BHUM

Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Department of Social Sciences
VIT University, Vellore
Lecture – 1
Understanding Ethics and Morals
Hello everyone!
In this lecture we will look into the meaning of ethics, and its relationship with morality. We
can look at ethics as an academic discipline or as a philosophy or rather more as a rational
process of understanding our moral behaviour. Now what does it mean? In very simple terms,
we can say that ethics deals with the ways of thinking and understanding philosophically
about morality.
Morality or moral behaviour is not necessarily the result of philosophical reflections. These
philosophical reflections demand a sense of rationalization because sometimes we have to
justify our decisions, our assumptions, our perceptions and definitely our actions. Moral
assumptions, customs, beliefs and practices of human societies and cultures did not come into
existence within one day; rather they evolved over a period of time as a result of various
situations encountered in its process of social or cultural evolution. And ethics as a reflective
process reflects upon these moralities. That is why it is also called as moral philosophy. It
deals with philosophical reflections and analyses the moral judgements we make. We do
make a lot of different kinds of moral judgements in our life like when we say it is always
good to help others, we should be honest in our intentions, lying is a bad habit. Similarly, we
can gather various examples of right and wrong; good and bad from our own personal life.
But what we have to understand is, when we make such moral judgements by defining
something as good and bad, we should know that these perceptions are deep rooted in our
culture and our education, which might undergo changes. None of our assumptions can
remain permanent; they definitely get modified with time through the process of
socialisation. As children we might have followed certain fundamental morals taught by our
family through the process of socialisation, but again through the same process we gather
experiences and educate ourselves. In this process we get exposed to different cultures,
customs, practices and moral assumptions and we sometimes change, modify or even
question our own morals to develop another version of assumptions with substantial changes.
The term “ethics” is derived from the Greek word “ethos” which means character, habit,
customs, ways of behaviour, etc. And the term “morality” corresponds to the Latin word
“mores” which signifies customs, character, behaviour, etc. Now, as you can see both of
these terms have a lot to do with customs, character, habit and behaviour. So, it’s very
important for us to understand that these words or rather these disciplines are associated with
customs and behaviour of human beings.
Let’s pause for a moment and have a quick reflection spot:
Which among these definitions correspond to the discipline ethics?
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a) It is a normative science of conduct of human beings living in society.
b) It deals with certain standards of behaviour.
c) It is a moral philosophy.
d) It is a study of morality.
e) It is the systematic study of human actions from the point of view of their rightfulness or
wrongfulness, as means for the attainment of the ultimate happiness.
Think for a moment and identify the correct answer. Now, all these definitions correspond to
the discipline ethics. As we already discussed, ethics is a moral philosophy which reflects
upon what is good and bad in a human conduct for which a human has some personal
responsibility. In simple words, ethics refers to what is good and the way to get it, and what is
bad and how to avoid it. So, the ultimate aim of ethics is to guide human behaviour and
develop harmony among social beings. Harmony is a very important condition to ensure
progress, happiness and well-being of human kind. We now come to the end of this lecture
and in this lecture we learned some definitions of ethics. In the next lecture, we will
understand the relevance and scope of ethics.
Thank you!
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 2
Scope of ethics
Before we start todays lecture, let me ask you a simple question from the previous lecture.
Take a moment and try to remember the answer,
The term ethics is derived from the Greek word _________.
Do you remember which that Greek word is? I hope you got it right!! The word is “ethos”.
In the previous lecture, I spoke about the ultimate aim of ethics, which is to establish
harmony among individuals and society. Alexander Frank Skutch, a well-known naturalist,
writer and philosopher stated in his famous book “Moral Foundations: An Introduction to
Ethics” that ethics is an effort of harmonization to mitigate conflict. Any effort of
harmonization, let it be conscious or unconscious is essential for sustaining a society because
without this phenomenon, no societies can survive and exist.
For this some form of regulations, norms or guideline of behaviour is required. Ethics deals
with these principles which guide our conduct. It is not merely following a tradition or
custom. Instead it demands analysis and evaluation of these guidelines in light of universal
principles. For example, you might be aware of the endosulfan tragedy in Kerala. Endosulfan
is a pesticide which was extensively used in plantations and farming activities especially
during the 1980s and 1990s. This pesticide had serious consequences on the health of people
who were living in the nearby areas. As you can see, the effects were deadly. These are
objectionable actions and we have solid reasons to call them objectionable. Freedom is being
treated nowadays particularly as a very important virtue or a very important principle to be
observed. Yes we should respect the freedom of individuals. No doubt on that! But at the
same time don’t you think if we give freedom to everyone during all time, in all locations,
wouldn’t it cause an anomic situation? That is why in certain locations, certain places
freedom of individuals have to be limited, controlled and restricted. This is an image of the
salt Satyagraha or famously known as Dandi march. I will be talking about the concept of
Satyagraha in the lecture where I will be discussing about Gandhian philosophy. Here,
Gandhiji led this nonviolent act of civil disobedience toprotest against the British repressive
monopoly on the collection and manufacturing of salt and also levying a salt tax. What he did
was a violation of law and a criminal offence during the colonial times. But Gandhiji’s action
also represents the virtue of freedom and it’s against the injustice imposed by the British.
Now let’s discuss the scope of ethics. Ethics primarily deals with voluntary actions. Now,
what are voluntary actions? Take a moment and reflect upon the options.
a) Human actions done by humans consciously, deliberately and in view of an end.

b) Human actions done by humans unintentionally and unconsciously.
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I hope you selected the right answer. Option a) is the right answer. Now, why is ethics
concerned about voluntary actions and not involuntary actions? The one factor which makes
the difference between these two actions is the intention. And ethics is all about these
intentions. Suppose you decide to work for the rural community, now why are doing this?
People sometimes ask this question to themselves, and you have to be genuine while
answering yourself. Is it for only for fame? or is it for helping the community? And if fame
comes or not, is not a matter for you. So, as you can see, when we make a decision or do an
action, the intentions behind it define the ultimate quality of the action.
Now let’s have a look at the scope of ethics. The scope or the relevance of ethics includes
systematic issues, corporate issues and finally individual issues: Systematic issues
encompasses question about the morality of capitalism or of the laws, regulations, industrial
structures and social practices within which business operates. For example, whether the laws
are being relaxed to some business owners or to ensure proper framework for businesses to
address issues like discrimination in the workplace, unsafe working conditions, responsibility
towards the environment etc. Corporate issues involves question about the morality of the
activities, policies, practices or organizational structure of a company as a whole. For
example, the policies of the company, are they ethical? Suppose a company has a policy of
selling their products to the customers below the MRP without hampering the quality of the
product, we can say that the corporate is ethical in behaviour. Let’s look at another example,
you might have heard of the term called corporate social responsibility (CSR), Now,
corporate social responsibility is a concept whereby companies are meant to integrate social,
economic and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with
stakeholders. In India, CSR is law and India is the first country to legally mandate CSR in the
year 2014. Based on this law, any corporate of a certain turnover and profitability should
spend two percent of their average net profit of past three years in CSR. How many
companies are doing that? If they are not following it properly, then we can say that they are
unethical in behaviour. Individual issues include questions about the morality of the
decisions, actions or character of an individual which means whether certain actions of an
individual are really acceptable or ethical in a society or not. Suppose you happen to see a
road rage or a road accident victim, now what should be our moral responsibility? Shouldn’t
we go and help that person or should we stand there as spectators, and as we see now, take a
picture or video of it to post it on social media or find immediate help. What should we do?
Now let us look at a case, the government has now made it compulsory for businesses with
over INR 50 crore turnovers to generate e-invoices for business to business transaction
ṁfrom April 1. Think for a while and tell me, this is addressing which type of ethical issue?
We have three options,
a) Systematic,
b) Corporate and
c) Individual
Now here you have to understand that the government or the system has come with the law to
ensure transparency during business operations. So, this case is an example which addresses
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systematic issues. Similarly, you can identify various examples on these issues. So, let’s
summarise what we have understood about ethics. Ethics is the study of the values and
guidelines by which we live. Ethics is a science as it is body of reasoned truths organised
logically. Ethics is theoretical and practical as it provides both fundamental principles on
which moral judgements are arrived and it is also concerned about the end to be gained and
the means to attain it. Generally, the terms ethics and morality are used interchangeably,
although at some perspectives we can differentiate them. Many people think of morality as
personal, subjective or normative whereas ethics defines the standards of good and bad
distinguished by a community or a social setting. For example, your local community may
think of live-in relationship as immoral, and you personally may agree with that. However,
the distinction can be useful if your local community has no strong feelings about
cohabitation or live-in relationship, but you consider it as immoral on a personal level. By
these definitions of the terms, your morality would contradict the ethics of your community.
With this we come to the end of today’s lecture. In the next lecture, we will briefly
understand the meaning of values. Thank you!
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 3
Values
Hello friends!
In the previous lecture, we discussed the relevance and scope of ethics. So now you might
have understood the meaning and the issues where ethical conduct is required. Now, let’s
move on to the meaning of values. The moment we hear the term, “value”, some sort of
definitions do come to our mind. Value literally means something that has a price, precious,
dear and worthwhile and one is ready to sacrifice anything for it. In simple terms we can say,
it is the degree of importance of something. It reflects ones attitudes, choices, decisions,
judgments, relationships, dreams and vision. Values can also be defined as the conceptions of
the desirable, which influence selective behaviour. They can be regarded as the criteria and
moral judgement or certain subjective standards through which individuals or groups
distinguish between good or bad, true or false and between ought to be or not to be etc.
It shapes individual personality, social morality and guides individuals to be a part of or
function within distinctive socio-cultural system. Or we can say that it is a set of principles
which guide the standard of behaviour. Without values, life will be chaotic. Values are beliefs
about what is right and what is wrong and what is important in life.
They define the purposes of life and the means of achieving them. According to International
Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences, “all purposive actions fall within the boundaries of
evaluative action. Within purposive actions we can identify three main kinds of value:
conative which signifies a desire or liking, achievement (success versus frustration), and
affective (pleasure versus pain or unpleasantness)”. Well, there are some writers who believe
that anything good or bad is a value, or a value is anything of interest to a human subject.
However, it would be inappropriate to simply extend the meaning of a term to the extent of
making it meaningless or complicated. While discussing values, we also need to understand
another term called norms. Values and norms are deeply related to each other and both are
concerned with accepted assumptions about what is considered to be right or wrong, or what
is defined as desirable or undesirable.
Values constitute the basis of norms and norms depend upon values and are justified through
the standards of “true”, “good” and “beautiful”. When we look at values and norms, we can
say that values are more abstract than norms whereas norms are relatively specific. Let’s
pause for a moment and have a reflection spot. Now answer this question: Based on the
classification of values by the International Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences; competition
falls into which category of value?
a) Conative
b) Affective
c) Achievement
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Take a moment and think about it. Competition, in very simple terms, is a form of striving or
struggle between two or more persons to attain a common goal which is limited in
availability. It’s a feeling which you can easily relate to your class assessments; the struggle
to become 9 pointers, the struggle to become top ranked student and ultimately to get placed
in a good company with a good package. No doubt there will be pain and pleasure when you
obtain your desired goal or when you fail to attain your target. All of this is associated with
the value of achievement. Hence, option c is the right answer. So coming back to our topic of
discussion, that is norms. Norms are basically the rules or expectations that are socially
enforced through positive and negative reinforcements. For example: you might be
appreciated by your family, teachers and friends for being truthful and loyal in your conduct.
Touching the feet of elders is an expression which signifies respect for elders. The meaning
of this expression varies in different situations, strata and professions. Therefore, as you can
see, the values of respect and obedience to superiors underline various sets of norms related
to widely different institutions such as the family, military, schools, and administrative,
political or religious organisation. So, values involve more of preferences and norms
showcase prescriptions. As human beings we are both creating and fulfilling values. And it is
this particular ability which leads to the formation of our personality and the formation of
groups and institutions in society. Hence, humans are not only the source of values but they
also judge the behaviour involved in day to day functioning of society. We have both
personal and social values. However, even those values which are regarded as personal are
largely acquired by the individual from the society, or a segment of it, to which he/she
belongs. As an individual I have strong adherence towards values like perseverance, humility
and resilience. Apart from these, there are other sets of values like equality, humanity, peace
which can be considered as important from a social perspective. So, with this we come to the
end of this lecture. I hope you might have understood the importance of values in framing our
personality and our society. In the next lecture, we will learn about the two values, truth and
non-violence, now when I say truth and non-violence, who comes to your mind? Yes, it’s
none other than Mohandas Karamchand Gandhiji. Let me end this lecture with a beautiful yet
powerful quote by Maya Angelou who was a famous American poet and a civil rights
activist, “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated”.
Thank you!
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 4
Gandhi’s philosophy on Truth
Hello friends!!
Now we know the meaning of ethics and the meaning of values. Right? And in the
forthcoming lectures we will be discussing about the two prominent values – truth and non-
violence, popularized by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, to the extent of making them the
synonyms of his name. The principles of Truth and Non-violence were the most profound
and positive forces that influenced Gandhi since his childhood. They are imbibed in his
thoughts, words and deeds. Gandhi had an unqualified loyalty towards the principle of truth.
Truth was embedded in him to such an extent that he was unwilling to negotiate or
compromise it with anything, including the freedom of his beloved country. As he said: ‘I
would far rather that India perished than that she won freedom at the sacrifice of Truth’.
Gandhi’s thoughts and ideas have their firm roots in the Indian traditions and philosophical
sources. Gandhi grew up worshiping the Hindu god Vishnu and following Jainism, a morally
rigorous ancient Indian religion that advocated non-violence, fasting, meditation and
vegetarianism. Passion for Truth and non-violence was the dominating urge in his life and it
gave him immense power over the minds and hearts of men. The same passion also led him
to confess publicly his errors. Gandhi was a worshipper of truth and his life was nothing but
an experiment with truth. Hence, he entitled his Autobiography ‘The Story of My
Experiments with Truth’.
Let’s start to uncover Gandhi’s views on Truth. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was born on
October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat, which was then part of the British Empire. After
struggling to find work as a lawyer in India, Gandhi obtained a one-year contract to perform
legal services in South Africa. When Gandhi arrived in South Africa, he was quickly shocked
by the discrimination and racial segregation faced by Indian immigrants at the hands of white
British authorities. An important moment occurred on June 7, 1893, during a train trip, a
white man objected to Gandhi’s presence in the first class railway compartment, although he
had a ticket. Refusing to move to the back of the train, Gandhi was forcibly removed and
thrown off the train. Awakened by the socio-political discrimination followed by the British
rule, Gandhi became the leader of India’s non-violent independence movement.
Though we have heard about certain experiences of Gandhi since childhood but we cannot
find a systematic account in his experiences and how in his personal life, he treaded the path
of truth and how he remained firm in his resolve to adhere to truth all through his life. To
Gandhi, truth is of its nature clear and self-evident; it is the means, instrument and the
ultimate goal, all encompassed in one.
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Unto Tahtinen explains in the book “The Core of Gandhi’s Philosophy” published in 1979
that Gandhi understood Truth in different ways. Sometimes, he spoke of Truth as truthfulness
or the attempt to achieve Truth where the value truth signifies an ethical norm. Sometimes he
called it as epistemological truth, that which we can know. Sometimes he meant absolute
truth, God, fundamentally metaphysical reality. Sometimes he defined it as the final goal of
life, moksha or the liberation. At other times, he proclaimed it as the Natural Right, ethical
justice which is valid and binding all men.
Now, why did Gandhi view truth as God? He regarded Truth as satya. Satya is derived from
Sat, which means being or that which exists. It is the truth that exists or pervades all. Truth,
therefore, is the essence of what we call God or truth is perhaps the most important name of
God. The word Chit or knowledge is also associated with God. Where there is true
knowledge, there is always bliss (Ananda). Even as truth is eternal, so is the bliss derived
from it. Hence we know God as Sat-Chit-Ananda, one who combines in Truth, Knowledge
and Bliss. His understanding on Truth can be analysed through two standpoints – absolute
truth and relative truth.
Now, before we going into absolute and relative truth, lets have a reflection spot. Which of
the following books is the work of Gandhiji?
a) Unto This Last
b) The Discovery of India
c) Hind Swaraj
d) My Experiments with Truth
e) Both c & d
Did you get the answer? I hope you got the correct answer which is option e. “Unto this Last”
is an essay and book on economy by John Ruskin. Gandhi was very much influenced by this
work. And “The Discovery of India”, as you all know was written by Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru and then comes “Hind Swaraj”. Hind swaraj or Indian Home Rule is a book written by
Gandhiji where he describes his views on swaraj, modern civilization and mechanization etc.
And “My experiments with truth”, you all know is his autobiography. Now, let us continue
with Truth. As I said Gandhi distinguished between Absolute and Relative truths. Truth as
such is a supreme principle. It includes the Absolute and Relative dimensions. As Gandhi
said, ‘truth is not only Relative truth of our conception but the Absolute Truth, as the Eternal
Principle, is God’. Therefore, the Absolute truth is God and the Relative truth is something
what we perceive as truth.
For Gandhi, reaching pure or absolute Truth is like attaining Moksha or liberation or
emancipation. As I mentioned earlier, Gandhi was thoroughly taken in by the Upanishadic
tradition that describes God as Truth, knowledge and infinite. Relative truth, on the other
hand, is not the truth but one’s truth, as perceived by the individual. The Relative truth is
something what we perceive as truth. Relative truth enables man to reach their goals. These
are partial expressions of absolute truth in different arenas of life. At the religious level, it is
expressed as God, at the ethical level, as Ahimsa, at the social level as Sarvodaya and at the
political level as Swaraj.
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Relative truth enables man to reach his/her goal and through this he/she can realise God.
Since we have spoken so much about truth, just think for a while, what is the importance of
truth in our lives? Human relationships are based on the qualities of faith, tolerance, love,
tenderness and humility. This quality enhances the character of a human being and allows
one to take the path of humility. Humility augments the observance of truth. There are
chances that as humans we might fall into egoism, anger, hatred, jealousy which is a major
hindrance in the path of truth and self-realisation. And as humans it is difficult to avoid such
emotions and we should learn to handle them as we cannot avoid them completely. Further,
adherence to truth in thought, word and deed sets an exemplary life and creates harmony
among the human beings. Truth is also the very path to self-realisation and further, towards
the attainment of liberation. It can also be said that Gandhi set an example to all both in his
private as well as in his public life. His inspiration to utter truth from the stories of King
Harischandra, his honest confessions to his father, his resolve to keep the promise to his
mother while he was overseas, his truthful approach during his struggles in South Africa and
later in India-all prove his sincerity to adhere to what he believed as the highest divine form.
So, through this lecture, I hope you might have understood the importance of Truth in our life
and also Gandhi’s philosophy on truth. In the next class, we will discuss Gandhi’s philosophy
on non-violence. Let me end this lecture by quoting Gandhi, “The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong”.
Thank you,
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 5
Gandhi’s Philosophy on Non-Violence
Hello everyone! Welcome to the lecture on ethics and values. In the previous lecture we
discussed some of thoughts put forward by Gandhi on truth. In this lecture we will understand
his thoughts on non-violence but before getting into it, let me ask you a simple question from
the previous lecture. The term Sarvodaya depicts which form of Truth? Is it absolute truth or
relative truth? Think and try to remember the answer. According to Gandhi, Sarvodaya is a
partial expression of absolute truth at the social level. Therefore, it is a relative truth.
Now, let’s move on to the next topic which is non-violence. I cannot simply say non-
violence; actually it is Gandhi’s understanding on non-violence. So through this lecture we
will try to find out Gandhi’s meaning of Ahimsa or non-violence. As you all know, Gandhi’s
emergence as a leader was a turning point in the development of nonviolent struggle. He first
led the struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa and then he led the struggle for
Indian independence. I must say that Gandhi was the first to systematically combine a variety
of tactics into a strategic plan in a campaign of non-violent action. He can also be considered
as the first to conduct a series of campaigns toward long term goals. Personally speaking,
I as a sociologist consider him as a social scientist who was deeply religious, practical, and
experimental in temperament. He was not only a political strategist but also a social
visionary. Gandhi’s non-violence had three main elements:
1) Self-improvement (the effort to make oneself a better person),
2) “Constructive programme” (concrete work to create the new social order aimed at),
3) Campaigns of resistance against social evils that blocked the way forward, such as the
caste system and British colonial exploitation.
Non-violent action is not simply any method of action which is not violent. Broadly speaking,
it means taking action that goes beyond normal institutionalised political methods like voting,
lobbying, letter writing, verbal expression, without injuring opponents. We can say, on the
most fundamental level, it is a means by which people discover their social power. One thing
we have to understand is that Non-violence is not the same thing as pacifism. Pacifism can be
defined in many words. Pacifism is a state of mind. It is passive whereas non-violence is
active. Pacifism is harmless and therefore easier to accept than non-violence, which is
dangerous and requires lot of courage. At the core, non-violence depicts a strong adherence
towards persuasion that does not use physical force and does not cause suffering. Gandhi
invented a word for it: Satyagraha, from satya, meaning truth, broadly meaning as “holding
onto truth.”
Now, let’s have a short reflection spot. From the following identify the form of non-violent
action as proposed by Gandhi.
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a) Forced segregation
b) Forced displacement
c) Sit ins
d) Corporal punishment
I am sure you might have identified the answer which is option c non-cooperation.
Non-violent action takes three main forms:
1) Protest and persuasion

