Advantages & Disadvantages of Social Responsibility

All people have a degree of social responsibility, and some will willingly take on more social responsibility than others. When an individual tries to help society, the effort should be lauded, but the consequences for the individual concerned are not always happy ones. Dilemmas will often later emerge to determine whether an individual feels inclined to continue to help society.

One of the biggest advantages of having social responsibility is that it gives a person a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that he is helping society. The realization that someone, as just one individual, can make a difference is also something that will encourage him to continue helping society. It will also give an individual confidence in striving to achieve more and put forward his own ideas -- rather than only answering to the requests of others.

Helping others will give a person a good reputation in a community. This good reputation will also make it easier for an individual to use her good name to push forward additional good work. This individual's opinion will be sought within a community. Once a person has proved herself to be a socially responsible person, she will be given opportunities to become more involved in helping the community. Feeling respected will also be a nice feeling in itself.

When people think of putting social responsibility into practice, they will often be encouraged by others. Problems will arise when an individual, who puts in a lot of time and effort, becomes taken for granted. Once that individual feels that his efforts are not being fairly recognized, then the motivation to carry on will sometimes be eroded. It's important that people who do take on a lot of social responsibility are made to feel appreciated for their work.

Sometimes an individual will be so competent at handling social responsibility that she will be given too much. This will become draining for some individuals, or it will make some begin to feel that they are more powerful than they actually are. If a person isn't ready for too much responsibility, then she is also more likely to make mistakes. For someone who has built up a good reputation in a community, a negative change in fortunes will be devastating.