CIVIC AND ETHICAL TRAINING: WHAT IT STUDIES, CHARACTERISTICS, OBJECTIVES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The civics and ethics seeks to create a space where people can conceive of themselves as social individuals. Although this social conception is present in this training, at the same time each person maintains her condition as an individual, which is essential to better understand what are the rights and duties that concern her.

Civic and ethical training is based on the study of the basic principles related to democracy, as well as the moral aspects that citizens must take into account within the framework of coexistence in a given society.

To understand more fully all these democratic and moral principles, civic and ethical training relies on other disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, history, law, political science, demography, anthropology and psychology. among many others.

As it is a subject that encompasses a large set of elements from multiple fields, normally civic and ethical training is divided into at least three approaches: the training of the individual as such, training in the field of ethics and morals, and training related to being good citizens.

What is studied in civic and ethical training?

Formation of the individual

Civic and ethical training focuses on the potential that each individual has within them to achieve various objectives, such as promoting social well-being, creating life projects for themselves, and developing comprehensively.

To do this, through this approach, the basic principles of personality and the importance of self-esteem are studied, and one's own feelings and beliefs are explored, so that it is possible to know each other more deeply in the individual sphere.

At the same time, elements related to law are also studied, with the intention that people manage to conceive themselves as responsible for responding to both their rights and their duties.

Ethical and moral training

In this phase of civic and ethical training, elements related to human rights are studied. Likewise, the main characteristics of the basic ethical principles are analyzed, such as justice, truth, responsibility, freedom, solidarity, tolerance and equity, among other fundamental values ​​for coexistence.

The intention is to critically reflect on these principles and understand why they are so important for coexistence in a society.

Strategies that allow better use of resources, as well as greater preservation of the environment, are also studied. The aspects studied in this section are framed in guiding the actions of individuals towards the common benefit.

Citizen education

In this area, the characteristics of democracy as a system of government are studied, as well as the benefits of generating a democratic culture in all spheres of society.

Various experiences in this area are analyzed, which have occurred both within the country and outside of it.

It also delves deeper into the country's legal framework, so that individuals can better understand what their participation should be as citizens and how their rights and duties are protected in the nation's legislature.

Likewise, the various participation mechanisms that exist in a democracy are studied, such as voting, popular consultation, the presentation of specific projects before the authorities or even the revocation of the mandate, among other procedures.

characteristics

The most relevant characteristics of civic and ethical training are the following:

-Usually taught in the school environment, specifically in the basic and diversified cycles. However, it is a training that is very useful at any time in a person's life.

-Its field of action includes training in the personal, legal and civic fields.

-Given the breadth of the topics covered, it includes multidisciplinary approaches. It is supported by psychology, sociology, law, anthropology, history and demography, among other disciplines.

-The main intention is to create citizens aware of their role within society, committed to the search for common progress.

-Although there are common elements, each country approaches civic and ethical training in a different way, adapted to its own social reality and its legal framework.

-It seeks to generate a comprehensive training that allows the development of a life plan through which the construction of harmonious social scenarios full of well-being is promoted.

-It is based on the first theories on civility proposed in antiquity: in China by the thinker Confucius and in Greece by the philosopher Plato. These principles evolved over time and continue to evolve, given that this training must adapt to the times.

goals

Among the main objectives of civic and ethical training, the following stand out:

-To make known what are the rights and duties that each individual has in his role as citizen, always with the intention of seeking social and community benefit.

-Emphasize the freedom that each individual has to make the decisions they deem appropriate, with the important notion that they are part of a society.

-Regulate conduct, seeking to adhere to ethics and basic principles related to human rights and democracy.

-Notice that all members of the same society have equality before the law, so that civic and ethical behavior should not favor one sector more than another.

-Recognize that, although indeed the members of a society are equal in terms of their rights and duties, at the same time they are different in terms of their ways of life, interests, ways of thinking and beliefs. Civic and ethical training promotes a harmonious coexistence that takes these differences into account.

-Encourage the generation by citizens of projects that improve the quality of life of the entire society.

-Understand the characteristics of government models, especially democracy, as well as the role that citizens play within this context.

-Approach the most relevant current laws, both nationally and internationally, to understand what the existing regulations are and what each citizen must do to comply with these parameters.

