by integrity. Why integrity is important for civil servants?
Introduction. Explain about integrity.
Body. Write some significance of integrity in civil services.
Conclusion. Way forward.
Integrity means the ability of an individual to remain consistent and committed to his/her personal and
professional values. It means that one adheres to ethical and moral values, code of conduct and code of
ethics. It is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Integrity requires in a civil servant
to incorporate the values of honesty, sympathy empathy, compassion, fairness, self control and duty so
that he/she will be able to uphold high personal and professional standards in all circumstances.
Why integrity is important in civil services?
 Develop conscience:g. Policeman ordered to fire on unarmed peaceful protestors. Honest
policeman will obey the order. Policeman of integrity, will refuse to fire.
 Social good: Civil servants are provided with immense powers and responsibilities towards society.
There impartiality and honesty is important for social good and development.
 Counter the evil of corruption: In public administration, corruption deny many people their just
rights and also hinder economic development.
 Prevent to take wrong decisions: The actions of public servants have a direct bearing on the
character of the community; thus, they should have integrity that prevent them to take wrong
decisions which could harm the society.
 Role in development: Civil servants have an important role to play in development and
achievement of goals of social, economic and political justice and equality of status and opportunity
in society.
 Responsible for managing public resources and money entrusted to them for the benefit of the
citizens for instance funds to be used for development has been raised through taxes are used for
provision of public good.
 Prevents misuse of power: It ensure that civil servant do not misuse his/her official position to
further his private interest for instance taking bribe by police to file an FIR.
 Important for good governance: To prevent failures which may occur due to resistance to
accountability and transparency.
Integrity in civil services is imperative to deal with public and their affairs fairly, efficiently and sensitively. It
is also necessary to ensure good governance and allow a civil servant to perform his/her duties with honesty
and allow better administration. The need of the hour is to ensuring integrity through training and proper
vigilance.
Impartiality
Impartiality implies that decisions should be made without regard to bias, prejudice, or an unfair favour for
one individual, group, or organization over another. Read to know more about Impartiality.
Let us try to understand it through the following recent International event.
Russia began a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
India urged “a peaceful resolution of the issue through continuous diplomatic efforts for long-term peace
and stability in the region .”
India withheld its vote in the UN General Assembly on a motion that tried to condemn Russia soon after the
annexation.
India abstained in 2020’s UN General Assembly voting on a resolution proposed by Ukraine that aimed to
denounce alleged violations of human rights in Crimea.
India adopted an impartial stand here.
What does impartiality imply? Why is it so important? What is the significance of impartiality in civil
services? Are these questions making you inquisitive too? Well, it was equally interesting for us too. So let us
begin to deal with each one of them one by one in detail in the following article.
What do you understand by the term Impartiality?
Impartiality implies that a bureaucrat’s behavior and treatment towards any person or organization must
solely be based on merit. Absolute impartiality is required to make decisions that are fair, just, equitable,
effective, and efficient and leads to inclusive growth.
Significance
 It provides the administrator the authority to close any holes in the subject’s lack of trust in the
government. It makes the activity of the administrator more legitimate and effective by
impartiality.
 It establishes the idea of justice. Justice is based on the idea that judgements should not be made
based on bias, prejudice, or favouring one person over another for wrong motives, but rather on
objective standards.
 Impartiality helps the administrator to fulfil his duties in a fair, just, and equitable manner that
represents the civil service’s commitment to diversity and equality.
 It is recognized as a fundamental principle of professional ethics.
 You may not take any action that unreasonably Favors or discriminates against any person or class
of persons.
 Say, for instance, that you are provided with the job to choose the builder of the road in your
region. You will be expected to choose based on objective standards first and with total objectivity
in all respects.
Importance of Impartiality in Civil Services
A public servant who possesses this value will not face controversy during his or her tenure in office. The
work’s objectivity will keep problems out of the public eye.
For instance, it will cause a stir if a public official approves the organizing of a rally for one political party but
not for another. It is possible to prevent this by being impartial.
It will help in maintaining harmony between social groups. Tension between groups can occur when there
are several difficulties between them, especially in multi-religious and multicultural societies like India. To
ensure peace, the officials must carry out their duties while keeping a safe distance from both groups.
The government, as the supreme authority, must refrain from interfering with the public too much. The
worth and dignity of the job will be threatened if that barrier is breached. For instance, UPSC members
ought to avoid candidates who are close friends. If any connections are made, the body’s reputation will be
in jeopardy.
A civil servant can defend constitutionalism and avoid authoritarian rule by acting impartially. It makes the
civil servant accountable to the law and aids in maintaining the rule of law.
An impartial civil servant would have better credibility and persuasive ability in negotiations, for example, N
Ravi, an interlocutor was effective in northeast insurgency negotiations because of his impeccable record of
impartiality. This is very helpful in situations like communal riots, ethnic conflicts, etc.
Minority views may be muted, especially in a diverse nation like India, if a civil worker shows a bias toward
the majority for personal gain.
The concept of impartiality from an ethical perspective has been a matter of debate. To be ethical, one
should be having a thinking mind. But impartiality demands action only as per the rules and regulations.
Here Weber has put more faith in laws than in humans for rational action.
It was in a way subordinating the human mind to the law. But the human mind can think better than law
otherwise society could not have been this advanced.
