Reflective Essay: The Three Different Types Of Citizens

Every single person on this planet is connected to and part of a community. This can be a small, hometown community or one that spreads across the globe. From a young age, we need to be taught how to function in our role of the community. There are many different types of citizenship with many ways to act, but in the end, what you do should be for the good of all people. Several people have spoken of citizenship and what comes along with it and none of them seem to agree on any one thing; a person really has to make up their mind as to how to be a good citizen and how important that will be to them. The role of a citizen in a community should revolve around being the best person you can be to better the community as a whole. Etzioni spoke of the morality we have as citizens. That citizens in any community are lacking the morality and social norms that we once had. There are no social norms that every single person follows …show more content…
Westheimer and Kahne spoke of three different types of citizens and how they all do their part in their own unique way. The first of these is the personally responsible which is more of a “hands-on” type of citizen. They actively do things, such as giving blood and recycling, that will directly benefit the community in which they live. Personally responsible citizens are rich with “honesty, integrity, self-discipline, and hard work” (Westheimer 350). There are many different programs that help build these types of students at an early age including one that is active at Okoboji Community Schools, Character Counts!. The second type of citizen that Westheimer and Kahne speak of is the participatory citizen. This type is more involved in the planning and teaching about things when it comes to community. The last citizen type is justice-oriented. The justice-oriented citizen is focused on the actual solving of a problem; they find the root cause of a situation (Westheimer