-Recognize the importance of legality as the basic order on which society is based.

-Build a series of values ​​whose essence is related to the tradition of the country in question, its history and its direct references.

-Critically analyze these values ​​and reflect on the possible ways to implement them in specific situations that may be generated within society. This will promote the moral development of each individual.

-Know what fundamental human rights are and how any citizen can enforce them, taking into account ethical training.

What is it for?

The main reason for promoting civic and ethical training is to encourage the conscious and responsible participation of citizens in the different activities carried out within a society.

Thanks to this teaching, citizens will have more information about their roles within a society and will be able to participate more actively in the construction of a present and a future full of well-being for themselves and for the community in general.

In addition, civic and ethical training serves for individuals to develop social capacities that allow them to take part in collective affairs, face various social problems and make decisions with a favorable ethical basis for a harmonious coexistence.

There is a series of capacities developed by individuals who receive civic and ethical training. Below we will describe the main characteristics of some of these:

Self-regulate one's own freedom

Civic and ethical training helps to understand the importance of exercising freedom with responsibility and awareness of other people. It also focuses on understanding that self-regulation is vital to maintaining both one's own dignity and that of other individuals.

It is about understanding that people have different motivations and interests, and that it is unethical to give priority to our own motives when we are part of a society. Therefore, it seeks to identify the space in which it is possible to exercise our freedom without harming the other in the process.

Know yourself

By identifying one's own characteristics, both physical and psychological, the creation of life projects to achieve self-realization is promoted, as well as the fact of recognizing oneself worthy and valuable, which is essential for a healthy coexistence.

Likewise, the value of others is also recognized and the ideal setting is created to cultivate the willingness to compromise with other citizens.

Cultivate a sense of belonging

Recognizing one's own characteristics and those of others implies identifying the ties that unite some people with others, either because they live in the same country, city, municipality or even residential neighborhood.

Likewise, the sense of belonging is not only associated with the geographical area, but is also related to interests, beliefs, customs and other cultural elements.

Then, by understanding oneself as part of a group, responsibility and commitment to actively and favorably participate in achieving community development will be fostered.

Assess the differences

The equalities that exist between citizens within the framework of the law are recognized and differences are also celebrated, which are a reflection of the great diversity that exists on the planet. It is this diversity that enriches the experience and allows constant learning.

Through civic and ethical training it is possible to develop empathy and promote that collective benefits take priority over individual motivations.

Create a democratic conscience

Civic and ethical training contributes to democracy not being conceived only as a model of government, but as a way of behaving in the different areas of life in society.

Furthermore, it is essential for a citizen to be aware of the various forms of democratic participation that exist, both to access relevant information generated by the government and to directly influence decisions made by authorities.

Actively participate in society

By recognizing themselves as part of a society, each individual may have a greater predisposition to participate actively in the social and political spheres.

The idea is to create a broad commitment linked to the affairs of society, which ultimately directly or indirectly affect each citizen. By realizing this incidence, people can become more present and proactive towards social issues.

In addition, through civic and ethical training, an understanding of the legal framework and the various participation options available to citizens are promoted. Thanks to this, it is possible that the actions carried out by people are more effective in their objective of achieving the progress of the community.

Resolve conflicts

Civic and ethical training places special emphasis on understanding legality, as well as the rights and duties of each citizen. In this context, an ability to manage conflicts is obtained by prioritizing dialogue and negotiation.

Whoever has the disposition to resolve a conflict, has at the same time the will to understand and recognize the other, competences that are very useful to generate a harmonious and productive society.

Recognize the importance of laws

It is about knowing and studying the rules that must be complied with on a mandatory basis, as well as understanding the importance of these rules being respected by all members of society.

The intention is that citizens themselves feel that they have the right to enforce the laws, always promoting respect for equity and human rights.

References

1. Aspe, V. (2002). Formacion civica y etica / Civics and Ethics. Mexico, DF: Editorial Limusa.
2. Canton, V. (2002). Formacion civica y etica / Civics and Ethics. Mexico, DF: Editorial Limusa.
3. Democracia, M. p. (2001). Civic education and civic ethics: anthology. University of Texas.
4. Lovibond, S. (2009). Ethical Formation. Harvard University Press.
5. Pick, S. (2002). Civic and ethical formation 2. Mexico DF: Editorial Limusa.