Therefore, bureaucracy should act as per rules and laws. But wherever necessary it should also apply its
wisdom. Even the conduct rules of civil servants empower them that wherever the law is not clear civil
servants should apply their minds to make the most competent decision.
Non-Partisanship
Non-partisanship is defined as a lack of allegiance to any political party, organisation, or group. Political
neutrality can be equated to non-partisanship. In other words, non-partisanship is the practise of not being
affiliated with any political party, even if one strongly believes in its ideology.
• The term "non-partisanship" refers to the administrator's ability to carry out his responsibilities without
fear or favour. While performing his official duties, he maintains an apolitical demeanour.
• The constitution, not any political ideology, determines an administrator's values.
Example: An IAS officer always remember that, I am a member of the Indian Administrative Service, and I value
impartiality. Neither the right nor the left parties have my support. I am not a supporter of any of the centrist
parties. I am not a member of the anarchist movement. Simply put, I am apolitical. I try to stay away from
politics.
• I am not afraid of any political party, nor am I a supporter of any political party. I carry out my
responsibilities to the best of my abilities and make all of my decisions based on objective criteria that are free
of political bias. When I give advice to the government, I keep the people of India in mind, not the ruling
political party or any other political party.
• As an IAS officer, I am not committed to any political party. I am dedicated to the rule of law and the Indian
Constitution. I am committed to serving my motherland and the Indian people.
Importance of Non-Partisanship For a Civil Servant
1. Non-partisanship strengthens the democratic process by allowing for a smooth transition between
governments, allowing for the continuation of good governance.
2. Non-partisanship ensures that ministers receive objective, evidence-based advice at all times, ensuring that
the administration's efficacy is always maintained.
3. If the administrator is a member of a political party, there will always be a faction within the administration
that is dissatisfied with government services because they voted for the losing party.
4. Non-partisanship attracts other noble administration prerequisites such as transparency and honesty.
5. If civil servants remain nonpartisan, they will provide accurate information to ministers, assisting them in
fulfilling their constitutional obligations in the legislature.
6. Above all, non-partisanship aids in the development of a professional bureaucracy and preserves the
public's perception of the civil service.
Why are they needed?
 It brings credibility and trust among the public in the functioning of the public service.
 It makes the civil servants gutsy, rather than merely capable, so that they can ask relevant questions
with respect to the policy, law etc.
 It ensures equality, justice among different sections of the society.
 It ensures the morale, effectiveness and efficiency of civil services, as the transfer, posting etc. are
expected to be based on merit alone rather than any extraneous factors.
How are they ensured?

 The Central Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1964 and All India Services Conduct Rules 1968
o which stipulate certain guidelines for the Civil servant to perform the duty with full devotion;
and shall not adopt dilatory tactics in their dealings with the public
 Code of Ethics, 1997
o It was the first initiative to introduce the code of ethics for public servants in India, which was
considered a step towards better governance
Neutrality
 Civil Service Neutrality refers to political impartiality.
 Neutrality is not being biased in providing facts, feedback, opinions, etc. to the political executive or
diligently carrying out tasks ordered by the government, irrespective of which political party’s
government is in power.
Importance of Non-partisanship and Neutrality in Bureaucracy
 Non-partisanship helps to maintain trust of people in Administration.
 It helps to maintain a healthy relationship between political executives and civil servants.
 It motivates civil servants to provide recommendations/suggestions to policy makers without ill-will or
favour.
 It helps in effective policy formulation and its implementation.
 It also helps in mending self-interest based political ideology towards holistic development.
 It keeps the ideology of the constitution above any other political, religious or economic ideology.
Types of neutrality
Sometimes, it is classified into two types.
1. Passive neutrality: Here the public official will do anything that the political executive orders him to
do. But then he may end up violating some legal/constitutional provisions. It was the neutrality that
was actualized by Nazi bureaucracy. Hence passive neutrality is undesirable.
2. Active neutrality: The Officer will do what the constitution, rules, laws and office manual says, without
following any particular party. Sometimes, it leads to civil services activism.
Conduct Rules for Neutrality
The Central Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1964 and the All India Services Conduct Rules 1968: They lay down
the following provisions to ensure neutrality of public servants:
 Public servants must not take part in politics.
 They must not give election fund/ assistance to any political party
 They can vote. But must not tell his preference to other people.
 They must not display any election symbols on his person, vehicle or home.
 They must not participate in rallies, demonstrations etc., without government permission.
Challenges to Neutrality
 Lack of independent institutions: There is a lack of independent institutions for transferring, posting,
and other service conditions. As a result, the civil servants align with one or the other political party to
get their favourite postings and other perks.
 Secrecy: Secrecy in official functioning, as a result there develops nexus between the political
executive and civil servants to fulfil their illegitimate gratifications.
 In-service and intra-service rivalry: In each government-service, there are various factions based on
language, religion, caste and region. To gain promotion and perks for their faction, they’d bend to the
wills of politicians.
 Illegitimate Political agendas: Wrong notion of committed bureaucracy, where the civil servants try to
fulfil the political agenda of a particular political party.
 Election and corruption: Ministers need a lot of money to finance election campaigns, so they prefer a
convenient subordinate. Many don’t like an officer who gives free and frank advice.
Conclusion: Democratically elected leaders legislate and make policy, the permanent executive of civil servants
is meant to advise and execute it, irrespective of their own views. Politicisation of Bureaucracy leads to undue
political influence in the governance. Bureaucrats need to maintain political neutrality and impartiality to
ensure the triumph of democracy and smooth functioning of its institutions.
