Duty and responsibility are two common words we often hear in the way of our life. These two terms have been come across by every person. But mistakenly we often assume these two terms are the same. In this writeup we are going to share all the details and the difference between duty and responsibility.
Difference between duty and responsibility
| Duty | Responsibility |
| Duty refers to moral commitment which an individual is obliged to perform. | If a person perform an action at his own will and he doesn’t need any supervision, is known as responsibility. |
| It reflects the respect or obedience for the work and rules. | It reflects the accountability for the performance or non-performance of something. |
| Duty demands no self-interest. | It needs trustworthiness and loyalty. |
| Duties are assigned to the individuals cause the law demands.. | Responsibilities are shouldered. |
| Duties are mandatorily performed by the individuals. | Responsibility is the act to which is performed responsibly and assist to boost up the self esteem of the individual. |
| Abiding by the rules and regulations of the country is an example of duty of a citizen of any country. | Working for the betterment of the country by performing social works like tree plantation program, blood donating, helping the surroundings in time of danger is the responsibility of an individual. |
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What is Duty?
‘Duty’ is a word which is derived from the Latin word ‘Debere’. ‘Debere means commitment. So it indicates that duty refers to moral commitment. This commitment can be to someone or something and the individual is obliged to perform it.
Duty can be many types. An engineer who is serving a company is bound to perform his best for the welfare of that company.
Tasks that are given by the head of his team is the duty of that engineer. As a citizen of a country, our duty is to obey all the rules and regulations of our country.
Paying taxes on time, keeping our country clean and being respectful to the laws of the country is the duty of ours. In case of a teacher, his duty is to perform all the tasks related to his job including teaching his students, grading their performance etc.
A doctor’s duty is to treat the patients and perform his job responsibilities perfectly. A Roman lawyer Cicero, who is best known for his words on society and politics narrated that duties are derived from four sources.
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- One’s character
- One’s particular place
- Human being
- One’s own moral expectations.
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He narrated these in his one of the most known work “On duty”. Duty is known as the commitment which is done for performing any task or action.
Every individual is obliged to perform it even he has no self-interest in it. An employee of an institution can’t perform his duties until he performs the action he is bound to.
So it means, duty is the moral commitment to someone or something to perform certain work which is lawfully and socially right.
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What is Responsibility?
Latin word ‘responsabilis’ is the word from which the word ‘Responsibility’ derived. If a person perform an action at his own will and he doesn’t need any supervision, is known as responsibility.
According to this, a person takes upon the duty to complete the task. A responsible person becomes fully responsible for the outcome of his performed tasks. He performs this task at his own will and there is no obligation to perform it.
For example, a mother takes her responsibility to teach her children the moral values from their early life. She takes upon this task at her own will and interest.
There’s no one to oblige her for this but still she is performing this action. This example depicts responsibility properly.
There are some other examples of responsibilities too. Social responsibilities can be performed by doing blood donation, planting trees, working for the orphans, respecting other beliefs and opinions etc.
Corporate responsibilities are the tasks which assist to achieve social goals. If a company spends its profit for donating at orphanage or for tree plantation, it means that company is performing its responsibilities.
Related: Difference Between Charcoal and Activated Charcoal (With Table).
Conclusion
Duty is the moral commitment of an individual for which he is obliged to perform that certain task. On the other hand, Responsibility is the ability by which a person takes the accountability of a certain task to perform at his own will and there is no need for supervision for it.
In our daily life, we are ought to maintain our duties. And it is our duty to take responsibility because without taking responsibility a society will be backward.
In this article, we have tried to discuss the definitions and all the differences between duties and responsibilities. We hope this will give you clarity and information about these two terms. For more info, you can check the FAQ section or comment below.
Related: Difference Between Audit and Inspection (With Table).
Summary
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- Duty is the moral commitment which a person is obliged to do. On the other hand, responsibility is the action which is taken upon at a person’s own will.
- Duty doesn’t demand self-interest but responsibility demands self-interest.
- Duty is performed mandatorily but responsibility is performed willingly.
- Teacher teaches his students is an example of duty. On the contrary, mother teaching her children is an example of responsibility.
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The FAQs about Duty vs Responsibility
What are examples of duties?
Examples of duties are mentioned below.
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- Paying tax
- Obeying laws
- Performing job responsibilities like banking, teaching etc.
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What are sources of duties?
There are 3 sources of duties.
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- Laws.
- Promises.
- Principles.
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What are 5 responsibilities?
5 examples of responsibilities are mentioned below.
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- Respect the rights, beliefs and opinions.
- Serve in a jury if needed.
- Blood donation.
- Donating at orphanage.
- Participate in the democratic process of election.
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