2) Non-cooperation
3) Intervention
The first category, i.e protests and persuasion includes activities such as speech-making,
picketing, petitions, vigils, street theatre, marches, rallies, and sit-ins. Now, ,when they are
practised under conditions of governmental tolerance, then these methods can be
comparatively insignificant; but when the views expressed are unpopular or controversial, or
go against government policy, even the mildest of them may require great courage and can
have a powerful impact. The second category is non-cooperation which involves active non-
cooperation. In the face of institutional injustice and discrimination, people may refuse to act
in ways which are considered “normal”- to work, buy, or obey. This largest category of non-
violent action can take up different forms like refusal to pay taxes, withholding rent or utility
payments, civil disobedience, draft resistance, fasting, and more than fifty different kinds of
boycotts and strikes. As you know, Non-cooperation can effectively stop the normal
functioning of society.
Finally, there is non-violent intervention, which can be defined as the active inclusion and
unsettling presence of people in the natural processes of social institutions. This can include
sit-ins, occupations, obstructions of everyday business in offices, the streets, or elsewhere,
and creation of new social and economic institutions, including the establishment of parallel
governments which compete with the old order for sovereignty. These methods tend to pose a
more direct and instantaneous challenge than the other methods described earlier and to bring
either a faster success or sharper repression.
One thing we have to understand here that the elements of Gandhi’s philosophy find their
roots in the Indian religions of Jainism and Buddhism. For Gandhi, ahimsa or non-violence
formed the expression of the deepest love for all humans, including one’s opponents; this
non-violence therefore included not only a lack of physical harm to them, but also a lack of
hatred or ill-will towards them.
Gandhi rejected the traditional dichotomy between one’s own side and the “enemy;” so he
believed in persuading opponents of their injustice and prejudice, by not punishing them, but
by winning their friendship. Gandhi was also a firm believer of the thought that if violence
was used to achieve any end – even if it was employed in the name of justice- the result
would be more violence. Therefore, he discarded the idea of a just war. I have already
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introduced the word Satyagraha in my lecture. According to writers it was Gandhi’s main
tactic in his fight against the British. The meaning of Satyagraha is “Soul-Force” or “The
power of truth”. Gandhi developed Satyagraha as the practical extension of ahimsa and love.
Satyagraha later took the form of civil disobedience and non-cooperation against injustice.
Civil disobedience involved breaking a specific law if it was believed to be unfair, and then
facing the consequences. The Civil disobedience movement was a vital part of Indian
freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. The movement began with the Salt March which
was led by Gandhi on 12th March 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Gujarat. After
reaching Dandi, Gandhi and his followers violated the salt laws by making salt from the
salted sea water. After this, breaking the British laws became the widespread phenomena in
India.
The Champaran rebellion in Bihar was the first active involvement of Gandhi in the Indian
freedom struggle. The British forced the farmers to grow indigo and other cash crops on their
fertile land, and then sell these crops to them at a much cheaper price. The situation became
more gruesome for the farmers due to harsh weather conditions and levy of heavy taxes
pushing them towards abject poverty. Having heard of the situation of farmers at Champaran,
Gandhi immediately paid a visit and adopted the approach of civil disobedience movement
and launched demonstrations and strikes against the landlords bringing them down on their
very knees. As a result, they signed an agreement in which they granted control and
compensations to the farmers, and cancelled the hikes in revenue and collection.
The other element of Satyagraha is non-cooperation with the evil which consisted of pulling
out all support for an unjust system, such as the British rule of India. This tactic need not
break any law, but might include boycotting British products, refusing to work for British
employers, pulling one’s children out of British schools, refusing to supply the British with
services, and not paying taxes. Non-cooperation movement in 1920 was caused by the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Gandhi organised a nation-wide Satyagraha which used such
non-cooperation techniques, as well as public demonstrations, in order to “withdraw Indian
support from the vast, unjust hegemony of the Empire which was brought to an end”. So
friends, I hope you might have understood Gandhi’s views on truth and non-violence and
how relevant it was during the times of freedom struggle. But let me ask you something, do
you think these ideologies on truth and non-violence still stand as relevant? What is the
significance of Gandhi in the modern world?
Many important leaders who fought for human rights in South Africa adopted his teachings
and we have names from Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama to Aung San
Suu Kyi. The former US President, Barack Obama, sees Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration.
He ones commented that for him, Gandhi is an embodiment of transformational change that
can be made when ordinary people coming together to do extraordinary things. Similarly we
can find many world leaders inspired from Gandhi’s thoughts.
In India and across the world we still see peaceful protests in the form of candle march,
demonstrations, sit ins and hunger strikes. Gandhi’s view about sanitation is seen today in
Government of India’ Swachh Bharat Mission. We can even look at the initiative Make in
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India as a manifestation of Gandhi’s ideals of self-sufficiency. Gandhi’s philosophy of
inclusive growth is fundamental to the building of a resurgent rural India. I leave the rest of
the examples for you people to identify.
Let me end this lecture by quoting Gandhi “I object to violence because when it appears to do
good, the good is only temporary, the evil it does is permanent.” So, being violent, taking
revenge, protesting with guns and arms might solve the problem temporarily, make someone
feel happy and satisfied, it might even shut mouths, but the result it causes is harmful and
dangerous. And the happiness is just momentary.
In the next lecture, we will come across the debate of social and self-interest.
Thank you and have a nice day.
4
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 6
Society’s Interests versus Self-interests
Hello everyone! In this lecture we will be dealing with the issue of social interest versus self-
interest. The self-interest vs. social-interest debate began with Adam Smith over 200 years
ago and is one of the primary arguments made in favour of capitalism vs. other types of
economies.
Let us try to understand self-interest. Self-interest can be both a psychological and economic
term. In general, it refers to individual actions and behaviors that provoke positive personal
benefits. Throughout the years, economists have studied self-interest and the behaviors of
rational self-interest to help develop theories and assumptions for the economy. Though, the
economist Adam Smith was primarily the first person to study self-interest in economics,
leading to his Invisible Hand Theory. He explored the economic effects of self-interest and
rational self-interest in his popular book, The Wealth of Nations. Smith found that self-
interest and rational self-interest were powerful motivators of economic activity. The
Invisible Hand Theory suggests that when entities make economic decisions in a free market
economy based on their own self-interest and rational self-interests, it manifests unintended,
positive benefits for the economy at large.
In a market economy, individuals and businesses own most of the resources available like
labor, land, and capital and use voluntary decisions, made in their own self-interest, to
achieve the greatest personal benefit from marketplace activities and transactions. In this type
of system, the government plays a small role, and the economy is shaped by two forces: self-
interest and competition.
Adam Smith argued that self-interest was of utmost importance as a motivator for economic
activity. Self-interest and competition dominate capitalist economies where goods and
services are exchanged freely. These forces drive the supply and demand for goods and
services as well as the value of goods and services. They can also lead to innovation.
Now, let us come back to the meaning of self-interest, which generally refers to a focus on
the needs or desires of the self. The causes for strong adherence towards self-interest can be
many, like the social status of an individual, their desires, ambitions and determination
towards seeking wealth etc. Even the social changes that they experience along with the
opportunities available for them can also become a strong factor in influencing someone to
look upon their self-interest. So, self-interest is when individuals make decisions that are in
their own best interest. Like when you decide to get up in the morning to go to work and
make money, or when you pay the grocery store for food that you would like to eat. Other
examples of self-interest include trying to win at sports (for example coming first in a race) or
eating the food that is on your plate rather than sharing it.
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Now, we need to understand the meaning of social interest. It is a capacity inherent in all
human beings or we can say it is an individual's awareness of belonging in the human
community. Social interest is when choices are made that benefit society as a whole. For
example, you could choose to accept a higher salary at work, or you could choose to give that
additional money to somebody else in the form of charity. Another example would be, like if
you have excess food at your home or in your hostel mess or may be in any function, instead
of wasting them and throwing them in dustbin, you can take the food that you want or you
can share the food. In this way you avoid wastage of food which is again a small yet a
powerful help that you can do to ensure food security.
Before we go forward, tell me in which book did Adam Smith propose the invisible hand
theory?
a) The Theory of Moral Sentiments

b) The Wealth of Nations
c) An Enquiry into the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations
If you have a good memory, then you might have identified the answer which option C, The
wealth of nations, first published in 1776.
Now, is it possible to link social and self-interest? In a way we can. The process is hidden in
the concept of invisible hand proposed by Adam Smith. Under certain circumstances, social
interest can also be attained when individual decision makers act in their own self-interest.
Generally, when individuals act in their self-interest, they go to work and buy things because
it makes them happy. But by working and purchasing things, they are also contributing to
society and the social interest. For example, the grocery store employee goes to work to earn
money but in the process of working they are able to serve the customers to make sure they
get the food they need for their family. Also, think about the creators of Facebook who acted
in their own self-interest creating it for profit. However, in the process of creating the new
platform, we all benefited from the increased networking and communication with friends.
Therefore, individuals acting in self-interest can lead to optimal social interest outcomes.
We also need to understand, that sometimes this philosophy on self-interest leading to social
interest may fail. We can see people refusing to vaccinations, may be due to their religious or
psychological reasons, which may lead to serious repercussions, and even unchecked
pollution controls can cause harmful effects for the nature and the people as a whole. Also,
we can see autocratic governments or business corporations turned out into monopolies can
become threat for social interest.
I would end this lecture by leaving you people with a small thought to think. Do you think
success and money at the expense of other’s pain and suffering would lead to happiness?
Think about it. In the next class, we will understand the importance of personal social
responsibility and what does it mean.
Thank you and have an insightful day.

2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 7
Personal Social Responsibility
No content of ethics would be complete without talking about social responsibility. This
quality of social responsibility is expected not just from companies but also from citizens.
Being socially responsible depicts an individual’s awareness of how their decisions can affect
others. It shows both social awareness and self-management skills. First we will discuss
social responsibility on the individual level, followed by social responsibility of the corporate
level. Being socially responsible means that people and organizations must behave ethically
and with sensitivity towards their social, cultural, economic, and also environmental issues. It
is considered as a duty of every individual. If administered properly, then it will have a
positive impact on development and society. It is something which has to be looked above
and beyond even philanthropy.
As individuals, it is not necessary that our emotional intelligence skills, such as social
awareness and empathy, can be shown only through our use of social responsibility efforts
within an organization but they can also be practiced through our personal social
responsibility efforts. It includes the engagement of each person towards the community
where he/she lives. It can be expressed both in active and passive way. It can include the
following:
 Charitable acts, including philanthropy such as donation of money.

 Working for the community, such as volunteering, giving blood donations, and
working at a food bank or animal shelter.
 Supporting issues that affect society, such as advocating political or social issues that
can help others—for example, advocating for child labor laws, purchasing fair trade
products, recycling.
 Individual ethics, such as integrity and honesty. These individual ethics can also
include the “golden rule”: treat others how you wish to be treated.
I am sure most of you have indulged in one or the other form of social responsibility. As
students you have various platforms to engage in such activities. And those who have
experienced the feeling of doing something for the welfare of others would have also
understood how such actions help to develop our confidence and self-esteem.
Before we go further, let’s have a quick reflection spot.
Do you think only if we donate and do charity, then we are practicing social responsibility?
Think for a while. Now, what is your answer? You must understand that donations and doing
charities are not the only way to practice social responsibility. You can volunteer; become an
activist and a campaigner for a noble cause. As I told you before, the intentions of your
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participation matter the most in defining the quality and the essence of it. Let’s come back to
our topic.
In the beginning of the lecture, I spoke about social responsibility at the corporate level, also
known as corporate social responsibility (CSR). Now, as individuals you must also be aware
of this because in future you might also become part of corporates or who knows you might
even head a corporate. Since, 1960s, companies have felt the pressure from society to behave
in a more socially responsible manner. In other words, in their daily operations, businesses
should be concerned about the welfare of society and mindful of how its actions could affect
society as a whole. Archie B Carroll, a famous professor from university of Georgia proposed
in his work that corporates should fulfil responsibility at four levels which are Economic,
Legal, Ethical and Philanthropic. It is also known as Carroll’s pyramid.
The lowest level of the pyramid represents a business’s first responsibility, which is to be
profitable. Without profit, the company would not be able to pay their workers; employees
will lose their jobs even before the company starts CSR activities. So, being profitable is the
only way for a company to be able to sustain, and benefit society. It also means that a
company should produce goods and services that are required by the customers at a
reasonable price.The second level of the pyramid shows the legal obligation of corporates,
which is to obey the law. It is the most important responsibility out of the four levels as this
show a company’s conduct of business in the marketplace. Employment laws, competition
with other companies, tax regulations and health and safety of employees are some examples
of the legal responsibilities a company should adhere to. Failing to follow these laws can turn
out to be very bad for businesses. The ethical layer of the pyramid demands doing the right
thing. Dedication towards ethical conduct is a value which a company is expected to follow
but unlike the first two levels, this is something that a company is not obligated to do. If a
company is ethical in its conduct then people will prefer purchasing goods/services from the
company. Being environmentally friendly, treating suppliers/employees properly are a few
examples of being ethically responsible.
At the top of the pyramid and occupying the smallest space is philanthropy. Companies have
long been criticised for their irresponsible attitude towards nature and fellow beings. We have
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issues like carbon footprint, air and water pollution, noise pollution etc. Now, to compensate
these negative effects, they are supposed to “give back” to the community they take from.
Even though this is the highest level of CSR, it should not be taken lightly because people
would prefer to associate with companies that engage in philanthropic activities.
So, we can say that for a business to sustain, it has to fulfil these responsibilities.
On April 1, 2014, India became the first country to legally mandate corporate social
responsibility. According to this law, it is mandatory for companies of a certain turnover and
profitability to spend two percent of their average net profit for the past three years on CSR.
If you look at the CSR activities of Indian corporates, you will find that Infosys tops the list
followed by Tata chemicals and other companies like Mahindra, Godrej, Wipro etc.
I would like to end my lecture with a thought that those individuals who continuously strive
to develop their emotional intelligence skills will likely engage in ethical and socially
responsible behavior, both personally and as leaders of their organizations.
In the next lecture, we will have further discussions on some forms of personal social
responsibility like charity, serving the society and helping the needy.
Thank you!
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 8
Helping the needy
Welcome back to the course on Ethics and Values.
In the previous lecture we dealt with some of the important topics like personal social
responsibility and we also briefly discussed the meaning and the need of corporate social
responsibility. In today’s lecture we have another associated topic for discussion which is
“Helping the needy”. Well, who are these needy people? Can you identify them? What would
you do if they ask for help?
Well, Cambridge English dictionary defines needy as “someone who is in a deprived,

impoverished and disadvantageous state.” In simple words, we can say anybody who is in
insecure and poor state can be called as a needy person. There are lots of literature, let it be
religious, moral, philosophical and social work related articles and books which advocate
compassion towards poor and needy as an essential characteristic of humanity. If we look at
different types of needs of people, we clearly find that these needs can be broadly categorized
as physical, psychological, social and spiritual.
People are not just interested in survival only but they also are in need of love, affection,
autonomy, respect, recognition, and self-actualization and above all, moral and spiritual
development for which they resort to distribution of charity and provision of varied kinds of
help. They are the people who need affection, attention, or reassurance, especially to an
excessive degree. They showcase a tendency to behave in a passive way that may adversely
affect their relationships and quality of life. There are people like Kailash Satyarthi, who was
awarded with Nobel Peace Prize in the year 2014 for his tremendous selfless contribution
towards saving children from child labour. If you have heard about Chipko movement, then
you would be definitely aware of its leader Sunderlal Bahuguna, who spent his life to educate
and persuade villagers to protest against the destruction of forests. You might have also heard
of Sindhutai Sapkal, also known as the “Mother of orphans” who was awarded with
Padmasree in 2021. She is particularly known for raising orphaned children in India.
Similarly, I can give you many examples. There can be many reasons for such people to
come forward and help others in need. It may be out of their natural feeling of altruism,
devotion and dedication to serve the mankind or at least the members of their own society, or
maybe they are doing it because they strongly believe in their ideology, or may be their
objectives and are selflessly dedicated towards achieving them. But by giving these
examples, I would like to stress upon the immense power that each one of us has to make a
good change in the life of at least one individual. It is at that moment when we create a
meaning for our existence.
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Now, let’s have a reflection spot, what is the one word for the voluntary action done to help
those in need? Here are the options
1. Altruism
2. Charity
3. Volunteerism
And the right answer is option 2, charity and that is exactly what we are going to discuss in
our next lecture. Until then, bye and have a nice day!
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 9
Charity and Serving Society
Hello everyone!
In the previous lecture we spoke about helping the needy and in today’s lecture we will talk
about how to help the needy. Actually, from my first lecture onwards I have been discussing
about various ways of helping others, and one amongst them include reducing wastages.
Well, our help towards others is also dependent on their requirement or what kind of help
they need and also our ability, time, energy and dedication to do the same. We can help
others by feeding them, creating jobs for them, by educating and training them and making
them able to sustain on their own, we can even campaign, protest, talk and write for ensuring
their security, respect and safety, we can be more sensible while electing our leaders and we
can even simply sit and listen to them. You know most of the people fall into depression
because they have nobody to listen to their thoughts.
So, let’s understand the meaning of charity. Most of the organized religions all over the world
have advocated charity as a great virtue which their followers must possess. You can take
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Zoroastrianism, let it be any religion, they
unequivocally advocate the virtue of charity. Charity is a form of voluntary action which can
be practiced directly or indirectly to help or provide service to people individually or
collectively out of their feeling of compassion to assist others, especially those who are the
victims of poverty, ill-health, idleness, illiteracy, suppression, oppression, abuse, exploitation,
etc.
Voluntary action is mainly characterized by the following features which include:

1) An innate urge to help others and promote their well-being in all possible ways-not
necessarily monetarily.
2) Absence of any kind of expectation for any material gains in lieu of the help given
3) Sense of social concern and orientation of helping others in need.
4) Faith in the highest virtue of service to humanity.
5) Belief in the primacy of one's duty over one's rights
However, there also exists another side of human nature. Human beings by their nature can
be self-seeking also. In the present age of individualism, materialism and hedonism, this self-
serving, tendency has also increased. This has adversely affected the voluntarism and
voluntary action.
People today want to know at the very outset as to whether they will be benefitted or in what
way they will be benefitted if they take part in any programme or activity. But despite all of
this there are people who provide voluntary help. You might have heard of and even
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participated in National Service Schemes and National Cadet Corps where educated youth are
trained and rewarded for their contribution towards society. They are trained to help, support
and work thereby inculcating the very essence of charity into their personality. I myself was
an active member of NSS during my college days, where we did fundraising for constructing
a house for our friend and we also helped panchayats in conducting a socio-economic survey.
Ok friends, now it’s time for a reflection spot.
What is GREENPEACE? Have you heard of it? What do you think it does? Is it some form
of charitable organization?
Well, with the name itself you would have understood that GREENPEACE is an
International NGO or non-governmental organization with offices in over 55 countries and
involved in making this planet greener, peaceful and survivable. Hence, it is an
environmental charitable organization which focuses on ways to promote preservation,
appreciation, and sustainable development for the environment. The two primary subgroups
for this type of charity are: Environmental Conservation & Protection & Parks and Nature
Centers. Similarly, there are other examples of charities like animal charities which include
Wildlife Conservation Organizations, Pet and Animal Welfare Organizations, Hunting &
Fishing Conservation Groups, Zoos and Aquariums. We have organizations like WWF
(Worldwide fund for Nature), and animal Equality as examples for animal charities. NGOs
(Non-Governmental organizations) are typically charities that are headquartered in one
country but work in other countries. In some cases they overlap with other types of charities.
They also fall into categories like International Development NGOs, Disaster Relief &
Humanitarian NGOs, Peace & Human Rights NGOs, Conservation NGOs, Child Sponsorship
Organizations. Prajwala is a pioneering anti-trafficking organization working on the issue of
sex trafficking and sex crime. Similarly, we have other NGOs like HelpAge India Foundation
for caring disadvantaged elderly senior citizens and CRY, which works amongst
underprivileged children. Apart from them, there are also art and culture charities which help
preserve artistic and cultural heritage as well as celebrate the arts and our history.
SPICMACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst
Youth) promotes the Indian cultural heritage by promoting Indian classical music, classical
dance folk music and dance, yoga, crafts etc. There are also health and education charities.
Health charities support and treat the sick and disabled, working on cures for diseases, and
promoting public awareness of specific health risks. As example we have, Mind, an
organization which is actively involved in addressing the mental health issues of people.
Education charities, serve students from every age group, pre-school to graduate school and
beyond. Some serve as the educational institutions while focus on making education more
accessible and effective. For example, we have scholarship foundations like FAEA
(Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access), which emphasizes equality of education
and opportunity of disadvantaged students.
Before we end this lecture, try to answer this question, the name Rainbow Warrior is
associated with which NGO?
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Have you ever heard of it? If no, then you must be aware of this symbolic icon which
represents unabashed love and dedication towards nature. Synonymous with breaking
boundaries and fearless campaigning, Greenpeace has sailed with the name Rainbow Warrior
since 1978. It supported number of anti-whaling, anti – seal hunting, anti-nuclear testing and
anti-nuclear waste dumping campaigns during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1985,
French secret service agents planted two bombs and sank the ship. One crew member was
killed. But nothing could stop the Rainbow warrior from coming back. Greenpeace replaced
her with a new vessel, and for 22 years, the second
Rainbow Warrior has campaigned for a green and peaceful future. This was an example of
endurance, resilience and perseverance which are some of the qualities that form a good
leader.
Now why did I say that? Yes friends! Our next lecture will be on the leaders of past and
present.
Till then, bye and take care.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 10
Comparative Analysis on Leaders of Past and Present
In the previous lectures, we spoke about how we can make ourselves useful to others by
helping them at the right moment. You know, leaders are those who help others by making
them realize a goal. So what is leadership? In simple terms, leadership is the art of motivating
a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Leadership is a process by which
a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way
that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Dr. G Viswanathan, the founder chancellor of VIT
University is the perfect example of a leader who has transformed his dream into a cherishing
reality. There are basically two forms of leadership – process and trait leadership. They are
like two sides of the same coin. When leaders carry out the process of leadership by applying
their leadership knowledge and skills, it will be called as Process Leadership. However, we
cannot ignore the argument that leadership qualities can be obtained as a trait. Then, it is
called Trait Leadership which means leaders were born rather than made.
There are certain characteristics of leadership which you must be aware of: The first one is
interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are required to work through difficult relationships,
and keep the peace in organizations. These individuals are good at listening as well as
providing constructive feedback. Next we have communication skills. Leaders who are
equipped with this skill are both good speakers and listeners. They use their words to keep
the workforce motivated and committed. They are definitely good listeners and they do
clarify doubts by asking questions only to make sure that they have a good understanding of
what is being expressed. Now coming to Values - Values, as we have discussed before is an
essential feature of a good leader. It helps them to value the diversity of the workforce and
analyse issues with a broader perspective. They would respect others and hinder from any
form of corruptive activities. Hence, they are considered as examples for others. The next
characteristic is organizational consciousness. We have to understand that sometimes
leadership characteristics can go beyond personal traits. The leaders who have this quality
understand what the organization wants to achieve, and know how it can be accomplished.
They generate networks within the organization to help their groups work done, and are adept
at breaking down organizational barriers to progress. Leaders should carry themselves with
confidence as it is their confidence which motivates their followers. Yes! The next feature of
a leader is confidence. You might have observed that people with confidence do not refrain
from taking responsibility to their mistakes or unpopular decisions. Instead they learn from
these mistakes and handle criticisms constructively. Another important characteristic of
leaders are their ability to remain flexible, and adapt their leadership style to meet the
demands of the current work environment. They must be able to work with others to meet
organizational goals, and shift focus as necessary. Leaders who demonstrate creativity skills
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are the ones who develop innovative solutions to problems. Through these skills they are able
to develop comprehensive solutions to routine problems.
Another characteristic of a leader includes their ability to achieve goals. Even when faced by
a seemingly impossible situation, a leader makes sure that their team is motivated to work
towards achieving the results. Since they have a deep understanding of what an organization
needs to accomplish, they are able to quickly identify and solve the important objectives of an
organization. So, since we have gone through some of the important characteristics of
leadership, I have a small question for you; let’s check your memory and retentive skill.
Now, tell me how many characteristics of leadership did I discuss? You have your options:
1. 7
2. 8
3. 9
4. 10
How many do you think we have discussed? The answer is option 2, 8 characteristics. And
they are
1. Interpersonal skills
2. Communication skills
3. Values
4. Organizational consciousness
5. Confidence
6. Flexible
7. Creativity skills
8. Achieve goals
Those who got it right, congratulations. Others, we will have another try. Now, one thing we
have to understand. The leaders of the present hyper-changing world should equip themselves
with even more skills to sustain in this competitive world. The velocity and volume of issues
that leaders are confronted with today have increased substantially. This doesn’t mean that
the previous generations of leaders had it easy; rather they had more time between decisions
than leaders have today. The instantaneous and ever-present news cycle have changed the
dynamic of leadership, decision-making, and how those decisions are played out in a very
public way. Now, with the advent of instantaneous communication across the globe, leaders
have very little time to think. Most of the leaders that I’ve worked with, in both the public
and private sectors, are overwhelmed with information and meetings. They move from one
issue to the next with frequent interruptions as new developments occur. Relaxed time to
think, reflect and plan is limited and fragmented. But leaders who don’t find ways to carve
out that quality time reduce their effectiveness. They have to think strategically and globally.
As our world is shrinking, leaders need to appreciate and leverage diversity. They also need
to become more innovative and proactive, anticipating problems and opportunities as well as
entirely new markets and products. They need to consider whole new ways of communicating
and connecting.
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Because of the impact of globalisation, there have been fast moving technologies, rapid
global expansion and shifting business models, etc. As you know, such changes have also
brought about changes in the basic structure of the organisation too. With the conventional
practices and methods, the leaders of today, will not be able to address the ever-rising
challenges. The best example for this is VIT’s quick adaptation to the online platform. We
have a management with a broad perspective to handle any issues that come in their way. We
have leaders working together day and night to ensure that the education system is not
hampered due to the pandemic. They have learned and we have also learned as students and
teachers to deal with issues without even meeting in a face to face manner. Put these all
together and you get a huge gap between the old leadership style of administrating and
directing versus the new model of guiding and inspiring.
With this we come to the end of this lecture and the end of module 1. In the next lecture we
will be beginning our module 2. The topic that we will be discussing in the next lecture is
harassment.
Ok friends. Bye for now.
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 11
Harassment
Hello friends! Welcome back to the lectures on ethics and values.
In the previous lecture we finished module 1 and discussed leadership in the present scenario.
So with this lecture, we are going to begin module 2, which is titled as Social Issues I. In this
lecture, we will be able to answer the question - what constitutes harassment? Now, before
getting into the definition of harassment, let’s discuss a situation. Just imagine.
“Pritam is a first year student staying at college hostel. One day, senior students came to his
room and in the name of game/ice breaking told him to act a compromising scene from an
adult movie along with his roommate. When he denied, he had to face verbal and physical
abuse from seniors. Out of fear, he could not refuse them. Though he felt intimidated, he did
not report this to the authorities and ignored it with the belief of forgetting it as a joke. But
unfortunately he had to face similar incidents in the future also.”
After listening to this case, tell me what do you think is happening to Pritam? Is it
harassment? If yes, then what form of harassment do you think this is? I will give you three
options:
1. Emotional
2. Physical
3. Sexual
Just think for a while and try to answer the question. Well, you can see, this case reflects all
three forms of harassment. Such instances are reported many a times in the name of bullying
and ragging. You have to understand that bullying implies an intention to harm, intimidate or
coerce an act when there is an imbalance of power and the act is a cause for distress and
provocation. Bullying may be verbal, physical or mental in nature and a whole spectrum of
acts can constitute bullying. It can become a source of trauma for children and young adults
and remain with them their whole lives, often leading to mental distress and depression, and
in extreme situations, even suicide. These forms of interactions can also be considered as
ragging. However, these interactions, have taken a very brutal, inhuman and anti-social, form
at times. Even some of the highly reputed colleges and institutions have a terrible history of
ragging. AICTE/UGC/ CBSE have put forward regulations based on RK Raghavan
committee constituted in 2007 which came up with anti-ragging recommendations.
There are n numbers of cases that you can find just by doing a simple search on any browser.
There is an intangible form of social bullying called relational aggression whereby the
wrongdoer’s goal is to inflict or threaten damage to relationships, including harm to the
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victim’s social standing or reputation. This form of aggression may result in long-term
psychological harm to victims..
So, how can we define harassment?
Any activity that violates an individual’s dignity through verbal, non-verbal, written, graphic,
or physical form, that is threatening in nature and unreasonably creates an intimidating,
hostile, or offensive environment constitutes harassment. It can be communicated verbally, be
physical in nature, or be expressed through other means of communication, such as letters,
emails, text messages and graffiti.
Therefore, if anybody is threatened, intimidated, bullied, physically assaulted, mocked and

