DEFINITIONS OF KEYWORD IN ETHICS SYLLABUS

1. Ethics- Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong; being consistent with
fundamental human virtues.
2. Integrity
- Moral Soundness(intactness)
- The practice of being honest and showing a consistent and
uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and
values.
3. Aptitude
- Natural ability to do something.
- A component of a competence to do a certain kind of work at a certain
level.
4. Attitude- A settled way of thinking for feeling about something ( Eg.
Religion, Race, Cast, Sex).
5. Probity
- Quality of having strong moral principles.
- Honesty, integrity, uprightness.
- Applying public sector value such as -TRANSPARENCY,
ACCOUNTABILITY, IMPARTIALITY.
6. Human Values- Beliefs of a person or social group, in which they have an
emotional investment.
7. Persuasion- Cause somebody to adopt a certain position or belief or course
of action
8. Impartiality- Quality of treating different views or opinions equally and
fairly.
9. Non-Partisanship- Not supporting or influenced by any political party or
special interest group.
10.Objectivity- Judgement based on observable phenomena uninfluenced by
emotions or personal prejudice.
11.Sympathy- Human quality of sharing the sufferings of others.
12.Empathy- Human quality not only sharing but also understanding the
suffering of others.

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13.Compassion- Human quality of understanding others' suffering and wanting
to do something.
14.Tolerance- Willingness to recognise and respect the beliefs of others.
15.Emotional Intelligence- Ability to identify, assess and manage one’s own
emotions and other emotions.
16.Dilemma- State of uncertainty requiring a choice between equality and
unfavourable options.
17.Conscience- Conformity to one’s own ideas of right and wrong.
18.Corruption- Use of position of trust for dishonest gains.
Monopoly+Discretion – Accountability = Corruption

19.Conflict of interests – A situation where a conflict arises between public

duty and private interests.
20.Perseverance – Persistence in doing duty despite difficulty or delay in
achieving success.
21.Commitment – Quality of being dedicated to cause or activity.
22.Courage of Conviction – To act in accordance with one’s beliefs, in spite of
criticism.
23.Crisis of Conscience- A situation in which it is very difficult to decide what
is the right thing to do.
24.Happiness – State of well being characterised by emotions ranging from
contentment to intense joy.
25.Patriotism – Feeling of love and dedication towards the motherland.
26.Trust deficit – Inverse of trustworthiness.
27.Trustworthiness – A virtue of earning the faith of others in oneself
regarding some purpose.
28.Fortitude – Mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity,
danger or temptation courageously.
29.Public Service – Service provided by the government for its citizens either
directly or indirectly
30.Wisdom – Right application of knowledge.
31.Inequality – Gap in Environment, Affordability, resources available to one
in relation to another.

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32.Social Justice – Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities
and privileges within a society.
33.Accountability – To take responsibility for the outcome of one’s action and
address the issues coming out of it promptly and fairly.
34.Integrity – Consistency of values, principles, expectations actions and
outcomes in the context of the behaviour of an individual.
35.Probity
- Being a person of honesty, integrity and uprightness.
- Applying values of impartiality, accountability and transparency.
- Being incorruptible.
- Respecting humans, compassion for downtrodden and commitment to
their welfare.
36.Citizen’s Charter- An undertaking, public organization gives to citizens, to
provide a high level of service, while meeting standards contained in
declaration
37.Work Culture- A set of practices, values, and shared beliefs within an
organization and in its employees that arises from generally regarded as
appropriate way to think and act.
38.Human capital - Human capital refers to the economic value of a worker's
experience and skills. Human capital includes assets like education, training,
intelligence, skills, health, and other things employers value such as loyalty
and punctuality.
39.Soft power - Soft power involves shaping the preferences of others through
appeal and attraction.
40.Public life - The aspects of social life which occur in public, in the open, as
opposed to more private social interaction within families, private clubs, etc.
41.Public servant - A person holding a government office or job by election or
appointment
42.Public funds- Money that comes from the government, often through taxes,
that's used to help the public through goods and services.
43.Constitutional morality - adherence to or being faithful to bottom line
principles of constitutional values. It includes commitment to an inclusive
and democratic political process in which both individual and collective
interests are satisfied.

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44.Public interest - Public interest means any government action directed to
protecting and benefiting citizens at large, whereby essential goods and
services are provided for the welfare of the population.

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