Dear readers, here's a discussion of the definition of 'character' from various literature and encyclopedia sources, along with figures from the Western world.
To clarify the meaning character and not focused on the meaning of the dictionary dictionary or encyclopedia of philosophy. The definition of character must be referred to the opinions of Western figures. Charles E. Germane defines character as follows;
"One's way of reacting to life situation, sum total of one's ways of responding that have become fairly well established or set."[1]
One way of reacting to life situations, a person's way of responding that has become fairly established or fixed.
Germane's definition is heavily influenced by the character's initial situation. It's more about a response or reaction to the atmosphere that develops during their initial appearance.
This understanding was not yet influenced by religious considerations. Although Germane attempted to define "character" earlier, around 1929, he emphasized two things in his definition. First, reactions and life situations of society. Second, total response to a uniform situation.
Germane's point in the first point is that it's historical, dating back to a time when character wasn't yet a major concern in Western (European) society. Its impact wasn't yet visible or felt.
This may be because character education was still so foreign and had no value in the education of the Western generation. Gradually, after clashes and several societal demands amid the increasingly chaotic situation, this situation changed the way Western society interacted with educational institutions.
Meanwhile, the second point emphasized is that after seeing the public's reaction to the worsening life situation, a response emerged demanding that educational institutions and the government take the situation seriously in order to build an education system that prioritizes character. Therefore, Germane referred to it as one's way of reaction to life situation And one's way of responding becomes fairly well established.
Meanwhile, a different definition, closer to ethical values and so on, is given by the American Association for Character Education, which defines character as:
"Knowing, caring about and upon core ethical values such as caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect for self and others"[2]
Of course, the definition offered by proponents of the above group has shifted to the value of religiosity. What is meant by religiosity here is related to the understanding of ethical values such as caring, obedience, honesty, and respect for others.
The above definition, according to character advocates, is in accordance with the values and traditions intended by character advocates, as expressed by Kavin Ryan who describes character as containing ethics, behavior and forms of values in character attributes.[3]
Referring to the historical record of character education, there is a specific meaning related to the traditional approach and the values approach taught to students. More specifically, it is called fostering of virtues And traditional virtues, education of values and the values of a tradition or culture in which both values are accumulated in terms or the term called 'moral'.
Morals here are viewed as culture/traditions and values that should be taught to students. If culture and values aren't introduced appropriately, they will undoubtedly influence character and result in problems.
Then, the character is "the extension of personality. Whereas others see it as mainly behavior" Character is an extension of personality, while others see it as behavior.
This definition is generally used by adherents of character education. Hunter in his book The Death of Character complains about the psychological approach to character, then states that character is "Very much social in its constitution. Character reflects 'incarnate' moral culture."[4]
Hunter reiterates that character is a reflection of moral culture, as morality is closely linked to the social constitution found within society and individuals. Therefore, character has diverse definitions and sparks discourse with more sustainable definitions.
This is the definition of character according to experts, hopefully it will provide additional insight for our esteemed readers.
And God knows bestâm bish shawa Ab
[1] Charles W. Germane and Edith Gaytone Germane, Character Education: A Program for the School and the Home, (New York: Silver, 1929), p. x.
[2] Marvin W. Berkowitz, Esther F. Schaffer & Melinda C. Bier. “Character Education in the United States” Education in the North 1, no. 9 (2001), 3.
[3] Kevin Ryan, in Defense of Character Education. Moral Development and Character Education: A Dialogue, ed. Larry P. Nucci (Bakeley, CA: McCutchan Pub. Corp, 1989), 17.
[4]James Davison Hunter, The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age without Good and Evil, (New York: Basic Book, 2000,15.
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