exposed to slurs, offensive pictures including pornographic material due to their age, caste,
class, race, colour, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, genetic
information can constitute harassment.
So that is the definition of harassment and before we end our lecture lets test your memory
again. The anti-ragging regulations of AICTE/UGC/CBSE are based on which committee’s
recommendations? You have three options:
1. R K Raghavan
2. Dr. K Kasturirangan committee
3. Gadgil committee
I hope you got your answer, which is option 1, R K Raghavan committee.
So, along with the definition of harassment, we also need to understand the types of
harassment, which will be discussed in the next lecture.
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 12
Types of Harassment
Hello everyone, after understanding the meaning of harassment, we are moving on to the
types of harassment. Before we get into the types, let’s look at a case.
Suppose Jane and Vishnu are classmates. He drops comments on few occasions that he is
lonely and needs company of a friend. They soon become friends and start meeting each
other regularly. In certain situation, she noticed that Vishnu is deliberately sharing vulgar
jokes and trying to make advances towards her in an inappropriate manner. Out of the fear of
losing a good friend and being empathetic on his stressful past, she decides not to be harsh on
him and ignores his actions in a friendly manner.
Now, how do you analyse the decision taken by Jane? Do you think what she did is right? Or
do you think she should have spoken about it to him? Just think for a while and imagine
yourself in the position of Jane. You know I have seen people, who take such unwanted
gestures from friends as misinterpretation and try to ignore it, believing it to be some joke or
misunderstanding. One thing you people should understand, your true friend will never
intentionally disrespect you and drag you into a compromising situation. If you already have
such people in your life as friends, then I wouldn’t request you think again about your
relationship with them. If you realize that something is improper and harming your dignity,
then you should address it immediately. You can have an assertive conversation to your
friend regarding the matter and make them realize the seriousness of their deed. If they are
still not taking your views into heed, then it’s better to share your situation to your parents,
siblings, mentors or teachers or anyone you feel will listen, understand and help you.
Let me share another case. Imagine Abhay as a software engineer working at a successful
company. One day Abhay receives an intriguing message labeled "You..." from an
unidentified source. When the rest of the message reads, ." ..turn me on," Abhay wonders
who sent it. Though attractive, Abhay is currently single and has been for some time. A few
days later, Abhay receives another message from another mysterious source, this one an
embarrassing description of his physical attributes. Irritated, Abhay ignores the unwanted
attention and hopes that it will stop. Instead, the messages occur more frequently and get
more offensive. Abhay has trouble concentrating on his work as he wonders who is harassing
him and why. He feels uncomfortable in the office and views his co-workers suspiciously. He
considers telling his supervisor, but worries about being teased or labeled a troublemaker.
When he confides in a co-worker, she tells Abhay that he is lucky to have a "fan."
What do you think is happening here? This situation may seem like a joke to many but this is
a very serious case of workplace harassment. When we hear about such cases, we can suggest
that why didn’t Abhay go to his superiors? Or he could have easily blocked the mail. Or he
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could have simply ignored it. But just imagine this situation. Every time you come to your
workplace, you feel doubtful and embarrassed not knowing who is playing this dreadful joke.
Some sensitive people would find it very difficult to even concentrate on their work. Hence,
it can affect their work output. The workplace becomes a hostile environment for him, which
is again a form of harassment. The above two cases also showcase examples of sexual
harassment. Now, what is sexual harassment? Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of
circumstances. One of the difficulties in understanding sexual harassment is that it involves a
range of behaviour, and is often difficult for the recipient to describe to themselves, and to
others, exactly what they are experiencing. Sexual harassment can be intimidation or coercion
of a sexual nature. It includes a range of behaviour from seemingly mild sexual advance to
actual sexual abuse or even assault. It is described as direct or indirect sexual behaviour or
gesture which is not desired. Such behaviours constitute sexually colored remarks, physical
contact and advances, showing pornography, a demand or request for sexual favours or any
other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct which is sexual in nature. Sexual
harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances. According the Constitution of India,
sexual harassment infringes the fundamental right of an individual to gender equality under
Article 14 of the Constitution of India and right to life and live with dignity under Article 21
of the Constitution. I also spoke about hostile work environment, which is again a form of
workplace harassment. A hostile work environment can be created by a boss or co-worker
whose actions, communication, or behaviour that make doing your job impossible.
Additionally, the behavior, actions or communication can be discriminatory in nature.
There are some other forms of harassment which includes physical, verbal, non-verbal,
emotional and written. Physical harassment includes causing physical assault, or destroying
property. Verbal harassment includes name calling, teasing, unwanted phone calls and
spreading rumors Non- verbal harassment showcases lewd or suggestive gesturing, winking
and leering. Emotional harassment is causing coercion on someone through blackmailing,
causing racial/cultural or gender discrimination through slurs and exclusion. Harassments can
also be done in a written form which may include threatening notes, emails, graffiti, text
messages etc.
As individuals who might choose an academic field or an industrial corporate field, after your
graduation. Definitely you will have a workplace where you will meet you colleagues, your
boss and many other professionals like you. So, I also want to discuss about another form of
harassment which you must be aware of. Let’s look at a case. Ok so what is happening here?
You can see, a boss is asking his secretary to join him for the party, for which he is ready to
give a complete week off.
This offer might sound attractive and compelling but do you really think it’s required? What
would you do if you were in the place of the secretary? Take a while and think. At first it
might sound welcoming but don’t you think, these demands can get worse, which might
reach a situation where you may not be able to say no. First of all, you have to understand
that every workplace has a provision for taking leave. So, you don’t need to take a complete
week off if it’s not required. If you want you can officially apply for leave and enjoy a
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complete week off. It’s always better to not indulge in offers that come with conditions. This
case signifies the form of harassment known as quid pro quo which literally means this for
that or something given in exchange for something else. A research guide forcing the
research student to do household chores for correcting the research articles or for signing the
doctoral thesis is also quid pro quo. A supervisor promising an employee a raise if he or she
will go out on a date with him or her, or tells an employee that he or she will be fired if he or
she doesn't sleep with him or her is an example of quid pro quo sexual harassment.
Quid pro quo harassment also occurs when an employee makes an evaluative decision, or
provides or withholds professional opportunities based on another employee's submission to
verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Quid pro quo harassment is equally
unlawful whether the victim resists and suffers the threatened harm or submits and thus
avoids the threatened harm. There are other forms of harassment like cyber bullying or online
abuse which we will discuss exclusively in module 7. I hope my lecture on types of
harassment has helped you in understanding the different forms of harassment. In the next
lecture we will discuss, the measures to prevent harassment.
Bye and have a nice day.
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 13
Prevention of harassment
Hello everyone. Welcome back!
In the previous lecture, we spoke about the some different varieties of harassment with
examples. In this lecture, we will understand the measures to be used to prevent harassment.
Now, before directly going to the topic, I have a question for you.
Why do you think people harass? Just think for a while and try to find the answer from the
following options.
1. Is it caused due to Ignorance or lack of sensitivity towards others

2. Abuse of power
3. Prejudices or beliefs
4. Personality disorders
Could you identify the right answer? Well, all these four options are the reasons for
harassment. As you all know, people indulge in harming others due to ignorance or lack of
sensitivity towards others. Sometimes people in powerful positions think that they can do
anything and get away with it since they have power. Pre-assumptions or prejudices
regarding any community, race, sex or nationality can also become reasons for individuals to
get harassed. Personality disorders have also been identified as a reason where people fall in
such harassing activities without knowing what they are doing. Apart from these reasons, we
also have other causes of harassment like attention seeking behaviour, impressing someone or
attracting the opposite sex, Compensating for low self-esteem, confidence or having anger
issues and Arising out of jealousy and envy. You know, when people organize in groups, they
often engage in attention seeking behaviour, this may be cracking jokes, constantly picking
on someone, or any act to separate them and gain the attention of their peers.
Misled individuals often believe that if they assert their dominance among their peers and
constantly pick on someone to attract the attention of the opposite sex. People, who need
validation for their own low self-image and lack of confidence, turn to depraved ways of
picking on someone weaker to assert their identity and gain attention. People often have
violent tendencies in their nature, which may arise from their domestic family situation which
they are acting out on people weaker than them. Sometimes individuals, who have been
victims of bullying and harassment in the past, may have developed resentment due to it. This
resentment often festers into something more serious and then that person replicates the same
behaviour he or she was subjected to, displaying his/her own twisted idea of revenge.
Sometimes people are jealous or envious towards certain individual, maybe due to his/her
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looks, ability, talent or competence and people target them by bullying them to assert their
dominance in front of them.
Ok so not you know why some people harass others. Well, I discussed these topics to make
you realize some of the core causes behind such hideous actions of others so that neither
would you indulge in it nor would you becomes victims of it.
Now, let’s come to our topic which is prevention of harassment. There are some measures of
preventing harassment like: Educating yourself regarding what constitutes harassment, and
thereby creating awareness regarding the same. You know, there have been many cases
where the victims don’t know what’s happening to them? They don’t know whether the
actions or behaviour that is targeted towards them are appropriate or not. So, by educating
ourselves, we can save us and others from falling into such traps. Even objecting to
harassment when you see or experience it is also a measure against harassment. And people
should refuse to go along with harassment masked as humour or academic debate. There is
another important way to save ourselves from trouble – we should learn to be sensitive to the
feelings, verbal and non-verbal reactions of others and ask for clarification if we are uncertain
regarding our and their behaviour. You have to understand that cultures different from your
own may interpret actions differently than you do. In future, you might join multi-national
corporations where you have diversity in workplace, someone from Germany, China or USA
would be working with you. So, in such situations its always better to be open to their
cultural characteristics and ask for clarifications if you feel doubtful regarding your and their
behaviour. Last but not the least, as humans we should offer support to anyone who is being
harassed and help others to modify their inappropriate behaviour. As most of you will start
working soon after their graduation, you must also be aware of a very important Act called
POSH.
POSH is India’s first legislation specifically addressing the issue of workplace sexual
harassment; the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal) Act, 2013. POSH Act was enacted by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development, India in 2013. We should also know the evolution of POSH Act. In 1992,
Bhanwari Devi, a dalit woman employed with the rural development programme of the
Government of Rajasthan, was brutally gang raped on account of her efforts to curb the then
prevalent practice of child marriage. This incident revealed the hazards that working women
were exposed to on a day to day basis and highlighted the urgency for safeguards to be
implemented in this regard. The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Constitution,
in its Preamble, fundamental rights, fundamental duties and Directive Principles.
However, workplace sexual harassment in India, was for the very first time recognized by the
Supreme Court of India in its landmark judgment of Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan also
known as “Vishaka Judgment”, wherein the Supreme Court framed certain guidelines and
issued directions to the Union of India to enact an appropriate law for combating workplace
sexual harassment.
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Women’s rights activists and lawyers filed public interest litigation in the Supreme Court
under the banner of Vishaka. Supreme Court in the Vishaka Judgment, laid down certain
guidelines making it mandatory for every employer to provide a mechanism to redress
grievances pertaining to workplace sexual harassment. Apart from this, we also have certain
other acts to address workplace discrimination like Workers Compensation Act of 1951.
There is another act called The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. It
is an Act to prohibit indecent representation of women through advertisements or in
publications, writings, paintings, figures or in any other manner and for matters connected
therewith or incidental thereto. We also have compensation scheme for women victims/
survivors of sexual assault/ other crimes which came into being in the year 2018.
With this, we come to the end of today’s lecture, and before I leave, I have a question to test
your memory.
POSH Act was enacted in which year? We have three options.
1. 2014
2. 2012
3. 2013
And I hope you got the right answer, which is option 3, 2013.
Ok friends, in the next lecture we will move on with another topic which is violence.
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 14
Violence
Welcome back.
In the previous lecture we discussed a lot about the measures to prevent harassment. In this
lecture, we will understand the meaning of violence. Violence is an endemic problem in the
world and captures one’s attention like few other human events. People on a daily basis are
exposed to the incidents of violence, which victimise millions of people each year with varied
degrees of intensities.
Violence can come from many sources and can be inter-personal like domestic violence;
intercommunity or communal violence; violence in armed conflicts; legitimate use of force
by the state and structural violence.
Violence can be defined from many perspectives such as from an injury perspective, criminal
justice perspective, a domestic violence perspective, a medical perspective, and a sociological
perspective, among others. If we look at major categories of violence discussed in the
literature, we find primarily the crime-related violence, like homicide, robbery, rape and
aggravated assault. One also comes across events, which involve firearms, suicides, and
domestic violence.
Violence in simple terms is something that one party does to another by use of force, an
overt, physical act with an intention of causing injury to a person or property. But such
understanding of the forms of violence is inadequate because it focuses only on crime related
events like killing, torture, rape, sexual assault etc. People started challenging this definition
when they understood violence not only as the harmful use of force against persons but also
as social structures which legitimise the oppression of human beings.
The definition of violence as an act or force exerted to impart physical harm or injury on
other person becomes inadequate on at least three accounts. First, the standard definition of
violence exclusively refers to physical harm or injury and neglects the psychological abuses
or attacks.
Secondly, it lists only human beings as the potential victims of violence, whereas animals or
inanimate objects can also be the targets of violence. Last but not the least; the definition
undermines the operation of violence in indirect ways by assuming that there is a direct link
joining the perpetrator and the victim of violence.
So, over the years there have been made changes made is the definitions of violence leading
to the emergence of diverse perspectives, models and theories. So, for the purpose of our
study, we shall look at violence from two perspectives – direct and indirect or structural.
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Now, answer this question.
If a nation legitimises violence against a community harmed due to their religious, cultural
and ethnic background, then such form violence falls into which category? Is it direct
violence or structural violence? Take a while and think about it. I hope you got it right, the
answer is structural violence. Now, why and how did it fall into structural violence? We will
discuss that in the coming lecture where we will discuss the typology of violence.
Until then, Bye and have a nice day.
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 15
Typology of Violence
Hello everyone.
In the previous lecture, we spoke about violence and its meaning. In this lecture, we explore
the types of violence – namely direct and structural violence. By the end of World War II,
there was growing interest in understanding the relationship between concurrent process of
modernisation and decolonisation, on the one hand, and enlarging expectations, inequality
and grievance formation, on the other. Kenneth Waltz (1959), in his famous book Man, the
State and War, analysed violent conflicts from various viewpoints, from intrapersonal
dissonance to interpersonal disputes, civil unrest, interstate and global wars.
Some forms of violence are instantly recognisable but there are others, which are
unrecognisable, latent and hidden. In the year 1969, it was Johann Galtung who articulated
the notion of structural violence. It emerged as a response to the divide between rich and
developing countries combined with dreadful discrimination in the West, such as the
radicalisation of black consciousness, the anti- Vietnam movement, student protest and
industrial unrest, which brought in sharp rise in civil dissent. Galtung, who is also a Gandhian
philosopher, established in his seminal work “Violence, Peace and Peace Research”, the
concepts of direct, structural and cultural violence. He reiterated that people have four classes
of basic needs which survival and its negation is death or mortality, the second category is
well-being and its negation is poverty, illness and misery. The third one is identity, which
also symbolises meaning or purpose and its negation is alienation. The fourth one is freedom
and its negation is oppression or regression. Galtung argued that the denial to these basic
needs result in eight types of violence which are easily identified for direct violence but more
complex to identify for structural violence.
Let’s look at the first category of violence which is direct violence. It is the only type of
violence that is acknowledged as real violence. At interpersonal level, direct violence is the
act or force, which one or more people use to impart or inflict physical harms or injuries on
other people including nature. These acts insult the basic needs of others. These acts may take
the form of war, torture, fighting, arms violence, physical abuse and emotional abuse etc.
You know, physical violence, sexual violence, emotional and psychological violence are
some of the examples of direct violence. The various mechanisms of direct violence are
killing, injury, siege, sanctions, poverty, de-socialisation, resocialisation, underclass,
repression, imprisonment, expulsion, deportation etc. Many forms of direct violence are the
result of structure-based inequalities aggravated by ethnic tensions, environmental
degradation, and economic desperation.
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Now, let’s look at structural violence. Structural violence is a permanent state of violence,
which is deeply rooted in the social, political and economic structures that make up a society.
It is often accepted as norms in society. Primarily, structural violence is the result of
hierarchical relations within and between societies where people at the top enjoy a privileged
position and oppress, exploit and dominate those who are at the bottom. Galtung in his work
describes the mechanisms, and the forms of structural violence, which are: exploitation,
penetration, segmentation, marginalisation, and fragmentation.
Exploitation is based on unjust economic and social relations. It represents the situation of
unequal exchange in which the ‘top dogs’ or the elite, draw substantially more profit from the
interaction taking place within this structure than the ‘underdogs’ or the people excluded
from development. In reality, the ‘underdogs’ might be disadvantaged to such a degree that
they starve or die because of illness and disease or are left in a permanent involuntary state of
poverty that usually encompasses malnutrition and illness. People tolerate and normalize this
due to the existing structure and fail to even realize their right to question the same and come
out of the vicious circle.
Penetration is the process through which the elements of the ‘top dog’ or elite ideology reach
the consciousness of the underdog- or exploited sections of society. It is the penetration of the
ideology which leads to segmentation.
Segmentation allows the underdog only a limited view of reality. It makes the true nature of
the relationship between strong and weak vague and incomprehensible. The segmentation is
the result of two processes, marginalisation and fragmentation.
Marginalisation and fragmentation create a polarized society. They together force the
‘underdogs’ to the edge of society, condemn them as insignificant, divide them and keep
them away from each other.
Before moving on further, we will a have reflection spot.
Amongst the two statements, identify the proper argument.
a) Direct violence represents intentional harming whereas structural violence is manifested

mostly in the form of social inequalities.
b) In direct violence, the consequence of the act cannot be traced back to concrete actors
whereas in structural violence it is very easy to identify the actors behind the acts.
You have three options:
1. Both a and b are true

2. Only a is true
3. Only b is true.
Did you identify the true statement? Well, the answer is option a, which is true. Now, let’s
understand the difference between direct and structural violence. As already said, direct
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violence represents intentional harming whereas structural violence is manifested mostly in
the form of social inequalities. Structural violence kills people slowly as it is manifested in
the form of social inequalities. It can be both physical as well as psychological. Well, the
harm is caused by the socio-political factors existing in a society which deprive them to
realise their potential and fulfil their basic needs.
In direct violence, the consequences of the act can be traced back to concrete persons as
actors. In structural violence, the consequences of the acts cannot be traced back to concrete
persons or are no longer meaningful because there may not be any person who directly harms
another person in the structure. Direct violence tends to be more visible and easily perceived.
Not just that, negative peace is characterised by the absence of direct violence and positive
peace is characterised by the absence of structural violence.
While discussing the types of violence, we should also have a brief discussion on the
dimensions of violence. The first dimension of violence we have to understand is cultural
violence. Culture, as you all know, is our way of living. It represents the values and ideas,
which reflect the context within which people live and work. Cultural violence is a symbolic
violence that is expressed in countless forms like in religion, ideology, language, art, science,
media, education, etc. and serves to legitimize direct and structural violence and to inhibit or
suppress the response of the victims. It even offers justifications for humans, unlike other
species, to destroy each other and to be rewarded for doing so. For example, throughout the
world, cultural practices have systematically discriminated against women where they are
denied the right to vote, suffer from domestic abuse, and are excluded from employment
opportunities.
The next dimension is economic violence rooted in the structure of the production
relationships and its consequences for workers and consumers. Persistence of unjust
economic power structures create conditions due to which certain social groups possess more
capital than other groups and the materially rich groups utilise their privileged status to
exploit other groups. Poverty, unfair hiring procedures, insufficient health care, joblessness
and wage dumping are some of the forms in which they are practiced in a society. There is no
doubt that globalisation has resulted in market growth but it has also widened the
manifestations of economic violence through increased income disparity around the world.
Political violence consists of those types of collective action that involve great physical force
and cause damage to an adversary or violence for political gain. It encompasses naxalism,
guerrilla warfare, national liberation movements and sometimes even strikes and
demonstrations that turn violent. They also include violent acts motivated by a desire,
conscious or unconscious, to obtain or maintain political power.
Social violence is an important consequence of the abuse of political and economic powers.
The manifestations of social violence cover a large spectrum of possibilities that go from the
disproportionate increase in robberies and crime, mob rule, revolt and guerrilla warfare that
may turn into revolutions and civil wars. Another important factor is rooted in the rapid
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technological changes that accelerate social changes. An example of social violence is the
caste system which forces people to accept discrimination and deprivation from birth.
Before ending this lecture, try to answer this question.
Which amongst the following is an example of direct violence? You have 4 options.
1. Riots
2. Poverty
3. Gender inequality and sexism
4. Racism
Just think for a while and try to answer this very easy question. Poverty is one of the worst or
deadliest forms of structural violence. As a social condition, poverty is prevalent all over the
world in different forms. Poverty is extreme, structural, systemic and sustained economic
deprivation, which in the first instance typically produces powerlessness. As Amartya Sen
has shown, such structural denials of basic freedom result in agency constrained to the extent
that individuals are unable to meet their basic needs. Systematic structures of society have
caused the emergence of an endemic global sexism that is termed patriarchy, which in turn
legitimises the patterns of violence, discrimination and exclusion towards women. Sexism
can be considered as a system of belief targeting women and causing attitudes that holds
women inferior. Such structural inequalities make them vulnerable to exploitation and
violence. Racism is based on the perceived negative and positive traits towards their origins,
and based on these imagined and constructed traits, certain cultures appear to be inferior,
deviant, and some group is able to reinforce its sense of superiority and maintain its
normative power. So, now you know, option 1 is right answer which depicts direct violence.
Terrorism is also a form of violence, well, to be precise, it can be considered as a specific
form of political violence that usually has the purpose of creating fear or terror among a
population. And as citizens of a nation that has been many a times, harmed and threatened by
terrorism, we should be aware of its meaning. So in the next class, we will discuss terrorism.
So, with this we come to the end of lecture. Bye!
4
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 16
Terrorism
Hello everyone!
After having a detailed discussion on violence, now we will focus on terrorism. As Indians,
we would have definitely seen, heard, read, observed or even faced terrorist attacks. There are
various examples of terrorist attacks which we can gather through media. Though, we know
what it is but it’s very difficult to define the concept of terrorism as the types of implications
attached to this phenomenon are multidimensional and very difficult to be handled by a single
and straight forward strategy. Broadly speaking it is an act of violence which seeks to instill
terror in the minds of people in general and the ruling establishments in particular. Usually
the methods applied by the terrorists are in the form of murder, threat to murder, bombing,
kidnapping, ransom, extortion, hijacking, attacking passengers of bus or train, looting of
banks, devastating railway tracks, demoralising people, police, judiciary, investigating
agencies etc. The very purposes of such terrorists are to create instability in the system and
finally to publicize their ideology. The term terrorism as a concept was first used by the
British statesman Edmund Burke in the context of the Reign of Terror during the French
Revolution. In the second half of the 19th century, terrorism began to be symbolized as a
desire to rid a country of colonial powers through violent means. Hitler’s Nazi Government
resorted to state terrorism when thousands of Jews were brutally assassinated. Simultaneously
the atrocities of Mussolini’s fascism and Stalin’s communism can be placed in the category
of large scale violence.
So, terrorism refers to a kind of violence or a threat of imminent violence. Terrorism can also
be defined as a systematic use of terror or unpredictable violence against governments, public
or individuals, to attain a political objective. It broadly implies violent behaviour designed to
generate fear in the community or a substantial segment of it for political purpose. In the
1980s a new dimensions of terrorism originated in the name of Islamic fundamentalism or
Jehadi Terrorism which has its centre of activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The
prominent among such groups is Al Qaeda that worked under the leadership of Osama Bin
Laden.
As discussed before, there are several objectives of terrorism which includes their intention to
advertise the movement or to give publicity to the ideology and strength of the movement; to
mobilize mass support and urge sympathizers to greater militancy; to eliminate opponents
and informers and thus remove obstacles to the growth of the movement; to demonstrate the
inability of the government to support the people and maintain order; to destroy internal
stability and create a feeling of fear and insecurity among the public; to ensure the allegiance
and obedience of the followers.
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Now what are the causes of terrorism?
The causes of terrorism are found both in domestic and external factors prevailing in the
nation state or at the international levels. Domestic causes may include factors like alienation
from political system, prevailing issues of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, religious
sectarianism which can cause political and cultural conflicts. Secessionist tendencies to
withdraw from larger entities to form a new political identity, union or military alliance can
also result in terrorism. Even instability of a political system is also a reason for terrorist
activities. Now while coming to the external causes of terrorism, we issues like proxy war,
role of external powers, narcotic drug trafficking and arms trafficking, religious
fundamentalism, and negative consequences of globalization as some of the factors
motivating terrorist activities.
We should also look at some of the characteristics of terrorism. Before we get into the
features of terrorism, I must it clear that contemporary terrorism has far reaching effects.
Even the means/strategies/weapons applied by them are of so powerful nature that it has
acquired a very high-tech nature.
Before we continue our discussion, let’s have a question. Who used the term terrorism for the
first time? We have three options.
1. Adolf Hitler
2. Johan Galtung
3. Edmund Burke
Who do you think was that person? Well, I hope you got the answer right. The answer is
option 3 - Edmund Burke, a British statesman who used the concept for the first time.
Now let’s move forward with the characteristics of terrorism.
1. First and foremost the nature of terrorist organisation is to create large scale violence and
panic among civilians or so that credibility of political system is eroded.
2. The second feature is enhanced Global access. Earlier the scope of terrorist activities
remained limited to a small area in the country or to one state itself. Now it has developed
large scale linkages not only with the organisations in its home state but have spread beyond
its borders and across countries and continents. Hence the impact of their action now reaches
different parts of the world.
3. Another important characteristic of terrorist-groups has been the acquisition of changed