What is Objectivity?
Generally, objectivity is defined as the quality of being free of bias. It refers to being true regardless of one's
sentiments, imagination, ideas, and/or perceptions in philosophy.
In Platonic epistemology, for example, knowledge based on evidence, such as in mathematics, is objective.
Opinions, on the other hand, are subjective. Scientific objectivity, often known as neutrality, is the ability to
evaluate something with a systematic and empirical approach.
Importance in Civil Services
Objectivity in governance entails public authority adhering to reason, legality, and established standards,
procedures, and norms in institutions. It means that governmental decisions should be made on the basis of
merit and after a thorough examination of the available facts.
Objectivity is regarded as one of the most fundamental qualities in governance since it enables public
authorities to make sound decisions based on evidence. It complements other qualities in governance such as
integrity, impartiality, non-partisanship, empathy, tolerance, and compassion. It goes hand in hand with the
idea of impartiality; civil servants have an identity as well, and while making judgments, they must be objective
enough to set aside existent biases and make rational observations that are not influenced by emotion or
passion. In the eyes of the law, everyone is equal; nevertheless, when executing rules, they must avoid biases
and prejudices.
Although objectivity is important one must proceed with caution, the text and the context both must be kept
in mind to reach an ideal solution. That is why it is suggested-blend of pragmatism and objectivism should be
applied rather than pure objectivity.
Problems of absolute Objectivity
Limits decision-making flexibility: In actual life, it is nearly impossible to retain complete rationality. It is neither
desirable nor possible. In real life, decision-making is not simply in terms of black and white so to comprehend
the gray area that exists, flexibility is critical. Sometimes events and circumstances develop in a manner in
which objectivity must be compromised in order to make justiciable choices.
Improving the efficiency with which public services are delivered: For example, due to the recent requirement
to link Aadhaar cards with ration cards, a teenage girl died of hunger in Jharkhand after not receiving any food
rations from public distribution for several weeks.
Reduce administrative ability to deal with extraordinary situations: Due to the intricacy of Indian regulations, it
is sometimes hard to achieve complete compliance with one legislation without violating a few others. In such
a case, perfect objectivity in decision making is not recommended; rather, a pragmatic approach is required
when such ethical quandaries arise. Maintaining basic objectivity necessitates allowing for deviations in
exceptional circumstances. Rationally, it appears acceptable to follow the set of rules, yet there are occasions
when merely obeying the rules is not the best course of action. If a diversion is required, it is critical to employ
reason to genuinely detect the situation; this is what distinguishes people from mere machines that mindlessly
follow directions.
Because India's society is pluralistic, it is vital to provide for the implementation of laws based on varied
sociocultural and economic needs. Such administrative flexibility would be eliminated if governance were
completely objective. At times there is no textual solution to problems, this requires contextual understanding
and for that practical tact is needed not objectivity.
Reduce the efficiency of delegated legislation: Adherence to the parent law word for word would limit public
servants' ability to shape the provisions of the current law to make it implementable, and in such a
circumstance absolute objectivity could lead to administrative inefficiency.
Policy paralysis: pursuing total objectivity in governance may result in delays, inaction, and the inability of the
government or its different departments and agencies that administer the country and economy to make
policy decisions.
Conclusion: Although objectivity is required in governance to ensure accountability, openness, neutrality, and
probity. Careful discussion and study of events in the public interest, as opposed to absolute objectivity, is
more suited to enhance justice and adapt to the needs of changing societal paradigms.
The Indian Constitution, too, adheres to this concept, shifting from established procedure to due process of
law.
Q. Discuss the relevance of objectivity in the governance of modern-day society. Is it desirable to attain
absolute objectivity.
Approach
 Define objectivity and describe its utility in the governance of modern-day society.
 Evaluate objectivity as a fundamental value in governance.
 Discuss valid arguments and counter arguments on desirability of absolute objectivity.
 Conclude by assessing the premises of your answer.
A. Introduction
Objectivity in governance means adherence to rationality, legality and to prove standards, procedures and
norms in institutions by the public authorities. It implies that the governance decisions should be taken
based on merit and after rigorous analysis of evidence.
Objectivity is considered one of the most fundamental values in governance because it helps the public
authorities to make correct decisions on the merit of evidence. It compliments other values like Integrity,
impartiality, non-partisanship, empathy, tolerance and compassion in governance.
Body
Objectivity in Governance
 Helps in taking right decisions in case of ethical moral dilemmas
 It helps to maintain impartiality and fairness
 Prevents injustice in governance
 Enhance professionalism
 Increase resource utilisation efficiency
 Improve public service delivery
 Enhance transparency in the public domain.
It also helps to overcome biases, favouritism and helps in management of conflict of interest.
Absolute Objectivity in Governance
 Limit’s the flexibility in decision making: In real life it is almost impossible to maintain hundred
percent rationality. Flexibility in decision making is essential in actual life.
Sometimes such situations and circumstances arise where in the spirit of taking justiciable decisions
the objectivity needs to be compromised.
 Hindrance to efficiency delivery of public services: For example, recently due to making linking
Aadhaar card mandatory with the ration card an adolescent girl died of hunger in Jharkhand due to
not receiving any food ration from the public distribution for several weeks. Decrease
administrative capacity to deal with extraordinary situations: Due to complexities in the nature of
laws in India, it is sometimes impossible to attain hundred percent adherence to a law without
breaching a few other laws.