ideological moorings in terms of religious fundamentalism. To increase the influence of their
activities, religious fundamentalism is gaining predominance among its followers. The
camouflaging of religious teaching provides them easy access to common people to devise
support for their strategies. This not only provides support of larger population but also work
as a convincing tool for them to be associated with their actions.
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4. The next characteristic denotes the presence of Non-state Actors Fighting War with State
Actors. Terrorist-groups are non-state entities fighting against the recognised state actors at
the international level. Not only they are fighting against state system and de-stabilizing
them, but are also making efforts towards the acquisition of such elements which are related
to states. For instance, some groups like LTTE in Sri Lanka or Al Qaeda in Pakistan and
Afghanistan, Islamic state in Syria are acquiring control over certain territories and running
parallel governments in their respective areas.
5. They have Acquired High-Tech Status. Another feature of terrorism is the changing nature
of strategies of these groups. Earlier the scope of terrorism used to be limited to certain areas
or specific region, now its activities are being carried out with small arms and traditional
tactics of warfare. With the changing times the impact of terrorism can be witnessed across
borders or even at global levels; there has been change in their strategies also. These
international terrorist activities have become very high-tech. They are using all types of
weaponry and machine as used by highest-military apparatus in the country.
6. A very recent phenomenon that has influenced terrorism is its dimension of ‘jehadi’ war or
use of concept of ‘just war’. Earlier terrorist activities were engulfed in various
socioeconomic and political discriminations and for the rectification of those fight with state
system was planned. In contemporary times a new conception of justification of terrorist
activities has been made on the name of ‘jehad’ or religious warfare. This type of warfare is
declared as war fought for a just cause. In this context, fundamentalism especially Islamic
fundamentalism has emerged very strongly in West, Central and South Asia in particular
where there is large number of Muslim population.
7. Last we should also understand their association with Narcotic Drugs and arms trafficking.
It has already been discussed as to how means of communication and access to high tech
weaponry have changed the gravity and intensity of terrorism. This has been further enhanced
through its linkages with organised crime, smuggling of small weapons and funding of these
activities by the earnings of narcotic drug trafficking.
International terrorism has transformed itself into a whole new phenomenon. In the next
lecture, we will discuss the different types of terrorism.
So, bye and take care.
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Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 17
Types of Terrorism
Welcome to our lecture on terrorism. In the previous lecture, we discussed the meaning,
characteristics and the causes of terrorism. Well, in this lecture we will briefly discuss some
of the types of terrorism.
Terrorism can be classified in terms of its scope and dimension of its activities. Though it is
very difficult to put those in specific categories yet a broad division can be made in terms of
their activities. It is because terrorist activities overlap both in terms of their working as well
as consequences. In terms of its scope it is usually divided into following categories: 1)
Religious Terrorism 2) Regional Terrorism 3) Political Terrorism 4) Ideological Terrorism 5)
Urban Terrorism 6) International Terrorism 7) State Terrorism. Religious terrorism are
terrorist groups which are extremely religiously motivated. Political terrorism is rooted in
political ideology. State terrorism is consists of terrorist acts on a state or government by a
state or government. Ideology also allows terrorists to justify their violence by displacing the
responsibility onto either their victims or other actors, whom in ideological terms they hold
responsible for the state of affairs which the terrorists claim led them to adopt violence.
Urban terrorism is the targeted use of terrorism in urban populations in order to cause harm,
injury, death, or property damage.
Since urban areas have significantly higher population densities than rural areas, targeting
those areas can maximize the effect of the terrorist attack. Now, when terrorism goes beyond
national boundaries in terms of the methods used, the people that are targeted or the places
from which the terrorists operate, then they are referred to as international terrorism.
Now, let’s have a quick reflection spot. Identify the impact of terrorism from the below
points.
1. Threat to global peace

2. Injuries and threats
3. Boost to fundamentalism
4. Anxiety and depression
5. Economic degradation and infrastructural damage
6. Rise in spending on security
7. Smuggling of narcotic drugs
8. Acquisition of weapons of mass destruction
9. Hampered tourism
10. Annihilation of humanity
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Which among these do you think are the impact of terrorism? You can read them again and
try to answer. Let me tell you that all of these are the dreadful impact of terrorism. You might
have even seen children, instead of holding toys, they hold AK47 in their hands. The UN has
focused on two way solution for the problem of terrorism i.e. legal and political solutions. In
legal sphere, UNO and its special agencies have developed a network of international
agreement, which concentrates on preparing fundamental legal documents to curb organised
terrorism. In India, we have the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA), passed by the
Parliament of India in 2002, with the objective of strengthening anti-terrorism operations. We
also have the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and
National Security Act etc. We also have the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 aimed
at the prevention of unlawful activities associations in India. Its main objective is to make
powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of
India.
Ok, so with this we come to the end of this lecture and to the end of module 2. In the next
lecture, we will move on to module 3 which again deals with social issues like corruption,
electoral malpractices etc.
So, until then, bye and take care.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 18
Corruption
Hello friends!
Welcome back to the lectures on ethics and values.
I hope you remember that in the previous lecture we discussed the impact of terrorism and
finished module 2. In this lecture, we are going to start module 3, Social Issues II and the
topic of discussion for this lecture is corruption. Again, the issue of corruption can be
considered as an endemic scourge that is feeding upon the moral fabric of our nation.
Corruption in simple terms may be defined as “an act of bribery”. It can also be described as
“the use of public power for private gain in a way that constitutes a violation of law or a
deviation from the norms of society”. On a broader scale, corruptive activities can be divided
into two forms - Petty corruption and Grand corruption. Petty corruption occurs at a smaller
scale and takes place at the implementation end of public services when public officials meet
the public. Grand corruption is a crime that violates human rights and deserves adjudication
and punishment accordingly. This ranges from stealing from public funds that were meant for
building hospitals and schools to constructing dangerous facilities as the result of
misappropriation of funds caused by corrupt actors. It occurs at the highest strata of
government in a way that requires a significant subversion of political, legal and economic
systems.
Corruption can be found in different forms: for example;
 Bribery, which is the activity where money is offered in cash or kind or gift as an
incentive to obtain illegal or dishonest action in favour of the giver. Previously, bribe
was paid for getting wrong things done but nowadays even for getting done right
things we might have to pay bribe. At some places it seems to have taken up the form
of a norm.
 Nepotism is again another form of corruption where those in positions of power or
influence favour their relatives and friends.
 Misappropriation or embezzlement is the unauthorized use of another's name, or
identity or money without that person's permission or in simple terms we can say
using others money for one’s own use. Recently, it was reported in newspapers that
the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a case against some of the officials of Bank
of Baroda and Delhi government-run shelter improvement board (DUSIB) for alleged
misappropriation of INR 207 crore.
 Patronage may be considered as the undue support, encouragement and privilege
which can also be financial, given by a patron in a way leading to the misuse of
position.
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 Favouritism or in simple terms partiality or bias is the practice of unfair preference to
someone or a group at the expense of another.
We can say corruption is the misuse of entrusted power attained by heritage, education,
marriage, election, appointment or whatever, for private gain. Corruption includes behaviours
like public servants demanding or taking money or favours in exchange for services,
politicians misusing public money or granting public jobs or contracts to their sponsors,
friends and families, big corporations bribing officials and politicians to get lucrative deals.
You know, corruption erodes citizen’s trust on their government and their leaders, weakens
democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty,
social division and environmental crisis. With this we come to the end of this lecture, and as
usual, let’s have a small reflection spot.
Read the case shown on the screen and identify the category of corruption it falls into. Which
means you have to identify whether it’s petty or grand corruption?
You might have heard of the coal allocation scam, popularly referred to as ‘Coalgate’ which
was a political scandal that swamped the UPA government in 2012. This scam made the
headlines after the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) accused the Indian
government of allocating over 194 coal blocks to public and private enterprises (PSE’s) for
captive use in an ad hoc manner between 2004 and 2009.
Now, what do you think is the answer? Just think for a while, you can even look at the
definitions of petty and grand corruption if you want. Yes, you can see public funds being
misused; some of the most important people from highest strata of the government were
involved. So, this is an example of grand corruption.
Our discussion on corruption is not yet over, as in the next lecture we will understand the
causes of corruption. Till then bye and thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 19
Causes of Corruption
Hello everyone.
After listening to my previous lecture on corruption, I am sure you would have understood
what constitutes corruption. Well, in this lecture, we are going to discuss some of the causes
of corruption. There are a number of factors which can be identified as causing corruption in
a nation.
You know the emergence of a class of political elite whose prime motive is to gain profit,
power and money rather than the welfare of people and nation oriented programmes can be a
cause of corruption. Corruption can be caused by artificial scarcity of goods created by
people with malevolent intentions wrecks the economy of a nation. When, there is a
subversion or drastic change in the value system, sincerity and ethics of people who
administer it, and then there are extreme chances of increased corruption.
Just imagine a situation where you are deprived of basic needs like water, ration, healthcare
and education because of not paying bribe, what would be your situation? How helpless you
would feel? So, we can even trace corruption to unproductive administration. If the vigilance,
anti-corruption bureau, bureaucracy, government bodies, ministries, politicians, judiciary,
police and government officials become ineffective, then it can lead to a situation where no
one would be there to scrutinize and check these corruptive activities.
Lack of vigilance, enormous powers to the bureaucracy, lack of accountability, defective

information system, etc. give scope to officials not only to become corrupt but also to remain
unaffected even after following corrupt practices. Just imagine a society where nobody is
there to question the wrong doings of anyone. Even tolerance of people towards corruption
and complete lack of intense public outcry against corruption and the absence of a strong
public forum to oppose corruption allow it to reign over people.
Corruption in India can be considered as a consequence of the nexus between bureaucracy,

politics and criminals. Vast size of population coupled with widespread illiteracy and the
poor economic infrastructure can also lead to endemic corruption in public life. Apart from
these factors, there are various other reasons highlighted in many studies for corruption to
prevail, like:
 Low Pay Scales and Wages, especially in a highly inflationary economy.

 Lack of strict and fast punishments coupled with complex laws and procedures deter
common people from seeking help from the government. There are people who think
that they don’t have time but they know that they have enough money to spare and
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such individuals would hesitate to run after application forms and government offices
for registration purposes, electricity and water connection etc. and produce all the
documents, sit patiently and fill those forms, instead they would simply make the job
done by paying some thousands to a clerk or an official. And it’s true as how many of
us know to use government’s online services, and how many of us have patience to
fill all those huge complicated forms and wait in queue for long hours for the job to be
done.
 So, lack of awareness regarding our rights and duties, and also government schemes
and online facilities also make people victim of such corruptive activities.
 There is another reason like Lack of Transparency in Deals and Affairs which
construct a congenial environment for the people in power to take decisions on their
own.
 Lack of Accountability can also be a reason. I might have discussed it before; you
know it is our duty to elect a candidate after analysing the works done by them in
their constituency. As an individual, I believe that we should not simply vote on the
basis of party symbols, instead we should learn about them and whether they have
fulfilled the objectives mentioned in their manifesto.
 Similarly, there are other reasons like unhealthy encouragement of competition and
lack of Economic Stability which can also motivate corruption to a certain extent.
As a sociologist, I think that even the absence of a strong opposition to question and
scrutinize the decisions made by the ruling party or the government can also hamper socio-
political environment of a nation or a state.
Ok, so now is the time for a question. Just think for a while and try to answer this question.
The question is how does unemployment and poverty contribute to the persistence of
corruption? Try to find answer for this question. As young individuals waiting to get
absorbed into the labour market, you should be aware of this relationship between corruption,
poverty and unemployment. So, I would suggest that you search or read articles on the topic
and try to find answer on your own. I will speak briefly on this topic in the next lecture. And
in the next lecture we will also talk about the impact of corruption.
Until then, bye and thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 20
Impact of Corruption
Welcome back my dear friends.
So, in the previous lecture we stopped with a question where I told you people to analyze the
relationship between poverty, unemployment and corruption. You know these three factors
form a vicious circle.
Poverty is a social phenomenon where a society or a community is unable to fulfill its basic
requirements. It forces people to not have access to even essential services like healthcare,
education and sanitation. People under such circumstances lose their sense of understanding
regarding the basic rights and they are pressurized to not question the atrocities that they face.
They believe it to be their fate and normalize their condition as something which is
unavoidable. Rising unemployment and competition can also motivate people to resort to
corruptive methods like bribing to ensure the job. They might pay a lump sum amount to the
broker and ensure that the job is assured. There are chances that they also might get betrayed
in the process.
Now, suppose they got the job buy throwing money. Well, just imagine what would be the
first objective of the person who has now attained the job? Their first intention might be to
somehow regain those lakhs which they have spent for the post. If the person commit into
corruptive measures to regain those money spent, then it further leads to corruption. You
know, there is one more dimension to this interrelation between corruption, poverty and
unemployment. We can also argue that, corruption does not have a direct relation in
producing poverty. Rather, corruption has direct consequences on economic and governance
factors that in turn produce poverty. Biased selection of employees through means like
bribery, nepotism and favouritism can also become a cause for unemployment. Even
increased rate of poverty also induces unemployment in a society and vice versa.
Before we start our discussion, let’s have a quick reflection spot. You can see the question on
the screen.
Which amongst these are the consequences of corruption? You have three options:
1. Vast Population
2. Poverty
3. Tolerance
This is a very easy question. Try to remember the points discussed in the previous lecture.
Did you get the answer? We can’t wait long as we need to move forward. Well, the right
answer is option 2, poverty.
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Now, let’s start our discussion on the impact of corruption.
The two consequences we have already discussed, which are poverty and unemployment.
Apart from these two factors, there are other implications like retarded economic and
infrastructural development of a nation.
It may even create anarchy and violence since the corrupt may have the money power to
influence the executors of law and security for their own benefit. As I told you before, it can
deteriorate the moral fabric of the nation as people lose trust on the system of governance. It
can even lead to increased nepotism, lethargy, inefficiency because the officials might delay
the work which could be done in one day, in a way to obtain the desired reward as bribe.
Definitely, it increases black money in a country, leads to adulteration of food item, spurious
drugs and shortage of many consumer items. As I discussed before, it may even lead to the
emergence of terrorism and criminal activities as there are chances that people who are
unemployed and poor would resort to any methods, if they are getting paid to survive and to
support their family, in turn causing an increase in terrorist and criminal actions. Now, if
qualified professionals are denied their right to attain a job or if they are forced into
underemployment where an individual undertake a job that does not qualify their capabilities,
skills and financial needs, then they opt to leave the country in search of better jobs abroad,
causing a severe harm to a nation’s development. And it would lead to brain drain.
So, friends we come to the end of this lecture. I hope you would have gained a lot of insight
regarding the cause and impact of corruption, which leaves us with the last topic on
corruption which is its prevention. We will discuss the laws and the preventive measures in
the next lecture.
Bye and Thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 21
Laws and Prevention of Corruption
Hello everyone.
In the previous lecture we spoke about the implications of corruption and how it can cause
severe obstacles in the way of a nation’s development. In today’s lecture we will understand
some measures and laws which are essential for us to know as an individual.
I hope you might have heard about Transparency International. You know, transparency
international is a not for profit, independent organization fighting against corruption. It has a
Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which ranks 180 countries based upon institutional
perceptions of public sector corruption on a scale of 0-100. A score of zero indicates a
“highly corrupt” nation while 100 indicates a “very clean” one. If you go and check the
website of transparency international, you can find a lot of interesting and eye opening details
regarding the present state of global corruption.
The latest report released on December 9, 2020 which is observed as International Anti-
Corruption Day, show that New Zealand and Denmark have cornered the top spot, followed
by Finland, Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and the list goes on. Now,
you might be wondering about India’s score. India’s score is 40 and the global corruption
barometer shows that in India, around 89% of people think that government corruption is a
big problem and 39% of public service users have agreed upon paying bribe in one year. I
know, you might be interested in knowing more about this and if you want you can visit the
website of transparency international and gather more information. They have all the details
regarding the methodology followed and also selfexplanatory info graphs can also be
downloaded from the website. So, this was about transparency international, a global
movement working through advocacy, campaigning and research to expose the systems and
networks that enable corruption to thrive.
Before having further discussion, let’s have a question for you to answer. From the following
list, which you see is now on your screen, identify the measures to curb the spread of
corruption.
a) Education
b) Responsible and unbiased media
c) Unbiased and powerful judiciary
d) Effective digitization
e) E-enabled Transparency
f) Awareness
g) Potent government agencies
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Well, could you identify any? You know education can be considered as the most important
tool against corruption. It is through education that we can create a generation which will
refrain from engaging in corruptive activities. Neither they will accept bribes nor do they pay
bribes. The Media can help reveal various on-going issues of corruption which can be
publicized and the awareness can be spread. Media should be free and unbiased while
reporting incidents but in the present scenario, it’s very difficult to find such media source.
Judiciary as you all know is the backbone of the government, whenever there is a dispute
between the centre and the state or centre, state and citizens, it is judiciary which plays a
major role by controlling the dispute and by passing judgement.
Just imagine what would happen if the judiciary is controlled and biased. Digitizing
government process is the best way to control corruption, as it would make the process fast,
reliable, and transparent. There are various government services which are available on e-
portals. Most of the applications can now be submitted online. Transparency promotes
accountability and provides information to its citizens without any barriers. Moreover,
government processes should be transparent and it can be considered as the prime measure to
control corruption. As citizens it is our responsibility to generate awareness regarding the
issue of corruption through campaigns, short films, scholarly articles, research etc. The more
we create awareness, the more people will understand the preventive measures that can be
undertaken to address this menace. You might have already seen there are many short
awareness videos provided on the websites and online platforms of anti-corruption bureau of
some states. Last, government agencies like CBI, central vigilance commission etc. they have
the power to correct the systems that support corruption. So, all the above options are the
various measures to control corruption.
Now, let’s briefly discuss the laws in India that are meant to address the issue of corruption.
The Government of India appointed a committee on Prevention of Corruption in 1960 under
the chairmanship of K. Santhanam. The recommendations covered various aspects of
corruption. It was on the basis of the recommendations of this committee that the Central
Vigilance Commission was set up in 1964 for looking into the cases of corruption against the
Central Government and other employees. The Central Government has set up the following
four departments as anti-corruption measures: i) Administrative Vigilance Division (AVD) in
the Department of Personnel and Training, ii) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), iii)
Domestic vigilance units in the Ministries/departments/public undertakings/ nationalized
banks, and iv) Central Vigilance Commission.
You might have heard about the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The objective of this
Act is to reduce corruption in various government agencies and public sector businesses by
combating against them. However, it is not only limited to taking measures to prevent
corruption in government departments but also involves prosecuting and punishing the public
servants involved in the activities of corruption. Well, this act also takes into consideration
the persons who helped the offenders in committing the offence of either bribery or
corruption. Further the 1988 Act enlarged the scope of the term ‘public servant’ and included
a large number of employees within its ambit.
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Next we have the LOKAYUKTA Act of 2013. The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of 2013
provided for the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States. They are
statutory bodies without constitutional status. They perform the function of an "ombudsman”
and inquire into the allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for
related matters. The Lokpal consists of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members. The
Lokpal covers all categories of public servants, including the Prime Minister. But the armed
forces do not come under the ambit of Lokpal. Now, why do we need such institutions? It’s
primarily because most of the anti-corruption agencies are hardly independent; they also face
problems of transparency and accountability. In this context, an independent institution like
Lokpal, offered a solution to the never-ending menace of corruption.
Next we have the Right to Information Act 2005. The prime objective of this act is to
empower citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the
Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense.
This act is a big step towards making the citizens informed about the activities of the
Government. This law has been used by many for gaining information regarding various
entitlements like rations, pensions and healthcare.
While talking about the RTI Act of 2005, I should also mention the recent RTI
AMENDMENT ACT 2019 which provided that the Chief Information Commissioner and an
Information Commissioner (of Centre as well as States) shall hold office for the term
prescribed by the Central Government. Before this amendment, their term was fixed for 5
years. It provided that the salary, allowances and other service conditions of the Chief
Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner (of Centre as well as States)
shall be such as prescribed by the Central Government. This amendment act was criticised on
several levels by many intellectuals and scholars because despite stiff opposition within and
outside Parliament, the government pushed the act which gives more powers to the central
government. For more information regarding this debate, you can do a search on your own.
So, with this we come to the end of this lecture, in the next lecture we will discuss another
social issue which is electoral malpractices.
Till then, bye and thank you.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 22
Electoral Malpractices
Welcome back to our lectures on social issues. In the previous lecture, we discuss about the
laws and the preventive measures to be undertaken for the effective control of corruption in
India. In today’s lecture we will understand the meaning of electoral malpractice. Now,
before we start let me ask you a simple question. Why do we need elections? I am sure you
have the answer ready with you. Definitely, it is the basic mechanism by which we practice
universal adult suffrage or in simple terms, our right to vote our representative through
elections. Elections can be considered as an instrument of choice all over the democratic
world. It serves as the basic mechanism for both electing and replacing ruling elites and for
providing a regular and systematic succession in government.
It also helps us to determine how a country or a state is governed and at the same time select
who will exercise state power. You know it is the principal mechanism by which citizens
hold governments accountable, both retrospectively for their policies and more generally for
the manner in which they govern. They also reinforce party activities and generate awareness
regarding the process of election. They intensify political response and awareness of people.
As I said, they educate youngsters like you people, as they are exposed to a lot of debates and
discussions which are held during the time of election. They grant legitimacy to government.
Election is a device through which a modern state creates among its citizens a sense of
involvement and participation in public affairs. Hence, a good electoral system is the
foundation of a genuine representative government.
India is a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary system of government, and at the

heart of the system is a commitment to hold regular, free and fair elections. These elections
determine the composition of the government, the membership of the two houses of
parliament, the state and union territory legislative assemblies, and the Presidency and vice
presidency. The working of Indian electoral system has witnessed several drawbacks and
malpractices. The discrepancy between the votes cast for a party and the seats won in
parliament, the multiplicity of political parties, personality cult in party system, exploitation
of caste and communal loyalties, role of muscle and money power, misuse of governmental
machinery, fraudulent practices like booth-capturing, intimidation and impersonation of
voters are important drawbacks of Indian electoral system. Therefore, electoral malpractice is
a major type of political corruption. It thrives in a society in which the degree of political and
administrative morality is low. A transparent electoral system is one of the most important
prerequisites for present day democratic practice in both developed and developing countries.
Now, amongst the following, identify any one electoral malpractice.
a) Communal hate speech
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b) Embezzlement
c) Nepotism
I hope you have the answer which is option a communal hate speech. Yes, embezzlement and
nepotism are forms of corruption but we are talking about malpractices which are specifically
conducted during the time of elections or to influence the process of elections or the results of
elections. I am sure you have understood the meaning of electoral malpractice. In the next
lecture, we will discuss the types of electoral malpractices.
Thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 23
Types of Electoral Malpractices
Welcome back my dear friends.
In the previous lecture we spoke about electoral malpractice. So let’s quickly move into the
types of electoral malpractices. Election malpractices range from the physical capturing of
booths to the organization of youth wings of parties or goon squads who could target and
terrorize particular communities before the poll to prevent them from voting. In some cases,
even the poll staff could be found as bribed or may be intimidated into passive agreement.
There are many research and news articles about the progressive criminalization of politics
and the emergence of politician-underworld nexus. There are certain works which speak
about the necessity to address the issue of politicizing the bureaucracy. This can be
understood when we observe that most of the high officials are sometimes changed with the
change of a government.
In its efforts to cleanse the electoral process, the Election Commission has put a ban on
transfers and promotions after the elections are announced. As you all know, election
campaigning is an expensive exercise. In a country like India, where we have issues like high
population, large constituency, mass illiteracy etc., a candidate has to make a close contact
with the voters which require a lot of money in the process. This may eliminate men and
women of ability and integrity from electoral contest for lack of financial support and it may
also promote criminalization of politics.
Some of the forms of electoral malpractices include firearms display, intimidation, communal
hate speech, paid news, freebies distribution like for example, to influence voters, some of the
parties promise to provide money, electronic appliances, or bags, laptops etc. Well, there can
be other examples for electoral malpractices like transporting voters, providing fake news,
property defacement or damaging property while campaigning, money distribution, liquor or
drugs distribution etc. There are some others examples of electoral malpractices such as;
numerous registrations and votes by the same person, voting by underage people, Stealing
important documents during elections (for example, ballot papers, registration lists of voters,
etc.), partisanship or favouring of any political party by Electoral officials (officers,
secretaries, observers, etc.), falsification of the final results of the elections, paying money to
officers to influence the results of the elections, carrying ballot boxes outside the elections
room or areas, then Taking electoral documents into personal custody and any other illegal
actions performed during elections that can influence their flow. So these are some of the
types of electoral malpractices which you must be aware of.
Before we leave for the next lecture, let’s have a quick reflection spot.
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Identify the electoral malpractice. The question is on the screen. You have to fill the blank.
___________ is a type of fraud where one person claims to be someone else while casting the
vote.
And here are the options.
1) Intimidation
2) Impersonation
3) Favouritism
4) Property defacement
Well, did you identify the answer? I am sure there won’t be any confusion. So, the answer is
option b impersonation. Intimidation is compelling or pressurising someone, favouritism, as
you know is preferring any party candidate especially by election officials and property
defacement is as I discussed, causing damage to a property using painting, posters, spray
painting, graffiti etc.
Ok friends. With this we come to the end of today’s lecture. In the next lecture, we will
understand certain preventive measures that can be adopted for curbing the menace of
electoral malpractice.
Thank you. Have a nice day.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 24
Prevention of Electoral Malpractices
Hello friends. Welcome back.
As we have already discussed the meaning and forms of electoral malpractice. Let’s just
quickly go forward with our discussion on the preventive measure.
The need of electoral reforms was felt quite early in India. The various committees and
commissions appointed by the parliament, government and opposition parties have made
attempts in this regard.
First of such effort for electoral reforms was made in 1971. A Joint Parliamentary Committee
on Amendments to Election Law was appointed under the chairmanship of Sri. Jagannath
Rao. The committee submitted its report in 1972.
In 1974, another effort was made by Sri Jayaprakash Narayan who was the president of the
Citizens for Democracy (CFD). As a part of this effort, he set up a committee under the
chairmanship of Justice V.M. Tarkunde for electoral reforms. This committee popularly
known as Tarkunde committee was asked to suggest measures to combat among other things
the various forms of corrupt practices like the use of money and muscle power, misuse of
official machinery and the disparity between the votes polled and the number of seats won,
etc.
On the basis of this report, Sri Jayaprakash Narayan launched the people’s movement against
corruption and for electoral reforms and presented the People’s Charter to the presiding
officers of both Houses of Parliament on March 6th, 1975.
In 1977, the Janata party after gaining power constituted a cabinet sub-committee on electoral
reforms headed by the then Union Home Minister Sri Charan Singh. And it was during the
same time, when the chief election commissioner Sri S L Shakdhar made significant
suggestions on various issues ranging from election expenses to booth capturing.
While speaking about electoral reforms, I must also mention the contributions made by Sri.
T. N Seshan. He was the Chief Election Commissioner of India during the period from 1990
to 1996. He had initiated the process of cleaning up the electoral system. The introduction of
electors’ photo identity cards was a measure towards this direction. Former Chief Election
Commissioner Sri T.S. Krishna Murthy, who wrote the book “Miracle of Democracy: India’s
Amazing Journey”, termed Sri. Seshan’s tenure a “turning point” in the history of the
Election Commission of India. Some of the reforms implemented by Sri.T N Seshan include,
the enforcement of election code of conduct, Voter
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IDs for all eligible voters, limit on election candidates' expenditure, appointing election
officials from states other than the one facing polls etc.
Now, I have a question for you people. Let’s check whether you will be able to answer this
question. From the below given options, identify the app launched by the Election
Commission of India for reporting a violation of the model code of conduct to be followed
during elections. You have four options which are on the screen.
1. VVIP
2. PwD
3. cVIGIL
4. UMANG
Just think for a while. I am sure you might have heard about at least one of these apps. You
know, UMANG or (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) was developed by
the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and National e-Governance
Division (NeGD) to drive Mobile Governance in India. UMANG provides a single platform
for all Indian Citizens to access pan India e-Government services ranging from Central to
Local Government bodies. It was launched in 2017.
Then, let’s look into the details of other applications. VVIP or Voter Verification and
Information Programme (VVIP) for citizens can be used for verifications of their names, new
registrations, changes in the voter details and corrections in the Voter Id Cards. It was
launched for the 2019 general elections.
Now let’s talk about PwD. It is a mobile application to enable Persons with Disabilities
(PwDs) to request for new registration, change in address, and change in particulars.
Now, you might have understood that the answer for the question is cVIGIL. It stands for
‘citizens’ vigil’. This android-based mobile application was launched by the former Chief
Election Commissioner Sri. OP Rawat, along with Sri Sunil Arora and Sri. Ashok Lavasa, on
July 3rd, 2018, for the citizens to report any violation of the model code of conduct during
elections. Through this app, voters can share the proof of malpractice with the authorities.
But one thing we have to understand is that, this app will be functional only where and when
the elections are announced, which means that you can’t simply use the app anywhere or any
time. It facilitates sharing of geo-tagged photographic and video evidence without disclosing
the identity of the sender. To prevent its misuse, the app doesn’t allow uploading of the pre-
recorded or old images and videos. So, we can look at it as a fast track complaint reception
and redressal system. We also need to understand that malpractices like bogus voting and
impersonation are crimes. And if they are established, these can attract prosecution
procedures against the voter and the polling officers who abetted the crime.
Besides, bogus voting is also a ground for declaring the election as void. It would be possible
through an election petition after the declaration of results.
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Ok friends, we come to an end of this lecture. We have discussed a lot about the preventive
steps facilitated by our government but more importantly it is upon us to understand and take
steps to ensure a just political environment. In the next lecture, we will understand the
meaning of white collar crimes. So, until then, bye and take care.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 25
White Collar Crimes
Welcome back friends.
In the previous lecture we spoke about preventing electoral malpractices. And we are
continuing our discussions on social issues.
Today we will understand the meaning of white collar crime. Now, what constitutes white
collar crime? White collar crime basically denotes crime committed by the educated people
belonging to a higher class of society during the course of their occupation.
We can say that these crimes are committed by powerful people belonging to a reputable
class of society. The people who are committing this crime have usually a better
understanding of technology, their respective field, disciplines etc. White collar crimes have
evolved. And they are seen to be committed in large organizations that cover a large number
of activities. So we can say that these crimes are common to various fields like trade,
commerce, education, health etc.
As the criminal profile has changed a lot in few years the traditional crimes have partially
replaced by the white collar crimes in the country. We also need to understand the primary
difference between the white collar and blue collar crime. Studies have differentiated
between white and blue collar crimes. They say that the blue collar crimes are committed by
people of under-privileged sections whereas white collar crimes are done by the so called
sophisticated sections of our society in a well-organized manner. They maintain their respect
in the society until the crime is discovered. It is true and unfair that white collar criminals get
off with civil fines rather than facing criminal punishments.
As we all know, giant corporations that pollute the environment might have to pay a million
dollar penalty which might mean nothing to them while a farmer who couldn’t repay his/her
loan or debt might face severe penalties.
It was Edwin Sutherland, an American sociologist, who first defined the term white collar
crime. He described this crime as committed by the person of high social status as compared
to those who commit ordinary crimes during the course of their employment.
Now, let’s look at some of the common types of white collar crimes in India.
Bank Fraud as you all know is a crime committed with an intention to deceive and gain
undue advantage. It is a fraud committed on the banks. It is primarily committed by
fraudulent companies by making fake representations. It is also related to the manipulation of
the negotiable instruments like cheque bouncing, securities, bank deposits etc. Bank fraud is
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concerned to the public at large because there is a relation of trust between the banks and the
public. It is the most common type of white collar crime and also a corporate crime. It harms
public as well as the government of a nation.
Bribery is also a very common type of white collar crime. It is something we have already
discussed previously. When someone gives money or anything in return for a favour, it can
be defined as bribery.
I must say that with changing technological advancement, cybercrime has become the biggest
cause of such forms of crimes in India. It is the latest problem prevailing in the cyber world.
Cybercrime involves the persons who are expert in computer related technology or people
who can hire such technological experts. It is committed against someone directly or
indirectly to cause a harm to their reputation or to harm them using internet, networks and
other technological sources.
Money laundering is also another form of white collar crime. In this crime, criminals try to
hide the original ownership of the money and the source from where they obtained that
money through illegal means. Well, there prime intention through laundering is to show that
money has been obtained using legal method. In simple words, money laundering means to
show the illegitimate money as legal money. For instance, if a person obtains money from
black marketing, trafficking of illegal goods then they cannot deposit it in the banks as it may
seem suspicious as there can be issues while producing statement and tax returns.
Tax evasion is also another form of commonly found white collar crime and is committed
with an intention to conceal one’s actual taxable income and one’s original position to the
authorities. Well, as you know, the prime intention behind this concealment of income is to
reduce the tax. We will have further discussion on this in the next lecture.
Now, let’s move on to the impacts of white collar crime. The white collar criminals are
mainly the effects of degradation of values in the society. White collar crime can have a large
impact and definitely a direct impact on society. There are various numbers of frauds and
scams that had been exposed in our country from the past few years like 2G scam, Hawala
scam, banking scam, fodder scam and many more. These frauds and scams have had a huge
impact on the economy of our country. One financial fraud can affect the businessmen, the
investors and the government. All you need is one bad employee who may opt for gaining
money through illegal means. It can cause harm to the reputation of the organization, its
employees and the country.
There are certain legislations in India to address the menace of white collar crime like the
Companies Act 1960, Income Tax Act, 1961, Commodities Act, 1955, Prevention of Money
Laundering Act, 2002 etc. You know, there is no proper definition for such crimes. Such
crimes should be taken up seriously and heavy penalties must be incurred from organizations
or people who are involved in it.
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Government should provide a public awareness regarding such crimes. Strict regulations
must be imposed in case of economic thefts of our country.
So, friends, with this we come to the end of this lecture. In the next lecture, as I already said
we will understand the meaning of tax evasion.
Till then bye and thank you.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 26
Tax Evasion
Hello everyone. In the previous lecture we had a detailed discussion on white collar crimes.
Well, in this lecture we will describe tax evasion. Before, getting into the issue of tax evasion,
we need to understand what is tax? You know, the most important source of our government
revenue is from taxes and a tax is a compulsory charge imposed by a public authority, for
example income tax.
We need to understand the difference between penalties and taxes. A pubIic authority
imposes taxes mainly to obtain revenue and resorts to penalties mainly to discourage people
from doing certain things. Therefore, a tax is a compulsory contribution imposed by a public
authority. There are basically two types of taxes: direct and indirect taxes. Direct tax is
imposed and collected directly from the person on whom it is legally imposed while an
indirect tax is imposed on one person, but paid partly or wholly by others. Income Tax,
Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Estate Duty, Gift Tax, Wealth Tax come under the
category of direct taxes. In the case of direct taxes the liability is determined with direct
reference to the taxpayer's tax-paying ability, while in the case of indirect taxes, this ability is
assessed indirectly. For instance, in case of income tax which is a direct tax, the amount of
tax to be payable by a person, is determined on the basis of that person's income.
In our country’s taxation system a heavy reliance is laid upon indirect taxes which amount to
around 83%. Indirect taxes include sales tax, excise duties, entertainment tax, customs duties
etc. One of the important reasons for increasing revenue from indirect taxes is with increasing
financial requirements of revenue, it is easier to impose and revise the indirect taxes than
direct taxes.
I hope you might have understood the importance of tax. So, let’s move on to the definition
of tax evasion. Tax evasion occurs when a person or corporation unlawfully stops paying its
tax or pays a partial amount of taxes. So, tax evasion is an illegal activity in which a person
or entity deliberately avoids paying a true tax liability. Those caught evading taxes are
generally subject to criminal charges and substantial penalties. The activities considered as
tax evasion according to the income tax act include practices like
 Concealing the Income

 Claiming excessive expenditure
 Falsification of accounts
 Inaccurate financial Statements
 Not reporting income
 Storing wealth outside the country
 Filing false tax returns
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 Fake documents to claim exemption
If a person or a business company is discovered to be attempting to avoid taxation, fines can

be levied based on the type of violation. For example, if incorrect pan details are provided
then you would have to pay Rs 10,000/-. While discussing tax evasion, we should also
understand the meaning of another term which is tax avoidance. When a person or a company
legally exploits the tax system to reduce tax liabilities, we can call it as tax avoidance. Even
someone establishing offshore companies in a tax haven where they may or may not have to
pay any tax can also fall into the category of tax avoidance. Tax avoidance also includes
hiding or faking revenue, without documentation of exaggerated deductions, without
disclosing cash transactions, etc. You know if done properly, tax avoidance is actually
encouraged by the government. Some examples of legitimate tax avoidance include putting
your money into an Individual Savings Account (ISA) to avoid paying income tax on the
interest earned by your cash savings, investing money into a pension scheme or doing charity
etc.
Now, let’s answer a question. Why do people evade from paying tax? A study done in India
showed the top five reasons for tax evasion. The analysis showed that complicated Indian
income tax structure is the prime reason for tax evasion and tax avoidance. Lack of any
incentives for honest payers, lack of awareness and motivational programmes for paying
income and corporate tax, illiteracy of tax payers and even inefficiency of tax administration
are some of the other reasons identified in the study. So, both tax evasion and illegal tax
avoidance can harm our nation’s economy and as responsible citizens, it is our duty to pay
our taxes rightfully. Ok friends, with this we come to the end of this lecture. In the next
lecture you will be able to understand the meaning of unfair trade practices.
So, until then, bye and take care.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 27
Unfair Trade Practices
So, in the previous lectures we have discussed a lot about social issues such as corruption,
electoral malpractice, tax evasion and white collar crimes. As citizen’s we need to understand
about one more social issue which is prevalent yet mostly gets ignored or remains unnoticed.
There are certain legislative measures undertaken by the central government to safeguard the
interests of Indian consumers. Consumer exploitation is not a new phenomenon in India. In
fact, the industrial revolution and the shift of rural masses to urban areas and the anonymity
of urban living gave plenty of scope for unfair business practices. In today’s lecture we will
understand that what constitutes unfair trade practices? Due to ever increasing population and
the need for goods and services on a large scale has created a situation of a near seller's
market. The consumers have a very weak bargaining power and therefore cannot assert their
rights. As a result, business people are tempted to follow certain practices which can be
unfair to consumers.
Many manufacturers and traders indulge in making false claims about their products, offers,
foreign collaboration and sometimes the ingredients of their product. And as consumers, most
of us don’t even think about it and are driven by the various attractive offers or discounts
presented to us. The consumers are mostly unaware of their rights, and they feel discouraged
in pursuing their complaints due to the disproportionate cost involved in redressal and who
wants to run behind court procedure? In order to protect consumers from unscrupulous and
unethical practices by business people, the Indian Government, from time to time, has
enacted different laws. Some of these Acts are as follows:
 Sales of Goods act, 1930

 The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
 Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
 The Essential Commodities Act, 1955
 The Indian Standards Institution Certification Act, 1952
 Agricultural Products and Grading and Marketing (AGMARK) Act, 1937
 The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1956
 Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential
Commodities Act, 1980
These legislations were designed to offer protection to consumers in respect of price, quality,
service, information, safety, etc. The MRTP Act (Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade
Practices Act), 1969 can be considered as a specific consumer protection legislation with the
amendments brought in it in 1984. You must know that till 1984, there was no concept of
unfair trade practice (UTP). In spite of the change in the MRTP Act, 1984, it was felt to
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develop more elaborate consumer protection legislation because of certain limitations in the
Act and as a result, the Consumer Protection Act 1986 was born. It is usually described as a
unique legislation of its kind ever enacted in India to offer protection to the consumers.
Well, we must also understand that apart from enactments of these legislations, it is also
highly necessary to adopt measures to educate consumers to organize themselves for
collective action. And in this respect we can say that the consumer movement has not made
much progress in India. In India, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 has extended a statutory
recognition to some of the rights of consumers. It has laid down the following six acts:
a) Right to safety
b) Right to be informed
C) Right to choose
d) Right to be heard
e) Right to seek redressal
f) Right to consumer education
So, that was a brief introduction regarding consumer rights and the need for consumer
protection. Now, let’s understand the meaning of unfair trade practice. The definition of
unfair trade practices in India can be found in two laws MRTP act, 1969 and the Consumer
Protection act, 1986. There is no much difference between the two definitions and we can
define it as a trade practice which, for the purpose of promoting the sale, use or supply of any
goods or for the provision of any service, adopts any unfair method or deceptive practice
including any of the following practices, namely:
 The practice of making any statement, whether orally or in writing or by visible

representation which:
o falsely represents that the goods are of a particular standard, quality, quantity,
ride, composition, style, or model;
o falsely represents that the services are of a particular standard, quality or
grade;
o falsely represents any re-built, second hand, renovated, reconditioned or old '
goods as new goods;
o represents that the goods or services have sponsorship, approval, performance,
characteristics, accessories, uses or benefits which such goods or services do
not have;
o represents that the seller or the supplier has a sponsorship or approval or
affiliation which such seller or supplier does not have;
o makes a false or misleading representation concerning the need for, or the
usefulness of, any goods or services;
o gives to the public any warranty or guarantee of the performance, efficiency or
length of life of a product or of any goods that is not based on an adequate or
proper test.
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o materially misleads the public concerning the price at which a product or like
products or goods or services, have been or are ordinarily sold or gives false or
misleading facts disparaging the goods, services or trade of another person
 Permits the publication of any advertisement, whether in any newspaper or otherwise,
for the sale or supply at a bargain price of goods or services that are not intended to be
offered for sale or supply at the bargain price, or for period that is, and in quantities
that are reasonable, have regard to the nature of the market and size of business, and
the nature of advertisement.
 Permits (a) the offering of gifts, prizes or other items with the intention of not
providing them as offered or creating impression that something is being given or
offered free of charge when it is fully or partly covered by the amount charged in the
transaction as a whole; (b) the conduct of any contest, lottery, game of chance or skill,
for the purpose of promoting, directly or indirectly, the sale, use or supply of any
product or business interest;
 Permits the sale or supply of goods intended to be used, by consumers, knowing or
having reason to believe that the goods do not comply with the standards prescribed
by competent authority relating to performance, composition, contents, design,
construction, finishing or packaging as are necessary to prevent or reduce the risk of
injury to the person using the goods.
 Permits the hoarding or destruction of goods, or refuses to sell the goods or to make
them available for sale or to provide any service,
Now, let’s have a quick reflection spot, amongst the following two practices which one can
be regarded as an unfair trade practice?
1. Shopkeepers providing a candy or chocolate in place of one rupee.

2. Shopkeepers distributing free pens with every product without charging extra money
You might have experienced this some times. Which one do you think is the right answer?
Ok, so the right answer is option 1. Often shopkeepers give a candy or chocolate in place of
one rupee and they would say, “I don’t have any change so please you have this”. But have
you ever thought that, what will happen if you give the same candy back to the shopkeeper in
place of one rupee. Would they take it back? No, definitely not, they won’t because
sometimes it won’t have cost them any money or maybe they got it as a complimentary
product or maybe they got at a low cost. So until and unless you are in need of a chocolate or
candy, you don’t have to accept this. You can tell them to give the exact change or nowadays
we have the option of online payments using many apps, so you can transfer the exact
amount through digital transaction.
Now, lets look at the definition provided in the MRTP act of 1969 which is not so different
from the previous one. According to the MRTP act of 1969, An' unfair trade practice means a
practice which for the purpose of promoting the sale, use or supply of any goods or for the
provision of any services, adopts any unfair method or unfair or deceptive practice including
the practices mentioned. The following are the unfair trade practices:
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 Misleading advertisement and false representation.
 Bargain sale, hail and switch selling.
 Offering gifts or prizes with the intention of not providing them and conducting
promotional contests.
 Non-compliance of product safety standards.
 Hoarding or destruction of goods.
So, in simple terms unfair trade practices refer to the use of various deceptive, fraudulent, or
unethical methods to obtain business. Unfair business practices include misrepresentation,
false advertising or representation of a good or service, tied selling, false free prize or gift
offers, deceptive pricing, and noncompliance with manufacturing standards.
An unfair trade practice is sometimes referred to as “deceptive trade practices” or “unfair

business practices also. Unfair trade practices are commonly seen in the purchase of goods
and services by consumers, tenancy, insurance claims and settlements, and debt collection.
For example, Government filed an action against the Swiss manufacturer of Maggi noodles,
seeking about Rs 640 crore in damages for alleged unfair trade practices, false labelling and
misleading advertisements in the year 2015.
Apart from unfair trade practices, you must also be aware of the meaning of two terms
monopolistic trade practice and restrictive trade practice. Well, I will just give you a brief
description of their meaning. Monopolistic trade practices can be defined as the trade
practices which are likely to have an effect of maintaining unreasonable control over the
price, quality, supply and distribution of products and it can even unreasonably prevent or
lessen competition. Restrictive trade practices can be defined as trade practices which have or
may have the effect of preventing, distorting or restricting competition in any manner and
may also tend to obstruct the flow of capital and manipulate the price and condition of
delivery.
Ok, so with this come to the end of this lecture and module 3. I hope you have gained a lot of
insights regarding social issues which affect us as a citizen and an individual. So in the next
lecture I will be back with another set of topics which are primarily associated with addiction
and its impact on individual health. Until then, bye and take care.
4
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 28
Peer Pressure
Hello friends. Welcome back to our lectures on ethics and values. I think this is the only
course where we have topics of discussion ranging from philosophical debates to issues like
harassment, addiction, cyber-crime, corruption, drug abuse etc. In the previous lecture, we
discussed some of the social issues like corruption, white collar crimes, unfair trade practices
and so on. So, now we are moving forward with topics which are related to addiction and
health. Now, you might be thinking, is it required to discuss and include such topics in a
course? Or is there anything at all to study over here? You know, educational institutions and
family are important social units which anchor the health and well-being of all individuals.
Educational institutions have the prime responsibility to promote and optimize the physical,
social and also the mental health of students. The emerging challenges have necessitated that
they too shift the focus to the psychosocial needs of students and take care of the overall
wellbeing. Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing are one of the most neglected areas in
our country. Our module 3 is titled as Addiction and health. So what is this health? Is it only
the physical health? What do you think? The World Health Organisation definition of health
includes physical, social, spiritual and mental health, and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity.
The health of people in India is changing due to socio-demographic and epidemiological

transition. Mental disorders affect everyone, irrespective of age, gender, residence and living
standards, even though some groups are at a higher risk for certain illnesses; only the impact
varies. For example, mental disorders among children, depression among pregnant mothers,
and dementia among the elderly are well known. You might also be aware of the severe stress
and trauma undergone by people during the pandemic period. How there was a complete
panic situation in some of the states in the country? Whenever we open news channel or our
mobile phones, we were receiving information about the pandemic. Some may be true
whereas some were hoax. But sometimes so much exposure to information can also drag us
into stress and affect our health. Growing evidence from research has demonstrated a close
association of mental disorders as precursors or risk factors or consequences of a wide range
of acute and chronic conditions. For example, depression and cancer are known to coexist,
while anxiety disorders are linked to the occurrence of cardiovascular disorders. Non-
recognition of associated mental health problems often leads to delayed recognition and
recovery.
Mental disorders can also be caused by a complex interaction of biological, social,

environmental, cultural and economic factors. In countries like India, the social determinants
of health like employment, education, living standards, environment, access, equity and
others contribute significantly to both cause and recovery.
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Persons with mental disorders are also known to be associated with a wide range of social
and societal problems if their illness is unrecognised or inappropriately managed. Some
mental health conditions are implicated not only in lower productivity and earning potential,
but also in a number of antisocial behaviours, crime, homelessness, domestic violence,
alcohol and drug use .
Now, why is it required to discuss about mental health at this juncture of your life? What is
the speciality of this age that you people are in? And what is this stage of your life known as?
Yes, you got it right. Adolescence!!
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development that occurs
between childhood and adulthood. As adolescents you may experience increased
independence allowed by the parents or legal guardians with relatively lesser supervision.
This transition period is a stage where people face frequent mood changes. They reflect
feelings of anger, happiness, sadness, fear, guilt, shame, and love. During this age, social
skills are required for having positive and healthy relationships with others, including people
of the opposite sex. Adolescence is also a stage when you make certain decisions which may
impact the rest of your lives. For example, adolescents have to decide about the typical
courses or stream that they have to opt for in the high school, they have to decide about after
school activities that they must participate in and which peer group to join and so on. They
begin to make future educational and occupational plans with the help of their teachers and
parents as well as with their peers and try to implement these plans through secondary school
course work and out of school vocational and volunteer activities.
Now, who are these peers?
Peers are individuals with whom we identify ourselves. Our peers are our friends and those
people close to us with whom we spend most of our time and share common interests and
feelings. Peers are our like-minded friends and companions. As we grow older and become
more independent, our peers play a greater role in our lives, even more than our parents and
siblings. They are like our extended family. Among peers there can be friendship and
acceptance. We can share anything with them which in turn, help us in building bonds. So, in
very simple terms we can say that a peer group is a group of people of approximately the
same age, social status and interest.
Peer relationships play an important and formative role in the development of social skills in
children. Peer interactions as well as peer conflicts are necessary conditions in which a child
learns to accept the point of view of another. Through this process, children begin to engage
in social behaviour which involves team work, co-operation, discussion and planning with
others. The greater the participation in a social group, the more developed are their social
skills and through this social interaction, a child begins to understand his own behaviour from
the point of view of others. Well, now how does peer relationship become peer pressure?
Do you remember the time when you were young? When you wanted to do exactly as your
friends from the same age group did? You wanted the same toy, or bicycle, wanted the same
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dress or may be join the same club and go to the same restaurant. To put it simply, this is peer
influence.
Such influence can bring about changes in that individual's attitude or behaviour to fit into
that group. And as you know it is very natural for all individuals to identify with, and
compare themselves to the people with whom they interact. In the process they influence and
get influenced by each other. Friends influence us in many ways - the way we dress, think, '
take decisions, buy things etc.
Now, my question to you is. What will happen to this peer influence when the child grows?
You have three options.
1. It will decrease with age.