In such a situation absolute objectivity in decision making is not suggested, a pragmatic approach
becomes very necessary when such ethical dilemmas occur. Maintaining basic flexibility in
objectivity requires allowing exceptions in extraordinary situations.
 For example: adopting violent methods is against the constitutional spirit of Justice but in
extraordinary situations like terrorist attack and riots, sometimes it becomes necessary to issue
orders of shoot at sight.
 Eliminate administrative space for adjustment: India society being pluralistic, it is necessary to give
scope for implementation of laws according to diverse sociocultural and economic needs.
Absolute objectivity in governance would eliminate such administrative space for adjustment.
 For example: absolute objectivity in adherence to central laws, the states would not have been able
to form local self-government suitable to its own social cultural needs.
 Decrease the efficiency of delegated legislation: Word to word adherence to the parent law would
limit the powers of the civil servants to mould the provisions of the current law to make it
implementable. In such a case absolute objectivity could cause administrative inefficiency.
 Policy paralysis: following absolute objectivity in governance could cause delays, inaction and
inability to take policy decisions by the government or its various departments and agencies which
run the country and the economy.
Conclusion
Although objectivity is a must in governance for maintaining accountability, transparency, neutrality and
probity in governance. Careful deliberation and analysis of situations in public interest and an enlightened
objectivity rather than absolute objectivity is more appropriate to add fairness and caters to the needs of
the changing social paradigms.
Empathy
 Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point
of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's
position and feeling what they must be feeling.
 While people are generally pretty well-attuned to their own feelings and emotions, getting into
someone else's head can be a bit more difficult. The ability to feel empathy allows people to "walk a
mile in another's shoes".
 An empathetic point of view is achieved by setting aside our own interests, current disposition, and
relation to the agent and sympathizing with the effects of a person’s actions on those around him.
Operationalization of Empathy: According to David Hume
 X notices that Y is injured and that he is in pain.
 A mental state similar to that of Y arises in X. He experiences the idea of pain, of Y.
 This feeling arises from a kind of association or due to psychological simulation of Y’s pain in X’s mind.
 This feeling of empathy creates a motivational drive in X to rush to Y’s help.
Different Types of Empathy
 Affective Empathy: It involves the ability to understand another person's emotions and respond
appropriately.
o Such emotional understanding may lead to someone feeling concerned for another person's
well-being, or it may lead to feelings of personal distress.
 Somatic Empathy: It involves having a sort of physical reaction in response to what someone else is
experiencing. People sometimes physically experience what another person is feeling.
 Cognitive Empathy: It involves being able to understand another person's mental state and what they
might be thinking in response to the situation.
o This is related to what psychologists refer to as theory of mind, or thinking about what other
people are thinking.
Components of Empathy
 Empathy as a Virtue: A school of ethics, moral sentimentalism, considers that morality has its source
in our emotions and desires. Moral sentimentalism provides plausible explanations of common
aspects of morality.
o Empathy, a term often used for a kind of concern for another, is considered as an important
virtue.
 Rational Element: Some other thinkers consider that empathy also has a rational element.
o As fairness, justice and interdependence are involved in empathy, it may be considered
rational in nature and its application understood as an activity based on sound judgment.
 Related to Biological Evolution: Empathy is considered an innate aspect of human nature. Like other
aspects of human mental makeup, it might have arisen in the process of human biological evolution.
o As such, it has helped human beings to adapt to the environment and to survive and
reproduce. Of course, it also has a cultural component.
Empathy, Sympathy and Compassion
 Sympathy: It is a feeling and expression of concern for someone, often accompanied by a wish for
them to be happier or better off.
o In general, sympathy implies a deeper, more personal, level of concern than pity, a simple
expression of sorrow.
 Empathy: It involves, first, seeing someone else’s situation from his/ her perspective, and, second,
sharing that person's emotions, including, if any, his distress.
o Empathy occurs when you are truly trying to understand or experience someone else’s
emotions, as if they were your own.
 Compassion: It is a deeper level of empathy, demonstrating an actual desire to help the suffering
person.
o It is a unique feeling of sympathy for the suffering of others that involves emotions and
empathy towards others, a sense of understanding, and the drive to protect.
Sympathy Empathy Compassion
Defining Observing, Reacting, Acknowledgment of Non-conditional, Virtuous,
characteristics immediate, suffering, Understanding Altruistic, Instrumental, Action-
predominantly the person, Affective oriented response
emotional awareness. response.
Response to Acknowledgment Acknowledgment, Acknowledgment, understanding,
suffering understanding, and and emotional resonance linked
emotional resonance with action aimed at
understanding the person and the
amelioration of suffering
Type of A visceral reaction to a Objective and affective A proactive and targeted response
response distressing situation response to a distressing to a distressing situation
situation
Benefits of Being Empathic
 Building Social Connections: Empathy allows people to build social connections with others. By
understanding what people are thinking and feeling, people are able to respond appropriately in
social situations.
o Research has shown that having social connections is important for both physical and
psychological well-being.
 Regulating Emotions: Empathizing with others helps you learn to regulate one’s own emotions.
o Emotional regulation is important in that it allows you to manage what you are feeling, even
in times of great stress, without becoming overwhelmed.
 Empathy Promotes Helping Behaviors: Not only people are more likely to engage in helpful behaviors
when they feel empathy for other people, but other people are also more likely to help you when
they experience empathy.