2. It will not affect when they grow
3. It will increase until they truly form an adult identity
So, did you get the answer? Yes, the level of peer influence generally increases as children
grow and as the need to conform grows - before they truly form an adult identity. The
resistance to peer influence declines as children gain independence from the family. So
option 3 is the right answer.
With more social interactions outside the home and more awareness of others, the influence
of peer increases and sometimes the problem arises when this influence gets transformed into
peer pressure. Peer Pressure occurs when an individual experiences implied or expressed
persuasion to adopt similar values, beliefs and goals or to participate in the same activities as
those in the peer group.
Peer Pressure exists for all ages - A six year old boy insists that his mother takes him to the -
toy shop immediately, to buy him the latest toy or gadget or the sports bike because 'his
friends' have it. When the mother says 'No' he might show a temper tantrum. A ten year old
girl wears a dress once to a party and then refuses to wear it again because she thinks that 'her
friends' might notice it and make fun of her. Teenage boys do work out in gyms to have a
'perfect body' like the school heroes and girls starve themselves to look like the most
attractive girl at school. They do it to confirm.
Peer pressure peaks during adolescence, but it never entirely disappears. Even adults feel the
pressure to conform in order to belong to a desired group and this can be in the place of work,
neighbourhood or even in the family. As adults we can find a rational balance between
accepting group beliefs and holding on to our own individuality.
But pre-teens and teenagers face many challenges related to conformity and peer pressure.
They are pulled in two different directions - the desire to be seen as an individual and the
desire to belong to a group where they feel secure and accepted.
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The result is that often children, especially teens, ignore the views of family and society in
general, and feel pressure to conform to the values of their peer group. Well this was about
peer pressure. But our discussion on peer pressure is still not over as in the coming lectures
we will understand the types of peer pressure. Until then, bye and take care.
4
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 29
Types of Peer Pressure
Hello everyone. Welcome back. I hope you might remember that we were discussing about
peer pressure. Now, we know the meaning of peer pressure. What do you think could be the
impact of peer pressure? Is it only negative or do we also have positive impacts of peer
pressure.
There are basically four types of peer pressure. The first category of peer pressure occurs in a
one-on-one environment and it is known as direct peer pressure. It is normally behaviour
centric. Examples of these kinds of behaviour would be when a teenager hands another teen
an alcoholic drink, or makes a sexual advance, or looks at another student’s paper during a
test. So, here the other person is put in a position of having to make an on-the-spot decision.
This form of peer pressure can happen when a teenager asks, suggests, persuades or
otherwise directs another to engage in a specific behaviour. Yes, in such a situation, there are
chances that the recipient of the influence may adhere to his or her core values and beliefs or
may even go along with the pressure of the group if the recipient lacks strong decision
making skills.
Next, we have indirect peer pressure. This is a form of unspoken peer pressure where a
person is exposed to the actions of one or more peers and is left to choose whether they want
to follow along. This could take the form of fashion choices, personal interactions or ‘joining’
types of behaviour (clubs, cliques, teams, etc.). I won’t say only teenagers but also sometimes
adults find it difficult to control the impulse. You know, indirect peer pressure is subtle but
can still exert a strong influence on an impressionable young person. We can have another
example for this like if a teenager learns that the popular kids’ birthday parties include
alcohol or drugs, that indirect pressure may prompt him/her to experiment this as a way to
gain acceptance.
Next, the next form of peer pressure is negative peer pressure. As the name clearly explains,
this form of peer pressure has a negative impact on the recipient. Asking someone or may be
a teenager to engage in behaviour that is against their moral code or family values is a type of
negative peer pressure. Here, again people are put in a position where either they can follow
the influencer or they can simply walk away. Sometimes people take part in such dreadful
situation where they force themselves against their own morals only to gain acceptance in
their peer group. Well, even adults of my age and much older can also fall into negative peer
pressure, but mostly adults find some excuses and escape from such situation whereas young
people often lack the skills to come up with an excuse or reason to say no to negative peer
pressure.
Now before we understand the next form of peer pressure, lets have a quick reflection spot.
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Read the case and identify the peer pressure exerted.
Suppose you and your friends are attending Ethics and values course. You have learned that
it’s a class where you need to learn diverse topics. There are a lot of topics to cover and the
teacher gives tough quizzes every week. One day you hear your friends talking about an
upcoming test. One of them groans, “What’s the point of learning this course? And its not
going to help us out and we are getting many quizzes as part of it. After all, we going to be
engineers and not philosophers, then why bother to spend time on this?” “I think it’s
interesting,” someone else says. “It is a lot of homework and lengthy exercises.” “Why don’t
we just do it together while we’re hanging out? It’ll be easier to work together, and we can
share notes and divide topics among ourselves to get extra details regarding the topics. In this
way, we can help each other and prepare for the assessments.”
Everyone agrees, this sounds like a great idea.
Now, do you see any form of pressure? Is it negative? Is it direct or indirect? Yes it is direct
peer pressure but it’s not negative in nature. As I said before, it is not necessary that peer
pressure only has a negative impact whereas it also has a positive side to it. The dynamics
within a group can become positive if the behaviours of its members are healthy, age-
appropriate and socially acceptable. For instance, if a peer group wants to make good grades,
a young teen can be positively influenced to study. If members of the football team of a
college take a pledge to abstain from drinking alcohol to focus on staying healthy and having
a winning season, other students may adopt the same behaviour. You might have heard about
peer leader programme where some students are chosen as peer leaders and are trained to
participate in counselling, support groups, drug or violence prevention programmes and other
such community programmes where students act as positive role models for other students.
You know, schools promote student participation in student groups like NSS, NCC, Scouts
and Guides etc. You know, due to positive peer pressures students can be motivated to join
sports club and youth organizations. So, what form of peer pressure would you like to exert
or fall into?
In the next lecture, we will look into the impact of peer pressure. Bye and thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 30
Impact of Peer Pressure
In the previous lecture, we spoke on the types of peer pressure. Now, let’s look into the
impact of peer pressure. As you all know, peer groups exert a powerful influence on growing
children especially adolescents. No matter how foolish it may seem to grownups, belonging
to a group is something very important and significant to a child. Peer groups are a place
where youngsters feel accepted, where they can act themselves, feel good about themselves
and their self-esteem is enhanced. It is commonly seen that children feel happy when they
conform to the values of their peer groups. Naturally, young people gravitate towards other
young people feeling that they will be understood and accepted. There is a very strong need
to satisfy' that thirst - the need for acceptance. The feeling of 'belongingness' is a very
powerful force that can outweigh ties to family, school, society or community.
Among the following options, identify the factor not provided by peer group? Identify from
the list given.
1. A strong belief structure

2. A clear system of rules
3. Communication and discussion about taboo subjects such as drugs, sex, smoking, etc.
4. Security and safety
Yes, apart from the feeling of belongingness, the peer group provides us a strong belief
structure, system of rules, communication and discussion about taboo subjects such as drugs,
sex, smoking etc. but it is just a belief among youngsters that they can get security and safety
from their peer group and yes there are friends who make us feel secure and safe but we
should not fall into complete acceptance that they are above our family. You should clearly
understand the difference between the concept of family and friends and approach both of
them with due respect.
So, now let’s look into some of the positive and negative impacts of peer pressure include;
 It can influence, direct and dominate a child’s social behaviour

 It also influences emotional development
 Sometimes, it can even lead to self-doubt.
 It can stimulate mental disorders like anxiety and depression
 As I said, peers can be positive and supportive as well, they can help each other in
developing new skills, or developing interest in books, music or extracurricular
activities.
 Along with positive traits, peers can also push some negative habits in each other like
skipping classes, steal, cheat, consume drugs, alcohol, etc.
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Not just that, even most of the substance abuse cases have been found to be an outcome of
peer pressure During the teenage years it is not easy to say no, because it is the age where
youngsters are in extreme need of acceptance and belongingness. Now, all of this can create a
lot of pressure on youngsters and the impact of this may not lead to best of choices. So what
should we do? We should learn to handle peer pressure. So, that will be our next lecture. Till
then bye and take care
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 31
Handling Peer Pressure
Welcome back to the lecture. We were discussing about peer pressure, its impact and its
types. So, now in this lecture we will understand some of the measures to handle it. First of
all, we all must realize that it’s not possible to completely avoid peer pressure. We can’t live
and survive in isolation. We need our peer groups and sometimes they are the ones who make
us feel acceptable and important. Hence, it is essential to understand some of the measures to
handle peer pressure. So how do you handle peer pressure? Given are some of the options.
Among the options given, identify the option that cannot be included in the category of
handling peer pressure.
1. Pay attention to how you feel

2. Have friends with same values
3. Plan ahead of the situation to give excuses
4. Go on with the demands of the peer group
I am sure you might have identified the answer which is option 4.
First of all, you need to pay attention to how you feel. If something doesn’t feel right about a
situation, it probably isn’t. Even if your friends seem ok with what is going on, the situation
may not be right for you. So in such a situation, what should you do? You need to plan ahead.
Think about how you will respond in different situations. Plan what you can say or what you
can do. You can even talk to the person who is pushing you to do something. You can be
polite yet firm and assertive while making them realize about how you feel regarding the
situation. You can even give an excuse. Right? You know some people find it very difficult
to say “no” and then apologize or give an explanation. But giving an excuse makes it easier
than saying a no. Perhaps you can come up with reasons like allergies that make it dangerous
for you to take anything. Or you can say that your parents are coming home or they want you
to reach home early or if you feel it would be best to leave the situation all together.
So to avoid such conflicting situations, it’s always better to have friends with similar values
and beliefs. It is easier to say “no” if someone else is also saying it. You should also develop
self-esteem and confidence to say no even to your friends who might push you into doing
something which can cause a formidable situation for you.
Moreover, you should get support from a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher, mentor or
school counsellor. A reliable adult can listen to you and help you with strategies that might
work in your situation. As a growing individual who has to survive on their own, make their
own family, you should train yourself in critical and analytical thinking and also develop
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good communicative skills that can be used in daily lives. Hence, before taking any decision,
please weigh your decisions by considering the consequences.
Ok, so I hope that through this lecture you have gained some insights on how to handle peer
pressure. In the coming lecture, we will be discussing certain addictive diseases and their
preventions. Bye and thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 32
Defining Addiction
Hello everyone.
In the previous lecture, we spoke about peer pressure, its impact and how to handle them. We
also spoke about some of the addictive habits which might be developed as a result of peer
pressure. So what is addiction? You know, recent scientific advances have described
addiction as a brain disease that develops over time as a result of initially, due to voluntary
behaviour. Addiction is, thus, a disease in and of itself, characterized by compulsion, loss of
control, and continued use in spite of adverse consequences. The primary elements of
addictive disease are three Cs:
The first one is compulsive use. It is that irresistible impulse, thoughts that are repetitive and
intrusive. For example, a person may not be able to start the day without a cigarette or may be
coffee or tea. However, only compulsive use doesn’t signify addiction.
The second characteristic is loss of control. As you all know, it is the inability to limit or
resist inner urges. Ones it starts, then it becomes quite impossible to stop it without external
help. Well, this is the most important stage of addiction. The individual might swear to not
repeat the addictive habit of may be drinking or smoking, instead the person drinks and might
repeat the same response in the next day also. The individual may be able to stop it for some
time, or may even control it but there are always chances that they might continue the same
compulsion.
The last characteristic of addiction is continued use despite adversities which means that the
use of the substance continues despite consequences which may include declining health,
such as liver impairment in the alcohol addict; embarrassment, humiliation, shame; or
increasing family, financial, and legal problems.
The term addiction was formally replaced by the term substance dependence in 1964 when
the World Health Organizations Expert Committee on Drug Abuse proposed that the terms
addiction and habituation be replaced with the term dependence and they distinguished the
two types psychological dependence and physical dependence. According to UNIDCP
(United Nations International Drug Control Porgramme), psychological dependence refers to
“the experience of impaired control over drug use” while physical dependence involves “the
development of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of use of the drug, as a
consequence of the body’s adaptation to the continued presence of a drug event”.
Earlier, the problem of addiction was not as widespread as it is now. Studies show that
experimenting with drugs including alcohol is beginning at an earlier age than before. In
India, the problem is steadily increasing, both among urban and rural populations, due to
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several reasons which includes growing prosperity, stresses of modern life, expanding
economic and social disparity and also exposure to such addictive substances at an early age.
Public awareness programmes are being taken up by governmental and nongovernmental

agencies for prevention of addiction. We all know that addiction is a phenomenon which can
alienate a person from society and deprive them of a healthy and respectful life. Now, why is
that so? It is because of the number of issues caused as an impact of addiction. An addict
won’t be able to function physically and psychologically without the addictive substances,
they consume these addictive substances beyond socially acceptable level and also sometimes
at inappropriate places and times. In the advanced stages of addiction, they might face issues
in their personal, professional and social life as well.
Now, before we look at the causes of addiction, let’s have a reflection spot. Among the
following identify the factor which is not the element of addiction. The options are:
1. Continued use despite adversities

2. Lack of control
3. Anxiety
4. Compulsive use
Did you get the answer? Amongst these 4 options one can be considered as an impact of
addiction. Yes the right answer is option 3, anxiety which is one amongst the many impact or
cause of addiction.
Ok, now coming back to the causes of addiction. As we have already discussed, addiction is a
complex phenomenon which can be caused by a number of factors rather than a single factor.
And there is no fixed type of personality which is addiction prone. But certainly there are
certain factors that contribute and create a favourable environment for the development of
addiction and there are also some factors which make it difficult for people to give up
addiction.
Now, first let us look into the physiological factors. There are studies which say that if both
parents of a child are addict then there is a probability that the child would develop addiction.
But I must say that there are exceptions also. We can’t say that children of all addicts will
become addicts. Yes! It suggests a greater possibility. For example, alcoholism, in particular,
tends to run in the family, which suggests that the addiction might be inherited.
However, there are several other factors also which should not be undermined like; the
quantity of consumption of any addictive substance, the process of intake like whether it’s
injected or swallowed or inhaled, the availability of the substance, and definitely its access
and price, also there can be other influencing factors that might have an impact on the
individual than familial reasons.
Even though we lack conclusive findings but there are certain studies which state that
physiological factors like nutritional deficiency, dysfunction of body system etc. maybe also
associated as reasons.
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Now, let us look into the individual or psychological factors. There have been cases where
many addicts have reported symptoms of mild to severe mental disturbances. However, it is
still not clear whether metal disturbances cause addiction or addiction causes mental issues.
Well, whatever be the relationship, there are many studies and cases which indicate that
addicts suffer from deep personality problems like feeling of inadequacy, dependency,
powerlessness, isolation and low self-esteem.
It can also be argued that the pleasurable feeling or the feeling of euphoria acts as a reward
which motivates an individual to continue the usage of addictive substances. Apart from these
two factors, we also have other factors like sociocultural or environmental factors. Several
theories claim that addiction has sociocultural origins. People living in societies where
consumption of drugs and alcohol are acceptable and where drugs are easily and cheaply
available are likely to have high consumption of drugs/alcohol. In some tribal societies, the
consumption of alcohol is a part of religious rituals and ceremonies. Such regular
consumption may cause some people to become addicts.
The legal status of the addicting substance is also an important factor in determining the
incidence of addiction. Among young people, growing up is like proving oneself to their peer
group. And as you may already know, some individuals have a misunderstanding that alcohol
toleration represents manhood which can again trigger consumption of alcohol or drugs
among young people.
As in the case of age and cultural background, occupation too has been found to be related to
addiction. Persons in jobs that create stress—physical or mental are known to become
addicted. For example; people working as morgue workers, rag pickers whose job is
associated with unpleasant activities, those performing excessively exhausting, monotonous,
laborious work, example like load carriers and porters, drivers, etc. are prone to some form of
addictions. Even family influence is also believed as another important environmental factor
that can initiate addiction in an individual like the presence of an addict in a family, absence
of parental control and supervision, or dysfunctional family. As mentioned earlier, peer group
influence can also initiate and encourage the use of addictive substances.
I hope you might be very much clear about the definition and the causes of addiction. In the
next lecture, we will be looking at the issue of alcoholism. Bye and thank you
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 33
Alcoholism
Hello dear friends. Let’s continue our lectures.
In the previous lecture, we have already discussed addiction and in this lecture we are going
to describe one form of addiction which is alcoholism. WHO Experts Committee on Mental
Health has recognized alcohol as a special type of drug. In simple terms, alcoholism is a
chronic disease or behavioural disorder, characterized by repetitive and uncontrolled
consumption of alcoholic drinks.
This addiction causes functional and structural damages to our body. Now, let me ask you a
question. Read the following options and identify which case shows the signs of alcoholism?
1. A 33-year-old male drinks six to eight beers per night, every night per week. He comes
home and fights with his family, only to repeat the same the next day.
2. A 40 year old female consumes a small quantity of wine before sleeping occasionally.
So, which one amongst these options show the signs of alcoholism. You should understand
that it is not repeated drinking which can be called as alcoholism but when the drinking
exceeds customary use and social standards of a community and along with that starts to
interfere with the drinker’s health as well as social and economic functioning leading to
continuous problems then we can name it as alcoholism. Drinking alcohol in controlled and
limited quantity that doesn’t harm and affect the mental and physical stability of an individual
can be considered socially acceptable. But if you ask me, I would not suggest anyone to drink
alcohol even occasionally. Because as an individual, I see the possibility of addiction hidden
in those occasional drinking. Well that’s my personal view and you can even argue against it
or for it. We didn’t say the correct option. So, option 1 shows a typical example of an
alcoholic.
As you all now it is a treatable disease, as it can be checked and its progress stopped with
proper treatment. It is a progressive disease and absence of treatment can lead to severs
medical issues like cirrhosis.
Alcoholism basically develops through three phases which are early phase, middle phase and
chronic phase. During early phase an individual might be preoccupied with the thought of
how, when and where they could get another drink. Also, during this stage they need more
alcohol to get the same effect as earlier. They might even avoid talking about alcoholic drinks
sometimes, due to guilt and shame. In the middle phase, there will be a complete loss of
control over the quantity, time and place of consumption. They might start finding excuses
and reasons for drinking which sometimes might result in aggressive behavior. At times, the
1
alcoholic might seek help for alcoholism at this stage and might even stop consuming
alcoholic drinks for a while. Next, in the chronic phase even a little quantity of alcohol is
enough to get them drunk which shows decreased tolerance.
During this stage, if the consumption of alcohol is discontinued, they would face severe
physical discomfort and pain. In some cases, alcoholics might resort to criminal behavior and
ethical breakdown only to obtain alcohol. Some might even show lack of motor coordination
like shivering, shakes which prevent them from performing simple tasks. Paranoia, suspicion,
hallucinations all these issues might develop during this phase of alcoholism. Even death or
mental illness may also result in this final stage. I hope, you have understood the meaning of
alcoholism. Next we will discuss the causes of alcoholism. Bye and take care.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 34
Causes of Alcoholism
Welcome back everyone. Now we know the meaning of alcoholism and in this lecture we
will be discussing some of the causes of alcoholism. The causes of addiction which we have
already discussed are also applicable here and along with those reasons we will also look into
some of the other factors that can make someone vulnerable to alcoholism.
So, before look into the causes, let’s have a reflection spot. Among the following, identify the
causes of alcoholism?
1. Family history of alcoholism

2. Stressful life situations
3. Elderly undergoing mandatory retirement
Which one do you think is the right answer? Well, all of them can contribute to developing
the habit of drinking in an individual or may even aid in initiating the habit of drinking.
As I already said before, there are studies which say that people with a family history of
alcoholism may develop the habit of drinking. Those experiencing grave personal problems
or stressful life situations such as desertion, divorce, separation, parental rejection, aging, role
change, or role conflict can become causes that may result in the onset of drinking. Even the
elderly are at risk because of mandatory retirement and the necessity for living on a fixed
income, which may restrict choices, leading to stress and anxiety. Older people are often
lonely and unhealthy and lack feelings of worth and purpose – and while they drink, it relaxes
them and helps them to forget their problems, that too momentarily; they believe that
drinking can fill the voids in their lives. Such people won’t be able to accept and face the
reality and as a result they resort to alcohol or other substances. Some people see drinking as
an easy answer for the complexities of life. Even people with history of other addictions are
more likely to develop an alcohol -related problem. Again I repeat there can be exceptions in
all these cases.
1
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 35
Impact of Alcoholism
Hello everyone. We were looking at the issues associated with the habit of drinking excessive
alcohol. In the previous lecture, we discussed some of the causes of alcoholism and in today’s
lecture we are going to understand the impact of alcoholism or alcohol abuse. There can be
many physical complications of alcohol use.
There can be primary effects like withdrawal, toxicity and deficiency syndrome along with
secondary effects like aggressive behaviour, domestic violence and in some cases injury
caused by drunk driving offences. Health problems associated with alcohol abuse include
higher rates of cancer of oral cavity, liver, and esophagus. It becomes much more dangerous
when people combine heavy alcohol intake with heavy smoking. Even the risk of esophageal
cancer is 44 times more for those who consume more than six drinks and one or more packs
of cigarettes daily.
Therefore, we can say that excessive consumption of alcohol causes variety of problems like
family issues, social, physical, occupational and even legal issues. As I already discussed,
there can be problems in the family like quarrels over drinking, physical abuse, decreased
socialization with friends, financial worries etc. issues in a family can also cause behavioral
issues in children who are exposed to drinking.
It might even affect their studies. As you already know, alcohol withdrawal symptoms may
occur during a variety of circumstances including lack of money to purchase alcohol, acute
illness or injury, nausea and vomiting or a decision to stop drinking. The most severe reaction
to alcohol withdrawal, are delirium tremors, which are characterized by disorientation,
paranoia, and outbursts of irrational behavior, leading to threat of self-harm.
Sensitivity towards alcohol’s effect is decreased when an individual consumes large doses of
alcohol over an extended time and this phenomenon is called tolerance. It forces an
individual to continually increase the dosage to achieve the desired result. It is common to all
potentially addictive drugs.
Alcoholism also leads to maladaptive behavior in individuals and has negative impact on
interpersonal relationships. It hampers an individual from fulfilling their personal, family and
social responsibilities. It lowers self-esteem and confidence. Irritability, lack of motivation,
depression, anxiety, and aggression are some of the other impacts caused by alcoholism on an
individual’s behavior.
So, amongst the following identify any one symptom of alcoholism.
1. Legal issues
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2. Disorientation
3. Consuming alcohol in unsafe and unwanted circumstances such as when driving
Did you identify the answer? It’s very easy. Yes the answer is option 3, consuming alcohol in
unsafe and unwanted circumstances. Legal issues and disorientation are the impacts of
alcoholism. There are some other symptoms of alcoholism which include:
1. Inability to control alcohol intake.

2. Inability to reduce intake despite severe physical and social consequences and several
attempts.
3. Considerable time is spent for drinking causing reduced socializing with friends and
family.
4. Inability to fulfill household and occupational responsibilities.
5. Reduced social activities.
6. Consuming alcohol in unsafe and unwanted circumstances such as when driving.
7. Requiring more quantity of alcohol to produce similar effect.
8. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms like nausea, sweating and shaking while making an
attempt to stop or delay drinking.
And some of the health problems which can be caused due to alcoholism include: Liver
disease, heart problems, diabetic problems, increased risk of cancer, weakened immunity and
neurological complications. We don’t have to go in-depth into these issues and if you are
interested, you can do further reading on this. And my only request to you people would be to
think many times before initiating the habit of drinking even for fun. Your friends might
suggest, or challenge or gift an opportunity for you to try it and there are chances that you
may. But as I said, it only requires a moment of courage to make a huge difference in your
life.
Ok, so our next lecture will be on the laws and preventive measures for alcoholism.
Stay positive and stay healthy. Bye.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 36
Laws and Prevention of Alcoholism
Hello everyone. Welcome back to the discussion on alcoholism.
In this lecture we are going to discuss the preventive measures which can be implied to cure
alcohol abuse or addiction. Treatment of alcoholism occurs in multitude of forms. Yes it’s
true that psychological counseling and family support can help to better understand the
problem and aid faster recovery. Even withdrawal symptoms can be prevented through
detoxification and medications. There are certain oral medications prescribed by doctors
which cause nausea, vomiting and other physical reactions if a person takes alcohol again.
Actually, the intention here is to reduce the good feeling triggered by drinking alcohol which
can help to reduce its cravings. Another very important thing is to engage oneself in activities
that involve physical activity, eating well, good sleep and having a positive attitude. Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India has a scheme of assistance for the
prevention of alcoholism and substance abuse implemented for identification, counseling,
treatment and rehabilitation of addicts through voluntary and other eligible organizations.
Under this scheme, financial assistance is provided to voluntary organizations and other
eligible agencies.
In a developing country like India, alcohol consumption tends to be a major problem because
of the various socio-cultural practices across the nation, different alcohol policies and
practices across states, lack of awareness on alcohol-related problems among the community,
false mass media propaganda about alcohol use, various alcohol drinking patterns among the
alcohol consumers and the emergence of social drinking as a habit because of the widespread
urbanisation across the country. Stringent alcohol policies are needed to reduce alcohol
consumption, and alcohol consumers have to be educated about the various harmful effects of
alcohol consumption and the effects it can have on their mind, body and soul.
Alcohol consumption becomes a serious problem when individuals start engaging in

problematic drinking pattern that puts them at the risk of developing adverse health events.
Though prohibition of alcohol use is encouraged in the constitution of India, but alcohol
policy is a state policy. Hence, states have full control over alcohol related legislations, excise
rates and the production, distribution and sale of alcohol. In India, alcohol prohibition was
retained until mid-1960s.
Now we will have a reflection spot. Why is it not safe to drink and drive? You have the
options on the screen;
1. You could go to jail

2. Your vision is lost
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3. You feel sleepy
4. Increases the reaction time
Well, what could be the answer? Definitely, you might have heard about the reason. Yes, you
could go to jail if you are caught driving after drinking alcohol. But the actual reason is
option 4 that is, drinking increases your reaction time. When alcohol enters the blood-steam,
it circulates all over the body. Its effects depend on the quantity taken. They vary depending
on the speed at which a person drinks. His/her weight and the presence of food in the stomach
also make a difference. Therefore, when a person consumes an alcoholic beverage, there will
be a rise in their BAC (Blood alcoholic concentration) because of which there can be a
gradual and progressive loss of driving ability due to increase in the reaction time,
overconfidence, degraded muscle coordination, impaired concentration and decreased
auditory and visual acuity. You would feel that you have stepped on the break, but in reality
you wouldn’t have. Alcohol affects the brain directly by slowing down its activities as well as
those of the spinal cord. It acts as a depressant, i.e. it slows down responses. It gives the false
impression of being a stimulant because it lowers inhibition and makes people lively.
Now, as per the Motor Vehicle Act, any person whose BAC values are found to be more than
a particular limit are booked under the first offence and they may be fined about INR 2,000 to
10,000 or they may even face a maximum of 6 months to 4 years imprisonment.
Advertising alcoholic beverages has been banned in India as per the Cable Television
Network (Regulation) Act 1995, and the code of conduct under Advertising Standards
Council of India (ASCI). Still, private channels are often permitting alcohol companies to
advertise using surrogate means like using brand names for soda or water or music. However,
as the target audience is moving from watching television to mobile phones, liquor
companies have now begun to invest in online video marketing.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, the crimes related to alcohol
consumption fall under four major acts namely, the Prohibition Act, Gambling Act,
Psychotropic Substance Act and Excise Act. If you are interested, you can do further research
on these acts.
Well, the major reason because of which the public nuisance created by alcohol abuse goes
unnoticed is that such crimes are classified under petty crime and they largely go
unrecognized or they may get overlooked.
Ok friends, we will move on to the next topic which is ill effects of smoking in our next
lecture.
Stay happy and stay healthy. Bye and thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 37
Ill effects of smoking
Hello friends, in the previous lecture, we discussed certain preventive measures and legal
aspects related to alcohol abuse. In this lecture we will understand the dangerous impacts of
smoking. As you all know, tobacco is one of the most common substances used in India and
is also highly addictive. In India, it is both legally and socially sanctioned and is used in a
variety of ways including smoking, chewing, applying to gums, sucking and gargling. It is
considered as a significant risk factor in many health problems such a lung diseases, cancer
and cardiovascular diseases. In case of smoking, the risk is also high for passive smokers and
it can also cause serious health consequences.
There are nearly 3000 chemicals in tobacco smoke and 4000 in smokeless tobacco.
Now, lets look at this question. Nicotine is responsible for the addiction of
You have four options:
(A) Tobacco
(B) Cannabis
(C) LSD
(D) Smack.
Cigarette smoking is perhaps the most common form of nicotine use in the world and is the
most lethal in the long run. And yes, nicotine is the main active chemical in tobacco that
leads to addiction as it stimulates the pleasure centre of the brain and therefore the user feels
a highly satisfying and rewarding experience which triggers repeated use. So the answer is
option a, tobacco
The Global Adults Tobacco Survey of 2016-17 shows that in India around 42% of men and
14% of women and 28.6% all adults use tobacco which includes both smokeless and smoked
tobacco. When we compare the findings of the survey conducted in 2010 where around 34%
of the adults used tobacco in one form or the other, then, yes we can say that the number has
come down but it is a fact that the problem of smoking is still prevalent in India.
In India, the most commonly used smokeless tobacco product is khaini or tobacco-lime
mixture followed by gutkha and betel quid with tobacco, which is a variant of paan. Well,
bidi is the most commonly used smoking product followed by cigarette and hukkah.
Now, what causes tobacco dependence? As we discussed in the previous lecture on addiction,
there are various factors that causes addiction. There are some biological and environmental
factors which mutually interact together to give rise to addiction. An individual initiates
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smoking due to the factors which include environmental, behavioral, and even personal
factors. Environmental reasons include factors like exposure to the habit of smoking at an
early age, for example, parental smoking which increases the likelihood of the child to start
smoking and smoking by siblings and friends. Even tobacco advertising and promotions also
play an important role in targeting young people with images of celebrities in the
advertisements. Young people from deprived backgrounds where smoking is a norm might
also become smokers.
Moreover, the availability of the product, social sanction and peer pressure are also some of
the major factors which promote initiation and continuation of smoking. Smoking in
adolescents is frequently associated with poor academic performance, bunking class hours,
and addiction towards other substances like alcohol and drug use, behavioral issues along
with low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
Sometimes, stressful living conditions may also lead to high rates of smoking amongst
unemployed, single parents, people who have faced divorce or desertion, homelessness, drug
users and prisoners. Ok so, now let’s look into the impact of smoking. As you all know, use
of tobacco leads to premature deaths. You might have seen a lot of awareness videos
provided by the government of India where they seek to provide awareness regarding cancer,
chronic respiratory diseases and other circulatory diseases. Smoking is recognized to cause
80 per cent or more of all lung cancers. In addition, it also causes cancer of the lip, tongue,
mouth, pharynx and larynx, bladder, pancreas, oesophagus and kidney. Tobacco use, let it be
smoked or smokeless, it causes harm to the soft tissues of the oral cavity. It also causes
discoloration of teeth and lips. Continued tobacco use has an adverse effect on the sexual and
reproductive health of both men and women. Here, you can look at the chemicals which are
present in a cigarette.
Nicotine narrows your veins and arteries which can damage the heart by making it work
faster and harder. Tar is a sticky substance that coats your lungs like soot in a chimney.
Carbon monoxide deprives your heart of oxygen. Ammonia irritates your eyes, nose and
throat. Similarly, there are many cancer causing chemicals in these tobacco products which
makes the abnormal growth of cells in your body. As you all know, it also affects the way
you look. It causes yellow-brown stains on teeth, fingers and tongue. It increases the risk of
tooth loss and bad breath. It also causes premature ageing as your skin becomes saggy and
wrinkles start to appear. Apart from these factors you should also understand that smoking is
expensive and why should you spend money to harm yourself? You know smoking reduces
your life expectancy and the quality of your life and it is upon you to decide what you
choose, would you choose a cigarette upon life? I hope from my heart that you would not
choose any tobacco product upon your life.
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India enacted a comprehensive legislation,
namely the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and
Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003
(COTPA 2003) to discourage the consumption of tobacco products in order to protect the
masses from the health hazards attributable to tobacco use. You must also be aware of e-
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cigarettes which come in many shapes and sizes. They have a battery, a heating element and a
place to hold a liquid. You must understand that these products are banned in India through
the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport,
Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act of 2019. They are not safe for youth,
young adults, pregnant women and people who have not yet used any tobacco products. E-
cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavours, and
other chemicals that help to make the aerosol. Users inhale this aerosol into their lungs.
Bystanders can also breathe this aerosol when the user exhales into the air. These aerosols
also contain very harmful chemicals that can cause cancer, ultrafine particles causing serious
lung issues and heavy metals like nickel, tin and lead. E-cigarettes are known by many
different names.
They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank
systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).” Yes, they also can end our
lives and so as a teacher and as your well-wisher, who is concerned about your, I would
suggest that it’s always better to stay away from them.
Ok friends, we come to the end of this lecture. Before I stop, let try to answer a question.
What are the effects of nicotine on human body? You can see the four options on the screen.
A) Release of adrenaline and hence increased blood pressure and heart beat
(B) Stimulation of nerve impulse and muscle relaxation
(C) Decreased foetal growth
(D) All the above.
If you have listened to my lecture, then I am sure you would have got the answer. Think for a
while and try to answer the question. Yes the correct answer is option d.
So, with this we come to the end of this lecture. In the next lecture, we will discuss
prevention of suicides, which is a very important topic.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 38
Prevention of Suicides
Hello everyone. Today I will be talking on a very important topic which requires a proper
discussion among adolescents. And the topic is prevention of suicides. Now, why do we have
this topic in our syllabus? As I said, it’s a highly relevant issue to be discussed widely among
youth because it is the third leading cause of death among 15-19 year olds, says WHO.
Suicide as you all know is an intentional act of self-killing. Hence, by committing suicide an
individual knowingly and freely brings about his or her death.
Every year close to 8 lakh people die of suicide. According to the World Health Organisation
(WHO), some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress, such as from financial difficulties,
troubles with relationships, or bullying. Depression among teenagers have increased the cases
of suicide among them and incidents such as being unemployed, losing social position,
physical illness and ending of a romantic relationship or close friendship. Depression can
affect anybody including teenagers. It’s a complicated mental disorder which sometimes is
very difficult to identify. In cases of acute depression, an individual experiences loss of
interest, pleasure, feelings of guilt, low self-esteem, difficulty in sleeping and loss of appetite,
low energy, poor concentration etc. Even untreated teen depression can lead to severe
depressive disorders in adulthood. Moreover, adolescents with depression can develop habits
of addiction towards drinks or drugs, computer addiction, unsafe sex, bullying and even self-
mutilation and suicide.
Now, let’s have a question;
There are many factors which can lead to teen suicide. Untreated mental illness which might
include depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are some of the causes of majority of
suicides. There are some other common causes like:
 Lack of parental support and care

 Lack of understanding between parents and children
 Family or personal issues like love failure or break up of very close friendship
 Academic pressure
 Learning disability among some students can also trigger depression and low self-
esteem
 Domestic violence, rape or assault or any other type of abuse
Now, let’s look into the alarming signs of suicide. As I discussed before, there might be
certain symptoms which if observed carefully can be used to alert and inform parents and
teachers. These signs might be behavioural or verbal cues signalling suicidal intentions of an
individual. An adolescent who might be at risk of attempting suicide may be going through
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the feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. If observed carefully, it is definite to find
noticeable change in their weight, personal appearance, appetite, academic performance or
may be in their sleeping pattern.
Sometimes, we can also notice sudden changes in their behavior and they may become
aggressive, disruptive, violent, or hostile toward family and friends. So we must understand
that timely intervention can prevent somebody from committing suicide and along with them
we can save their family and friends from grief.
There are certain alarming signs identified by the American Academy of Paediatrics like
isolation and withdrawal from friends, talking about suicides even jokingly or indirectly,
drawing pictures of death, running away from home, drug or alcohol abuse, bullying behavior
or obsession with violence, feeling worthless, shame, overwhelming with guilt and self-
hatred.
Now, how can we prevent suicide? Well, the most important aspect of suicide prevention is
early detection of depression or distress in individuals. A major role to identify these
symptoms is played by, yes, us the teachers and fellow students along with parents and
family. To achieve this, emphasis should be on the school environment which includes
teachers and students. Hence, schools can arrange supportive sessions or awareness sessions
on depression. Enhancing discussions on positive life experiences can help a students to
develop positive self – esteem which can prevent distress.
We should avoid pressurizing ourselves for better performance. Yes, its true that students are
sometimes pressurized by their parents to attain top position in whatever they do, let it be
academics, sports or any other extracurricular activities. You know as children you should
open up your mind to your parents make them realize the stress imposed upon you. There are
certain life skills workshops arranged by educational institutions, clubs or NGOs. Do take
part in such sessions as they help us to develop essential skills required for efficient social
interactions. As I said before, there is nothing wrong in expressing your emotions to your
parents and friends. Instead, you should encourage yourself and your friends to share your
emotions to parents and other adults. Parents are also humans and they might also be not
aware of what is happening to you since they might be busy in arranging everything for you.
As friends you might also identify certain suicidal behaviors among your friends. So in such
situations you should inform about this to teachers or their parents. Even evidence of
substance abuse and declining interest in school work is something that you can identify in
your friends much faster than teachers and parents, so this should be taken seriously and
informed as early as possible to the concerned authorities. I must also share another important
aspect of preventing suicide. You all should know that your teachers and parents care for you
and when you are in trouble they will be there to help you out. Therefore, on identifying
suicidal tendencies among your friends, never hesitate to alert parents and help them seek
professional guidance from a counselor or psychologist.
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Dear friends, a true friend is not the one who cares his/her friend by helping them to hide
their problems but a true friend is the one who helps them to find solutions to those problems
and also help them to address those problems rather than escaping from it. So, friends it’s my
humble request that speak up and talk to your parents and your loved ones who care for you
and you are sure that they would listen to you until you get tired and stop speaking. We all
love you. It’s just that we don’t get time to show it. I would also suggest you people to read
about the African philosophy called Ubuntu that places emphasis on the belief “I am because
we are”. Our existence becomes meaningful when we experience the presence and happiness
of others around us.
In the next class, we will discuss the importance of sexual health.
Thank you and take care.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 39
Sexual Health
Hello friends, welcome back. Today we are going to explore to importance of sexual health.
You know, Sex and sexual health, these are very sensitive topics. Usually discussions on such
topics are not encouraged in family and also in classrooms as healthy discussions. They are
considered to be taboo and therefore there is limited scope for public discussion and
education on the subject. But there is huge need to impart knowledge related to sexual health
education to both adolescents who will become adults due to the prevailing issues of
widespread exposure and sex related problems.
Sex education is a lifelong process of building a morally acceptable foundation for sexual
health. It can take place on a daily basis at homes, schools, faith-based institutions, through
the media and other forms of daily activities.
It is a process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values. It

encompasses sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection,
intimacy, body image, and gender roles. Now, why is it required to have healthy conversation
on sexual health among adolescents? As you all know, adolescence is a period of transition
between childhood and adulthood characterised by rapid physical, psychological, social and
behavioural transformation. Lot of confusions are generated during this period which can also
create anxiety and fear and in some cases abnormal behaviour. There can be physical
awkwardness.
They might also have lot of doubts and confusions about the changes witnessed by their
body. And as we all know, majority of adolescents are hesitant to share their concerns and
seek answers from caring adults. The stress of menarche every month in girls, problems with
parents, pressure of studies, comparison between brother and sister in terms of freedom given
to former, sexual experimentation, non-availability of right place and people for guidance,
teens pregnancy are few of the examples. Again it is during this period, when they start
extending their relationship with peer group than parents. It is also a period for contracting
much negative behaviour like violence, addiction to alcohol, smoking, substance abuse and
unprotected sex.
Majority of adolescent mortality is caused by accidents, homicide and suicide. The other
causes are related to drug, tobacco, alcohol use, risky sexual behaviours, poor nutrition and
inadequate physical activity. Hence, it is essential to stay well informed or guided to avoid
making decisions that could harm us. So, it is imperative to include topics on sexual health in
our education system to respond meaningfully to the concerns. And it is the responsibility of
educational institutions to arrange awareness sessions or to include topics on sexual health in
their curriculum so that it will be discussed in classrooms. Discussing such topics can surely
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help some by creating self-awareness which aids adolescents to exercise control over their
life. It can even help them to have a rational outlook for decision making.
Now, let’s come to the topic of this lecture – sexual health. Well, the term sexual health is
used to describe the absence of illness and injury associated with sexual behaviour and a
sense of sexual well-being. According to the WHO, Sexual health is “a state of physical,
mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful
approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable
and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.” It forms a vital
part of our emotional, mental and physical mind-set.
The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), 1994 adopted the
Programme of Action (POA) which identified certain specific needs of young people.
Through this it was recommended that young people should be adequately informed about
reproductive health so that they attain the ability to make responsible decisions. As I already
said, teenagers undergo several problems with regard to physical and emotional development,
as they become aware of their sexuality. As a consequence of the social and economic
changes taking place in the country, marriage and formation of family gets delayed.
Therefore, there is a longer interval between the onset of sexual maturity and marriage. This
increases the likelihood of young people involving in premarital sex. And as you all know,
social and economic development coupled with its consequences have undermined the
traditional barriers on premarital sex. Even migration and an increasing exposure to sex and
violence through media tend to influence the young people. This might motivate young
people to adopt unhealthy behavior and causing an advent of HIV/AIDS, premarital
pregnancies, and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Before we move further, let’s have a reflection spot;
Suppose a man hits and beats his wife for not doing something properly, for example; not
taking care of the children, burning food, leaving house without permission, refusing sex or
showing disrespect, so if such situation occurs then who do you think would justify such
incidents and consider it as a right of a man to show violence to his wife?
1. Adolescent boys
2. Adolescent girls
3. Both will agree
This might be a confusing question but yes it would let you know your belief regarding this
problem.
Did you identify the answer? You see according to the world health organization, in many
countries, mostly adolescent girls believe that showing violence towards your female partner
is justified if they have been doing any mistake from the viewpoint of the man. And there are
countries where adolescent girls and boys are more likely to justify violence than adult
women and men. So, the correct answer for the question is option 2 adolescent girls.
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As stated by the World Health Organization, “sexual health is fundamental to the overall
health and well-being of individuals, families and couples and to the social and economic
development of nations and societies”. Well, there are certain factors that shape the ability of
men and women to practice responsible sexual behavior; these include biological factors,
parents and other family members, schools, friends, the community, the media, religion,
healthcare professionals, the law and the availability of reproductive and sexual health
services. In addition to reproduction, human sexuality serves many functions. It is the
physiological response that shapes sexual experience of individuals. There is much that is still
not explored regarding the complex nature of individual capacity for physical sexual
response. The quality of parent-child relationship also plays a significant role in determining
the adolescent sexual behavior and the risk of pregnancy. Warm and close parent-child
relationship and proper parental supervision and monitoring can help adolescents understand
the boundaries which are to be maintained while in a relationship. Schools offer an engaging
environment which discourages risk taking behavior among children. It also provides a
platform for building positive peer association increasing their sense of competence and
healthy communication. There are many studies which illustrate that certain physical
characteristic of communities like economic conditions, ethnic composition, level of social
disorganization and service availability may have an impact on the sexual behavior of their
residents, initiation of sexual activity, contraceptive use and pre-marital pregnancy and risk of
STD infection. Therefore, an adequate understanding on these features along with proper
planning and interventions can promote responsible sexual behavior among community
residents. As we all know, media has the potential for providing sexuality information and
education to the public but various programmes in media rarely depict sexual behavior in the
context of long term relationships, use of contraceptives and critical consequences of sexual
behavior. Religious beliefs and attitudes have an important role in sexual functioning as in
some religions discussions on these topics are considered a taboo. Law regulates sexual
behavior in many ways and it is manifested in the form of criminal, child welfare and civil
laws. The law also regulates a community’s influence over sexuality including the factors like
family, schools and media. For example, in October 2014, the government started the
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) or National Adolescent Health Programme,
which, like adolescent-friendly health clinics (AFHCs) made village health clinics sensitive
to adolescent needs.
So along with sexual and reproductive health, it addressed issues on nutrition, injuries and
violence (including gender based violence), non-communicable diseases, mental health and
substance misuse. Reproductive health services are provided to both men and women by a
wide range of health care service providers like private and public hospitals, primary health
centres etc. but if these services are not available and affordable and provided when needed
then it can affect the sexual and reproductive health of a society.
Now, we know the factors essential for ensuring sexual and reproductive health of a society.
We also need to gain some important information on STDs or sexually transmitted diseases.
So, in the next lecture we will discuss some of the preventive measures and impacts of
sexually transmitted diseases.
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Bye and thank you.
4
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 40
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Prevention and Impact
Hello everyone! Welcome back to the lectures.
Sexually transmitted diseases are commonly known as STDs. As the name clearly suggests,
these are certain types of diseases that are primarily spread through sexual activities. These
diseases are to be taken seriously and managed carefully. In earlier days they were commonly
known as 'Venereal Diseases'. The adjective venereal is derived from 'Venus' the goddess of
love. All venereal diseases (STDs), except congenital syphilis, are transmitted through sexual
intercourse. Because of the social stigma attached to the label VD (Venereal Disease), the
WHO changed its nomenclature to STD in 1974.
You know, STDs are highly communicable diseases and can be very painful. Some of them
can even cause death like HIV/AIDS. The organisms or agents which transmit the infections
are bacteria, virus, fungus and other parasites. Some of the STDs are curable, but some like
HIV, hepatitis B and herpes cannot be cured, but they are preventable. STDs have been
present for centuries though concern towards it started to arise during the beginning of the
twentieth century. WHO has labeled three diseases as the biggest threat to mankind; malaria,
tuberculosis, and STD. An international effort was made in 1924 through the Brussels
Agreement., to control the spread of STDs from one continent to another by providing free
treatment for sailors on ships and ports. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) have a
profound impact on the sexual and reproductive health of people. According to WHO, each
year around 376 million new infections with 1 of 4 STIs like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis
and trichomoniasis are reported around the world.
Well, in case of India these STIs and RTIs (reproductive tract infections) are an important
public health problem. According to a community based STI/RTI prevalence study conducted
in the year 2002-2003 by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) showed that 6% of
the adult population in India has one or more STI/RTI, which means about 30-35 million
episodes of STI/RTI are reported every year in the country. It is also estimated that sex
workers in the Indian metropolitan cities like Kolkata report infection rate of around 59%.
Because of the stigma attached with sexually transmitted infections, people tend to hide such
problems and also avoid gaining information regarding the same. One of the most dangerous
STI transmitted almost always by sexual contact is syphilis. It can pass from mother to her
unborn child and as a result the child might be born with serious mental and physical
problems. One of the most commonly reported STI is gonorrhea. In case of gonorrhea
infection there will be symptoms like inflammation of the urethra and pain while passing
urine. Genital Herpes can be considered as one of the most contagious viral infection as it has
no known cure. Here also, pregnant women can pass the virus to the fetus. Chlamydial
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infection can affect both men and women. It can even cause infertility in women. Again, STIs
like Herpes and syphilis can increase the risk of HIV acquisition.
Before we move further, lets have reflection spot.
What is the name of the medical condition caused by HIV or Human Immunodeficiency
virus?
a) Chlamydia
b) Herpes
c) Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS
d) Gonorrhea
Well, the question is very simple and I am sure that you all might be aware of the medical
condition caused by HIV. HIV is a virus which causes impairment to the immune system of
humans which is the security and the barrier which fights against infections. It weakens the
body’s immune system making it susceptible to numerous infections. Now, one thing we all
must understand and I know that you all might be aware of it. HIV itself does not cause death
whereas it is the opportunistic infections that take advantage of body’s weakened defense that
causes death. Therefore, AIDS is the condition where such infections take hold of the body.
Hence, option c is the right answer.
What makes HIV infection most dangerous is that the person infection with HIV may remain
asymptomatic for several years, until they do not get infected as a result of body’s low
immunity. This condition may develop into AIDS after a number of years. As a result, people
with HIV may not know that they are infected and can pass this infection to others as well.
There are three modes of transmission in case of HIV. Engaging in unprotected sex, i.e not
using condom or other barrier devices can lead to the risk of HIV infection. Then, various
blood exposures also carry high risks of
HIV transmissions like sharing of syringes, needles or injecting equipments. Even other
procedures like tattooing, piercing, shaving, dental care, manicures and pedicures especially
when cuts occur, blood tests, infusions and surgery also contains risks of HIV transmission.
HIV can also be transmitted through body fluids such as semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk etc.
Though HIV is also present in other body fluids like sweat, saliva and tears but they are in
such low quantities that transmission through these routes is impossible. And the last mode
transmission is from an infected mother to the baby during pregnancy or delivery, as well as
through breast feeding. However, HIV is not transmitted through casual contacts like
hugging, sharing food or drinks, dancing or sharing the bed used by an HIV positive person.
Now the severity of these infections is intensified by alcohol and drugs as they can cause
adverse changes in the immune system leading to rapid decline of health in a person who is
already HIV positive. Use of such substances can precipitate risk behavior that might lead to
STI or HIV transmission.
Now you can see a question on your screen.