Barriers to Empathy
A few reasons why people sometimes lack empathy include cognitive biases, dehumanization, and victim-
blaming.
 Cognitive Biases: Sometimes the way people perceive the world around them is influenced by a
number of cognitive biases.
o For example, people often attribute other people's failures to internal characteristics, while
blaming their own shortcomings on external factors.
o These biases can make it difficult to see all the factors that contribute to a situation and
make it less likely that people will be able to see a situation from the perspective of another.
 Dehumanization: Many also fall victim to the trap of thinking that people who are different from them
also don't feel and behave the same as they do. This is particularly common in cases when other
people are physically distant.
o For example, when they watch reports of a disaster or conflict in a foreign land, people might
be less likely to feel empathy if they think that those who are suffering are fundamentally
different from themselves.
 Victim Blaming: Sometimes when another person has suffered a terrible experience, people make the
mistake of blaming the victim for their circumstances.
o This is the reason why victims of crimes are often asked what they might have done
differently to prevent the crime.
Steps To Develop Empathy
Empathy is a skill that can be learned and strengthened. There are a few things that one can do:
 Develop Radical Listening: Radical listening can have an extraordinary impact on resolving conflict
situations and develop empathic behavior.
o Radical Listening means letting people have their say, hold back from interrupting and even
reflect back what they've told you so they knew you were really listening.
 Look for the Human Behind Everything: A second step is to deepen empathic concern for others by
developing an awareness of all those individuals hidden behind the surface of our daily lives, on
whom we may depend in some way.
o A Buddhist-inspired approach to this is to spend a whole day becoming mindful of every
person connected to your routine actions.
o It is precisely such mindful awareness that can spark empathic action on the behalf of others.
Some Quotes Related to Empathy
 “You Can Only Understand People If you feel them up yourself”. —John Steinbeck, East of Eden
 “Yet, taught by time, my heart has learned to glow at other’s good, and melt at another's woe”. —
Homer
 “When A good man is hurt all who would be called good must suffer with him” —Euripides
 “Seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the arms of another, and feeling with the heart of
another”. —Alfred Adler
 “I call him religious who understands the sufferings of others”. —Mahatma Gandhi
 “If there is any one secret of success, it lies the ability to get the other person's view and see things
from his angle as well as your own.” —Henry Ford
Conclusion: Empathy is the ability to see things from another person's perspective and sympathize with
another's emotions, it plays an important role in establishing harmony in society. Empathy is essential for civil
services, as in administrative situations, all relevant viewpoints have to be elicited and suitably
accommodated.
Tolerance
Tolerance essentially means acceptance of “differences”. It is one of the most important fundamental values
on which values of love and respect are premised.
The importance of tolerance is felt more in a diverse-democratic social set-up of the contemporary times,
where people have authority over ‘voice’ and choice’. Intolerance in Politics have promoted disruption in
parliamentary proceedings, hate speeches in rallies etc. It further has promoted ‘moral policing’ leading to
religious Intolerance- in the form of beef ban etc.
Tolerance is not only important for respecting other people’ right but it also is equally important to freely
exercise ones’ own rights. For example, Intolerance towards divergent view-points ruins a rational debate
where no one can freely exercise their right to freedom of speech.
Although, tolerance is often envisioned as a positive concept, it has a negative connotation too. Thus, the need
to know the right and wrong of tolerance.
In Indian culture tolerance is often associated with the weakest, i.e. women and minorities. Women are pre-
supposed to tolerate “all” -which perpetuates crime like female foeticide and marital rapes.
Thus, one needs to know that tolerance moves along a ‘continuum’ and that disagreement doesn’t
tantamount to In-tolerance, one thus also needs to know when exactly to ‘stop’ tolerating.
Solved Free Question

What is tolerance? Why is it considered to be a foundational value for a civil servant? Explain.
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”-Voltaire
Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation for those whose opinions, practices, race, religion,
nationality etc. are different from one’s own.
Tolerance
 According to UNESCO, Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our
world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. It is fostered by knowledge,
openness, communication, and freedom of thought, conscience and belief. Tolerance is harmony in
difference. It is not only a moral duty, it is also a political and legal requirement. Tolerance, the
virtue that makes peace possible, contributes to the replacement of the culture of war by a culture
of peace.
 Tolerance is not concession, condescension or indulgence. Tolerance is, above all, an active attitude
prompted by recognition of the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. In no
circumstance can it be used to justify infringements of these fundamental values. Tolerance is to be
exercised by individuals, groups and States.
 Tolerance is the responsibility that upholds human rights, pluralism (including cultural pluralism),
democracy and the rule of law. It involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism and affirms
the standards set out in international human rights instruments.
Importance
 A civil servant posted in a state other than his own if not tolerant may face problem in adapting and
dedicating himself to the service of people. Tolerance as virtue is important to pursue high ideal of
secularism enshrined in constitution. Intolerance would breed injustice and violence which are
antidotes to a balanced development in a culturally diverse nation.
 Courage to fight for others right – Tolerance gives respect for others and hence courage to fight for
their rights like fight against racial discrimination, LGBTQ community, minority etc.
 Better decision – Tolerance avoids impulsive decisions. It buys times and helps in minimizing lose
and damage.
 Allows healthy debate and discussion to take place between different sections and hence outcomes
are democratic.
 In times of peace, people have a chance to thrive socially, economically and emotionally. Tolerance
creates a society in which people can feel valued and respected, and in which there is room for
every person, each with their own ideas, thoughts and dreams.
 Without tolerance and harmony, the lasting peace of societies cannot be maintained, and loyalty
for each other cannot be established.
 Tolerance allows individuality and diversity. It is more about mutual respect and the common good,
and not about who is right and who is wrong
Conclusion
Historically tolerance has been the central virtue of some of the greatest empires. Be it Asoka’s Dhamma or
Akbar’s Sul-i-kul, tolerance was a key principle. Being tolerant of each other and caring for each other is
what makes us human. This is why we have believed tolerance is important and an essential aspect of a
healthy, livable society. In fact, it is the only way in which a country as diverse as India (Politically, religiously,
economically) can function and use each and every difference to make its people thrive rather than suffer.
Compassion towards the weaker-sections
Compassion towards the weaker-sections is considered to be one of the most fundamental attributes for a civil
servant. Why? Examine.
The very nature of civil service is "Service of the Nation and its citizen” With such an established principle, the
key attribute that must be possessed by him / her is COMPASSION - to have genuine feel / connect with the
people served.
Without compassion, the very nature of service is distraught. It is much like giving alms to beggar and making a
claim on the same. True service is of selfless nature. The weaker sections of the society in particular - the
marginalized groups, socially un-privileged, women, children, disabled; individuals whose VOICE has not found
some listeners are the ones who ought to be addressed on priority.
Without compassion, the service would take a colonial touch characterized by mercantilism and subordination
of the colonial people than their amelioration.
In post-independent India, the civil service has a prominent role in removing the colonial imposed distortion -
social, economic and political. The essence being compassion which would propel the efforts and serve to
reach further than parochial and distant outlook to the problem of the day.
eg. A District Magistrate would be highly engaged towards his work if he is driven by internal compassion than
by considering it as a mere 09 to 06 job. Compassion would fuel his efforts and dedication to serve for the
higher good which is an inherent feature of civil service.
Q. Compassion towards weaker sections is considered to be one of the most fundamental attributes for
a civil servant. Why? Examine.
Ans: ”To work among the kings and yet not lose the common
touch is a kind of attitude required from a civil servant”
Understanding and listening to the problems and sufferings of people in distress is fundamental
attribute of any bureaucrat seeing the public at its best.
For example: A young poor boy dalit man migrated to a city from his village, but he doesn’t have
any identity proof because of which he is not getting any place on rent and employment. He
requested the concerned bureaucrat of that city; now if bureaucrat id emphatic, compassionate,
she would listen him carefully, understood his problem undertook immediate actions such as –
give that man a BPL certificate enrol his name in list of employment exchange board. She would
also meet other people facing the same problem to help them. So, compassion not only involves
understand but a desire to help and alienate the sufferings of other person. Having compassion
means putting other person first, imagine what the person is going through.
As Mahatma Gandhi said -
“I call him religious who understands the sufferings of others”
Q. Compassion towards the weaker section is considered to be one of the most fundamental attributes
for a Civil Servant. Why? Examine
Ans: Justice as fairness: the most important core value of a “good governance says that each government
should worn in the direction to provide Justice to the last man of the society”.
But this “Justice with the last man” cannot be done by making laws only, it requires ethical – conduct by
the actors (public servants CS) while implementing of those laws/policies on ground level.
Compassion, empathy, love, impartiality etc are some of these values which a CS should adhere with
while performing her duties.
Compassion & weaker sections:
* Various stereotypes and prejudices have contributed to the institutional deprivation and access to
resources which in turn has led to vulnerability and marginalisation.
* Low bargaining powers and inability to access their demands have resulted in a culture of silence and
leaned helpless men
e.g.: low literacy rate, lack of awareness of govt policies and benefits, discrimination, untouchability etc.
* A CS requires compassion in order to understand and feel the pangs of poverty, hunger and economic
deprivation of these weaker sections
* Values of compassion along with empathy and tolerance helps a CS to enhance the penetration level
of public institutions and public trust (esp. weaker section) in the institution.
e.g.: In cases of rapes, molestation, trafficking
* It helps a CS in enhancing the accessibility of Justice to the last man of society
This all requires attitudinal change of the administrator and also of the weaker sections sown support
which can happen only with sensitivity and empathy, compassion and tolerance.
Emotional Intelligence
"Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at
the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power, that is not
easy." —Aristotle
Emotional Intelligence (EI): The term was coined by two researchers – Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990 but
got popular in 1996 from Dan Goleman’s book ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’.
Emotional intelligence refers to ‘the ability to identify one’s own emotions and those of others, harness and apply
them to tasks, and to regulate and manage them’.
Emotional Quotient (EQ) is a measure of one’s EI i.e. through a standardized test, one’s awareness of emotions in
relation to self and others is known.
Elements of EI (as given by Daniel Goleman)
 Self-Awareness: It is the skill of being aware of and understanding one’s emotions as they occur and
as they evolve.
 Self-Regulation: It is about controlling one’s emotions i.e. instead of reacting quickly; one can reign in
one’s emotions and thus will think before responding.
 Internal Motivation: It includes one’s personal drive to improve and achieve commitment to one’s
goals, initiative, or readiness to act on opportunities, and optimism and resilience.
 Empathy: It is an awareness of the needs and feelings of others both individually and in groups, and
being able to see things from the point of view of others.
 Social Skills: It is applying empathy and balancing the wants and requirements of others with one’s. It
includes building good rapport with others.
Four different factors of emotional intelligence
Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence:
1. Perceiving Emotions: The first step in understanding emotions is to accurately perceive them. In many
cases, this might involve understanding nonverbal signals such as body language and facial
expressions.
2. Reasoning with Emotions: The next step involves using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive
activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention and react to; we respond emotionally to
things that garner our attention.
3. Understanding Emotions: The emotions that we perceive can carry a wide variety of meanings. If
someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer must interpret the cause of their anger and what
it might mean.
4. Managing Emotions: The ability to manage emotions effectively is a key part of emotional intelligence.
Regulating emotions, responding appropriately and responding to the emotions of others are all
important aspect of emotional management.
Emotional Quotient (EQ) vs. Intelligent Quotient (IQ)
"What really matters for success, character, happiness and lifelong achievements is a definite set of emotional
skills – your EQ — not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by conventional IQ tests." —Daniel
Goleman
 EQ is a measure of a person's level of emotional intelligence. It refers to a person's ability to perceive,
control, evaluate, and express emotions.
 IQ is a score derived from one of several standardized tests designed to assess an individual's
intelligence. It is used to determine academic abilities and identify individuals with off-the-chart
intelligence or mental challenges.
 EQ is centred on abilities such as identifying emotions, evaluating how others feel, controlling one's
own emotions, perceiving how others feel, using emotions to facilitate social communication and
relating to others.
 IQ represents abilities such as visual and spatial processing, knowledge of the world, fluid reasoning,
working memory and short-term memory and quantitative reasoning.
Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Civil Services
 Better decision making: Biological evidence suggests that decision-making is neurologically impossible
without being informed by emotions. So, EI furthers neutrality and impartiality when there is conflict
of interest.
 Better Communication: Emotionally intelligent people listen to other people and know how to
communicate effectively (Goleman 1997). Hence, an emotionally intelligent Civil Servant manages to
execute policies effectively through better communication with public at large. Empathy and integrity
take precedence over personal biases when one is emotionally sorted out.
 Better coordination with subordinates- The quality of EI makes a public servant more aware and
compassionate. Ego, pride or other negative emotions fail to creep in such personalities. EI also helps
a person in comprehending emotions of others, thus an emotionally intelligent civil servant can
motivate his/her subordinates towards a particular goal.
 Management of disruptive emotions- A civil servant while working in high pressure environment often
becomes subject to political pressure, life threats etc. Only a public servant who is Emotionally
Intelligent would be able to handle such pressures without succumbing to anger, depression or
compromise.
 For Targeting Policies better: Bureaucrats need to know emotions, moods and drives of persons at
whom public policy is targeted for better acquaintance with the nature of problems in society and
their possible solutions.
 Better execution of Policies- According to research, working with colleagues who aren’t self-aware can
cut a team’s success in half and, lead to increased stress and decreased motivation.
 Fosters Leadership- Self-awareness is at the core of everything. It describes the ability to not only
understand one’s strengths and weaknesses, but to recognize emotions and the effect they have on
herself (public servant) and her team’s performance.
 More efficient administration: Because Emotional intelligence helps to -
o respond to situations very flexibly.
o take advantage of the right time and right place.
o make sense of ambiguous or contradictory messages.
o recognize the importance of different elements of a situation.
o find similarities between situations despite differences that may separate them.
o draw distinctions between situations despite similarities that may link them.
o synthesize new concepts by taking old concepts and combining them in new ways.
o develop ideas that are novel.
 Build Trust with people: Emotionally intelligent people listen to other people’s emotions and can
empathize with them. Emotionally intelligent people act ethically and build trust through integrity and
reliability.
 Better negotiations: Emotionally intelligent people can negotiate and resolve disagreements. This
characteristic is the heart of public service.
 Leading by Listening: To build stocks of social capital, one of the most important skills a public
administrator needs is the ability to listen -- to self and others
 Better Governance: All public service is people service. Relationships are at the heart of governance.
To the extent that public administration mirrors the hearts and minds of people, it is governance. EI
helps in building relationships with people and ensures better implementation of public schemes.
 “360-degree Leadership” -- public administrators with high enough levels of emotional intelligence:
o Lead up -- build social capital with political superiors and elected officials;
o Lead down -- build social capital with lower-level staff;
o Lead across -- build social capital with peers;
o Lead out -- build social capital with stakeholders outside ministry -- NGOs, academics, media,
citizens etc
Improving Emotional Intelligence
 By self-evaluating oneself, one can know one’s emotions and reactions to different situations.
 By observing others, one can comprehend feelings of others.
 By improving one’s expression, one can communicate better.
 By analysing the impact of one’s action over others, one can fine tune the actions.
Now-a-days, organizations take initiative to improve Emotional Intelligence among its employees through
different group activities, exercises, seminars and tests. However, EI also improves with age (maturity) due to
one’s experiences in life.
Rule Your Feelings, Lest Your Feelings Rule You. — Publilius Syrus
Emotional Intelligence Models
There are 3 major frameworks into which the Emotional Intelligence models may be categorized.
 Ability Model- it equates the EI with mental abilities, and assesses them through the tools that
categorize responses into right and wrong.
 Mixed Model- as per this model Emotional Intelligence is the combination of abilities and personality
traits.
 Trait Models- it says that the Emotional Intelligence abilities are the same as the personality traits
rather than the abilities and adopt personality test.
Promoting Emotional Intelligence in Children
Promoting Emotional Intelligence in children becomes so important because as adults our life is highly
influenced by what we have experienced in our childhood.
 The increasing stress level in adults is deep roots in the imprints we have gotten as children.
 As per the research, people with better Emotional Intelligence are able to cope with everyday
challenges in a better way, and benefit professionally, academically, and socially.
 That’s why childhood is the best time to develop Emotional Intelligence.
 Schools and parents would play a vital role in the Development of Emotional Intelligence in children.
Q. Examine the relevance of the following terms in the context of civil service: (150 Words)
(i) Integrity (ii) Impartiality (iii) Objectivity (iv) Tolerance
Answer
(i) Integrity: Integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions. In other
words, one’s actions have to match one’s professed moral principles. It is the practice of being honest and
showing consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
It is important for a civil servant to have integrity for the following reasons
 To deal with the public and their affairs fairly, efficiently and sensitively to the best of their
abilities.
 For managing public resources and money entrusted to them for the benefit of the citizens.
 To comply with the law of the land and uphold the administration of justice. E.g.- Mr. Ashok
Khemkha, a civil servant has shown impeccable integrity and dedication towards public service
despite the fact that he has been transferred more than 50 times in his service.
 A public servant who lacks integrity would put personal interest over public service and thus
compromising the quality of administration.
(ii) Impartiality: It means acting solely according to the merits of the case without giving preference to
one’s own self-interest. It means serving everyone equally well and in the same spirit.
An officer must not act in a way that unjustifiably favours or discriminates against particular individuals or
interests.
E.g.- An IPS officer Sreelekha earned the moniker of ‘Raid Sreelekha’ for being part of the CBI raid teams
that didn’t shy away from searching the premises of influential persons.
Impartiality lies at the heart of public service and is the core of the commitments of a public servant. A
public servant must be impartial and must not act on the basis of nationality, race, religion, or political
point of view.
An impartial public servant ensures:
 Service delivery in an effective manner.
 A legal and Constitutional transition when democratic processes result in new administrations.
 Proper resource management and effective implementation of government schemes.
(iii) Objectivity: It allows an officer to take a decision on the merits of the case and take due account of
expert advice. It also means the state or quality of being rational and keeping aside one’s emotions, biases,
prejudices. It is mind independent and object-specific. In public life, it means giving equal treatment to
people in equal situations irrespective of any other factor i.e being fair. For example- An IPS officer takes
the right decision in a sexual harassment case by analysing all the aspects without having any prejudices.
(iv) Tolerance: It is respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the rich diversity of our culture, our forms of
expression and ways of being human. It is also accepting others when their opinions and beliefs are not in
line with yours. It is fostered by knowledge, openness, communication, and freedom of thought,
conscience, and belief. E.g. A policymaker while formulating policies for weaker sections of society must be
tolerant enough to hold his/her own personal views for the welfare of all.
The attribute of being tolerant is very important for civil servants for the following reasons:
 To protect the Constitutional principles of Fundamental Rights which form the basic structure of
the Constitution.
 To uphold natural rights.
 To Prevent the tendency of intimidation, coercion, oppression, etc.
 In developing qualities like respect towards others, knowledge, openness, communication
between diverse sections in society.
 Integrity, impartiality, non-partisanship, objectivity, and tolerance are the foundational values of
civil service. Hence, it is essential to inculcate such values for the efficient and citizen-centric
public delivery system.
Emotional Quotient (EQ) is a measure of a person's level of emotional intelligence, often represented as a
numerical score. Similar to Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which measures cognitive intelligence, EQ assesses a
person's ability to recognize, understand, manage, and utilize emotions effectively in various situations. It
quantifies proficiency in emotional competencies such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation,
empathy, and social skills. EQ assessments provide standardized metrics that can be used to compare
individuals, track personal development over time, and identify areas for improvement in emotional
intelligence. In professional settings, EQ is used in recruitment, personal development, and leadership
training to assess and cultivate emotionally intelligent behaviours and skills.
EI stands for Emotional Intelligence. It refers to the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and utilize
one's own emotions and the emotions of others in positive ways. Emotional Intelligence encompasses
several key components, including:
1. Self-awareness: Recognizing one's own emotions and understanding how they affect thoughts and
behavior.
2. Self-regulation: Managing and controlling one's emotions, impulses, and reactions in various situations.
3. Motivation: Being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of obstacles, often by setting and
working towards meaningful goals.
4. Empathy: Understanding and considering the emotions and perspectives of others, and responding
appropriately.
5. Social skills: Building and maintaining positive relationships, communicating effectively, resolving
conflicts, and collaborating with others.
Developing and enhancing Emotional Intelligence can lead to better interpersonal relationships, improved
communication, increased empathy, and greater overall well-being. It is an essential skill set in both
personal and professional contexts, influencing success in areas such as leadership, teamwork, and conflict
resolution.
Unit 3
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

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Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

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Why Do We Need to Be Ethical in Our Actions?

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Consequences of Ethics in Human Action:

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6. Resolving Conflicts Peacefully

What are the Causative Factors behind the Formation of Attitudes?

Case 3 – Attitude = Behaviour

How is Attitude related to the Value System?

What is the Difference Between Attitude and Behaviour?

Some Quotes Related to Attitude

How are they ensured?

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