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What is NACO?
a) National AIDS Coordination Organization

b) National Awareness Committee
c) National AIDS Control Organization
d) National Abuse Control Organization
Well, the right answer for the question is option c, National AIDS Control Organization
which is a division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that provides leadership to
HIV/AIDS control programme in India.
In a report prepared by the National AIDS Control Organization, it was found that
adolescents and youth in the age group of 10-24 are also susceptible to various infections.
The data from Indian studies reveal that adolescents indulge in premarital sex more
frequently and at an early age. They face enhanced vulnerability to unwanted pregnancy and
STI including HIV. And there are many interconnected factors which put them at risk of STI
like poor education, unemployment and poverty. Not just that, even urbanization generates
more opportunity for sexual encounters due to disruptions in family relationships, social
networks and traditional values. Even lack of awareness regarding sexual health and STI
prevention, symptoms and treatment put adolescents at risk of STI.
Some even perceive their risk as low due to familiarity with a sexual partner or simply
because of a strong influence of peers, multiple and concurrent sexual relationship and lack
of access to affordable and effective STI services. Therefore, it is essential to improve
accessibility to preventive and curative services like counseling and information.
Now to prevent STIs, we need proper counseling and behavioral interventions reinforcing
comprehensive sexuality education, STI and HIV pre and posttest counseling, safer sex and
risk reduction counseling, and some of the interventions should be targeted towards key
populations like sex workers, and injecting drug users and adolescents. According to WHO,
barrier methods like male and female condoms, when used correctly and consistently offer
one of the most effective methods of protection against STIs. WHO has also insisted on the
availability, affordability and effectiveness of STI diagnosis and treatment especially in low
and middle income countries where such services largely unavailable. Along with
interventions, proper follow up including vaccines and biomedical interventions are
necessary to ensure proper STI management.
So now we come to the end of this lecture and in the next lecture we will be discussing
another major issue which is pre-marital pregnancy.
Bye and Take care
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 41
Pre-marital pregnancy - Prevention and Impact
Dear friends welcome back to yet another important topic of discussion which is premarital
pregnancy. Through the previous lectures, we have already gathered a lot of information on
sexual health and sexually transmitted infections. In this section we are going to know about
the problems of teenage pregnancy. So, I would like to focus on this issue rather than
focusing on pre-marital pregnancy which has broad implications. But yes adolescent
pregnancies are a global concern occurring in high, low and middle income countries. They
bear social and medical implications relating to maternal and child health. According to
WHO, every year around 21 million girls aged between 15–19 years in developing regions
become pregnant and approximately 12 million of them give birth. In case of developing
countries, at least 777000 births happen to adolescent girls younger than 15 years.
Several studies show that adolescent pregnancies more likely occur in marginalized
communities, commonly driven by poverty, lack of education and employment opportunities.
There are several factors that contribute to adolescent pregnancies and births, like cultural
and societal pressures where girls are married early due to prevailing cultural norms.
Disruption of education is another which as girls with improper education are more likely to
get married and become mothers. There is another serious issue like sexual coercion and rape
which not only causes pregnancy but also leads to severe physical and psychological
impairments. Even socio-economic factors also contribute to this menace as young girls are
often forced into sexual exploitation and prostitution and even marriage due to poverty.
UNICEF clearly mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic can profoundly impact the lives of
girls as pandemic related travel restrictions and physical distancing can make it difficult for
the girls to access health services, social services and community support that can protect
them from child marriage, unwanted pregnancy and gender based violence. Job losses and
economic insecurity can also force families to ease financial burdens by marrying their
daughters.
India accounts for one-third of child marriages globally and the pandemic has also increased
the numbers in some of the states of India. For more information, you can do a search on your
own. Lack of access to information, guidance and services can increase the risk of early
pregnancy and child birth. Busy lives and the stigma associated with these topics prevent
parents or responsible adults to discuss matters on sex and sexual health, which might
motivate an adolescent to gather misinformation from their peers or from other sources like
media. Lack of knowledge regarding the correct use of contraceptive and peer pressure to
engage in sexual activity can also influence the decision towards having sex even without
understating its meaning and the consequences associated with the act. There are studies
which show that lack of friendship based relation between parents and children and exposure
to abuse, violence and strife at home has a significant bearing on early pregnancy and child
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birth. As we all know, adolescent pregnancy and childbirth can have detrimental
socioeconomic and psychological impacts on the mother and her child. Both unplanned and
planned pregnancies have risks and potential problems. There may be health complications
like abortion, anaemia, hypertension and as already discussed STIs and HIV infection owing
to their biological and social vulnerability.
Even preterm birth is common among girls due to the immaturity of reproductive organs.
Poverty also plays an important role in pre-term birth. Infant mortality, malnutrition, and
inadequate childcare and breast feeding practices especially among single and poor young
mothers are also an issue to be addressed. There are certain social complications associated
with teenage pregnancy. As we all know, teen mothers are most likely to be dropped out of
school. Poverty, lack of family support and social exclusions are other consequences. In case
of India, the present socio-cultural system doesn’t support pregnancy outside the marriage as
it bears a terrible stigma and the situations worsens when the girls is not married. In such
situations there are chances that the teenager might suffer emotional crisis, exhaustion and
depression. Now, how can we prevent this issue? Proper education coupled with sex
education is essential to generate awareness regarding our life and health. And discussions on
such topics should start from family. If your parents find it difficult to talk to you about these
issues, then make them realize the importance of such information in your life. You can even
help your younger brothers and sisters by sharing authentic information gained through your
discussions with teachers, parents and mentors. You have to realize and make your parents
understand that an open discussion on sex in a safe, non-judgmental environment will make
you capable of taking educated decisions on sex.
Now let’s have a reflection spot, from the following identify the measures to be adopted for
tackling the issue of teenage pregnancy. The options are:
a) Screening and counseling

b) Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Services
c) Abstinence/ Delaying Sex
d) Contraception
e) Communication
f) Engaging Teenagers in Extracurricular Activities
g) Vocational Training
h) Parental Counseling
Which of these can help us in preventive measures? Screening and counseling students,
regarding the consequences of STIs and HIV is essential. We also need teen friendly sexual
and reproductive health care services. As already discussed, in October 2014, the government
started the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) or National Adolescent Health
Programme, which, like adolescent-friendly health clinics (AFHCs), made village health
clinics sensitive to adolescent needs.
From being limited to sexual and reproductive health, it now provides awareness on ambit
nutrition, injuries and violence (including gender based violence), non-communicable
2
diseases, mental health and substance misuse. The strength of the program is its health
promotion approach. It is a paradigm shift from the existing clinic-based services to
promotion and prevention and reaching adolescents in their own environment, such as in
schools, families and communities. Key drivers of the program include community based
interventions like, outreach by counselors; facility based counseling; Social and Behavior
Change Communication; and strengthening of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics across
levels of care. Abstinence or delaying sex until becoming responsible and building a stable
relationship with a partner is also a way of prevention. Its also important to attain information
on contraception as it helps to avoid STIs and unwanted pregnancies. Communication is also
a critical factor where by you can clear your doubts by asking questions to your teachers,
parents and doctors. Such conversation should ideally begin before a child reaches teenage.
The last solution would be to implement extra-curricular activities for teenagers in order to
keep them occupied, and also to help develop their sense of independence and responsibility.
These activities can be sports or community services. Vocational training can make an
adolescent mother independent and enhance her mobility, autonomy, self-esteem and
decision making abilities. Again as already discussed, parents should have a proactive role in
their children’s life. They should have the adequate skills to guide and understand their
children irrespective of age gap and differences in perception. So if they don’t talk, it your
responsibility to make them comfortable and help them overcome the inhibition. Even
counselors provide ample support for parents to come out of these situations.
So, friends with this we come to the end of the end module 4 and in the next we will start
module 5, which is drug abuse.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 42
Drug Abuse
Hello everyone! In the previous lecture we spoke about sexually transmitted diseases and also
about teenage pregnancy. Today we are going to discuss yet another important topic which is
drug abuse. In very simple terms, we can say that drug abuse or substance abuse is done by
using certain chemicals to create a pleasurable effect on the brain. This has been identified as
a widespread problem among the adolescents, the young adults and others. Now, before we
get into the topic I have a question for you people.
Which among the following defines drug addiction? Now, you might be able to identify
addiction, since we have already discussed this in detail. There are four options on the screen.
a) Spending money on the drug even when you can’t afford it.
b) Using prescription drugs like Valium, without medical consultation, to feel relaxed
c) Intense urges for the drug that predominates any other thought
d) Both option a and c
Now, what do you think is the answer? Try to remember the points we discussed in the
lecture on addiction. Do you remember the characteristics of addiction? The first element is
compulsive use, the second element is loss of control and the third element is continued use
despite physical and mental adversities. Now, which among these options reflect the elements
of addiction? Yes, I am sure you might have got the answer which is option d. Option b is a
clear depiction of drug abuse. Now what is this drug abuse? We need to define it.
Drug abuse can be defined as self-administration of a drug for non-medical reasons, in

quantities and frequencies, which may impair an individual’s ability to function effectively,
in turn, causing social, physical and emotional harm. So, as you can see, it is the use of drugs
with or without medical prescription over a period of time. Such behavior might cause
psychological and physiological dependence of the person towards a drug. Physical
dependence is a condition where the drug abuser’s body becomes so much accustomed to the
chemical that they will be able to function normally only after taking drugs. Psychological
dependence is where the abuser feels intense craving and abnormal obsession for the drug
and its effects.
Now, why do people abuse drugs? There might be many reasons for individuals to abuse
drugs and other substances. Well, whatever may be the reason, we all must understand that
drug abuse is harmful not only for the individual but also for the family, community and
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society. We will be discussing in detail the causes of drug abuse in the coming lecture. Until
then, bye and take care.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 43
Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction
Welcome back my dear friends. In the previous lecture, we have already discussed and
understood the meaning of drug abuse. We also spoke briefly about drug addiction. So, in this
lecture we are going to differentiate between drug abuse and drug addiction. As already
discussed, drug abuse is the wrong way of using any drug, like using increased amount of
drug than what was prescribed by the doctor. It might also include using illegal drugs and
using prescribed medicines in a wrong way. Sometimes, people might mix these prescription
drugs with other substances to enhance their effect. They also use it recreationally to
experience a pleasurable feeling. Then, it forms substance abuse. As we all know, drug abuse
can harm our physical and mental well-being. It also increases the risk of drug overdose, a
critical condition where your body cannot process the quantity of the drug intake. It is
dangerous and sometimes, fatal.
Now, drug abuse may not always lead to addiction as people might continue using a drug
wrongly for a prolonged period without getting addicted to it. But with highly addictive drug,
drug abuse can lead to addiction quickly. So, drug addiction is the use of drugs for a
sufficient period and sufficient dosage such that the individual’s body develops physiological
and psychological dependence upon the chemical.
Or we can say the body develops tolerance and dependence upon the chemical.
Now, these two terms tolerance and dependence have been already discussed before. So here
comes a reflection spot. Identify the correct statement. You can see the question on the
screen.
Statement 1 - Tolerance is a condition where the body requires drug to function.
Statement 2 – Tolerance is a serious condition where the body requires drugs in ever
increasing amount.
Options
a) Both Statement 1 & 2 is false
b) Both Statement 1 & 2 is true
c) Only Statement 1 is true
d) Only Statement 2 is true
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Well, did you identify the correct answer? Let’s hope you have, as we have already discussed
this. Tolerance is a pathological condition where the body is in need of a drug in ever
increasing amount to achieve the same psychological effect. So, option d is the right answer.
Moving on, dependence is the requirement for a drug by the body to function. When the use
of such a drug is discontinued or stopped, then the person faces withdrawal symptoms like
shivering, anger, pain and insomnia etc. When an individual reaches a state of mind where
they experience intense craving and obsession towards a drug to the extent that they find it
difficult to engage in normal activities without using it, we can say that it is psychological
dependence. In this condition, the drug becomes so much central to an individual’s thoughts
and emotions that they can’t stop thinking about it.
I hope now, the meaning of drug abuse and drug addiction has become clear to you people. In
the next lecture, we discuss the details of commonly abused drugs.
Until then, bye and take care.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 44
Abuse of different Types of Drugs
Hello everyone! In the previous lecture we understood the difference between drug abuse and
drug addiction. Now, in this lecture we will discuss some of the commonly abused drugs.
Drugs can be classified based on their effect and based on their origin. Now, based on their
effect on the central nervous system, drugs can be divided into four categories which are:
1. Narcotic analgesics
2. Stimulants
3. Depressants
4. Hallucinogens
Narcotic analgesics are basically prescribed as pain killers but they have highly addictive
nature which might lead to craving, causing intense physical and mental dependence,
producing a euphoric sense of well-being. They are primarily opium derivatives or synthetic
substitutes that produce the same effect of opium consumption.
Stimulants also produce a feeling of well-being and euphoria but along with it, they are used
to increase alertness, awareness and excitement. Hence, they are commonly called as
“uppers”. Drugs belonging to the groups of amphetamines like methedrine, Benzedrine etc.,
cocaine, tobacco and caffeine also fall into this category of drugs. They primarily lead to
psychic dependence.
Now, depressants, on the other hand, slow down the activity of the brain or we can say, they
depress the function of the nervous system. They induce calmness or sleep. And they are
commonly used for treating mental illness. Ethanol which includes toddy, beer, whisky,
brandy, rum etc. is the best example of depressants. We have other examples like sedatives
which include barbiturates, nebutal and mandrax. Low doses of barbiturates might produce a
feeling of drowsiness and well-being where as high doses can be lethal.
We have another category, which are hallucinogens. If consumed, these drugs cause dramatic
effect on our perception, emotions and mental processes. The effect from these drugs is
frequently referred to as “tripping”. As the name suggests, they induce a sense of illusion and
distortion in the hearing and visual perception of an individual. These drugs are often called
“psychedelic drugs”. They cause one to see and hear things in a highly detailed but different
way. Intense emotions can be experienced, sensations can be intensified, and lack of
awareness of time, place and identity can occur. In extreme cases, it causes hypersensitivity,
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violence, and schizophrenic situations. We have many examples of these drugs like cannabis,
marijuana, ganja, hashish, charas, bhang, and LSD etc.
Now, we have another category of drugs that are known as inhalants. These are substances
which are inhaled to produce a feeling of euphoria, calmness and well-being. Certain
substances like paint thinner, nail polish, gasoline, glue and lighter fluids are used for such
applications. Their fumes are inhaled. As I said, the effects are similar to those of alcohol
intoxication.
Before we move further, I have a question for you. LSD belongs to which category of drugs?
a) Stimulants
b) Depressants
c) Hallucinogens
d) Inhalants
Well, the answer is very easy to identify. LSD or Lysergic acid diethylamide has many street
names like Mellow Yellow, Purple dragon etc. LSD is an illegal drug and is an extremely
potent hallucinogen. It is so potent that its doses tend to be in the microgram range. So, the
right answer for the question is option c, hallucinogens.
As I said before, we can also classify drugs based on their origin as natural, semi-synthetic,
synthetic and designer drugs. Natural drugs are found naturally and no chemical processes are
required for their creation, like cannabis, opium etc. Semi synthetic drugs are produced in
laboratories by combing them with other chemicals. Examples are; heroin, alcohol etc. We
have synthetic drugs which are produced in laboratories using non-organic materials.
Methadone, barbiturates etc. fall into this category. As the name suggests, designer drugs are
synthetic drugs which are produced illegally. They are basically produced to transform the
chemical composition of an illegal drug to create another drug with similar effects and which
is not listed in the category of forbidden substances. Examples include LSD, Ecstasy etc.
With this, we come to the end of this lecture. In the next lecture, we will discuss some of the
causes of drug abuse.
Thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 45
Causes of Drug Abuse
Hello everyone. In the previous lecture we discussed some of the commonly abused drugs.
Now, in this lecture, we will understand the causes of drug abuse. Why do people abuse
drugs?
People might have many reasons for using drugs. People may start using it for one reason and
may continue its use for some other reasons which can include psychological or physical
dependence towards the drug. Well, it is difficult to identify the exact reasons for initiating
drug abuse but we will look into some of the commonly known causes of drug abuse.
An individual, especially a teenager would be interested in experiencing something that is

considered forbidden or something that is discussed a lot. Well, it’s a basic human instinct
called as curiosity. Young people get tempted to use and experiment with drugs. This
curiosity might be triggered through exposure may be from media or from friends. Here, the
first taste or the effect of the drug on the user definitely decides its continuation.
Along with curiosity comes another factor which is ignorance. Suppose we are both curious
to know the effect of the drug and ignorant about its harmful impacts, then the chances of
continuing the habit of using drugs are more. Not just that, even ignorance can expose
someone towards drugs. Usually, individuals start using drugs as an experiment without
comprehending it’s harmful effects and if the drug provides the effect sought by the
individual, then their lack of knowledge about its consequences can cause continued use. By
the time the implications of using drugs are realized, it might have become too late to stop it.
As already discussed, another prominent cause of drug abuse is peer pressure. All of us, let it
be young or old are concerned about what our friends think about us? And these thoughts can
influence our decisions and our actions. Adolescents find it difficult to manage situations of
peer pressure and hence, they can easily be pushed towards a risky behavior and also towards
an encouraging behavior.
Alienation is another factor which can also cause drug abuse. You know, the feeling of being
alienated occurs when someone feels drifted away from their family, community or society
due to various reasons. As human beings we need a feeling of belongingness and when such
people are welcomed by groups who already abuse drugs, then, there are chances that the
person will accept the invitation. Such situations can become disastrous not just for the
individual but also for the society as a whole.
As you all know, our society is changing rapidly. Some people may find it very difficult to
comprehend the changes and also to adapt to these transformations. A sudden shift from a
comfortable environment can cause confusion and stress among individuals leading to
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situations where they either accept the new practices or they refuse it. For example, young
people coming from rural villages to cities might initially find it difficult to understand the
changes and accept as well as adapt to the changing circumstances. This is one of the reasons
why many young people from villages become addicts as such sudden shifts cause enigma
which seems difficult to be resolved making them to take refuge in drugs. With no friends or
family to support and guide them, they feel lonely and isolated. There are also chances that
they might fall into anti-social groups and involve in deviant activities. Hence, rapid
urbanization and unemployment can be also named as the causes of drug abuse, especially
among the impoverished and marginalized sections of our society.
Other cause which I would like to highlight over here is the availability and previous drug use
experience which promotes and motivates a vulnerable person to fall into the trap of drug
abuse.
Before I leave, there is a question for you people. Among the following, identify the signs
which are not relevant to drug abuse.
a) Impaired speech and motor coordination
b) Changes in appetite or sleep patterns
c) Sudden weight loss or weight gain
d) Discoloration of nails
e) Bloodshot eyes or pupils that are larger or smaller than usual
What do you think might be the answer? Well, options a, b, c and e are clear depictions of
drug abuse whereas option d which is discoloration of nails can be caused by other factors
like stained nails identify a smoker, blue nails show oxygen deprivation and sometimes
discoloration of nails also connote vitamin deficiency. So, the right answer for the questions
is option d, discoloration of nails.
In the next lecture, we will understand the impact of drug abuse.
Until then, bye and take care.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 46
Impact of Drug Abuse
Hello friends! Welcome back to the lectures on ethics and values. In the previous lecture we
had a detailed discussion on the causes of drug abuse and in this lecture we will discuss the
impact of drug abuse.
Actually, continued abuse of drugs can have many implications. They can have short term
and long term effects. Short term effects produce changes in appetite, insomnia, increased
heart rate, impaired cognitive skills, and loss of coordination. These changes can also affect
an individual’s personal life by slowly making them an addict. As a result, the individual will
find it difficult to cease the use of the substance, there can be relationship problems, poor
academic or work performance, indulging in risky behavior, avoiding social activities and
preferring isolation and company of those who use drugs.
Now, if drug abuse is continued for a long period, then they can cause serious health issues.
They have the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems, kidney
damage, cancer various psychological disorders like anxiety, depression, panic attacks,
paranoia and hallucinations. And as already said, drug overdose can sometimes cause death.
After reaching such a stage of depressions, it becomes difficult to return to a sober life style.
In some cases, the abuser might become irresponsible and impulsive causing serious physical
and mental injury to self and to others. Such vulnerable people create social problems and at
extreme situations involve in criminal activities, like drug dealing, robbery, male and female
prostitution. As already said, they become frequently involved in familial, financial,
occupational and legal problems. Again, I don’t have to tell you, how much our one mistake
can harm our family and people who love us. The interpersonal relationships in the
community deteriorate and family status decreases. Now, if a community consists of people
with such deviances then it will certainly affect the social relationships of that community
and also people’s perception towards that community. Such cases can cause increased rates of
social problems like homicides, theft, unemployment, violence and increased incidences of
anti-social activities.
Now, let’s have a reflection spot. The question is on your screen.
Which among the following can be considered as a short effect of drug abuse?
a) Panic attacks
b) Depression
c) Changes in appetite
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d) Unemployment
Well, the question is very easy. If you have any doubt, just listen to my lecture again. I hope
you got the right answer which is option c, changes in appetite. The rest of the options show
long term effect caused by continuous use of drugs for a long period.
My dear friends! If you have any such habits, now is your chance, it’s better to cure it early
than reaching a stage where there won’t be any possibility of turning back, even if you wish
to. So, think wisely before you take any decision because we live our lives only ones and
sometimes a simple yes or no might decide the rest of your future. And one more thing, the
movies we watch might glorify the use of such substances but again these movies have a
predetermined script, a target group, an objective and a commercial motive. They will show
using such substances as a symbol of heroism but remember there are no retakes in our lives.
So, live happily, live wisely.
In the coming lecture we will understand some of the measures to prevent drug abuse. Thank
you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 47
Prevention of Drug Abuse
Hello everyone. In the previous lecture we understood some of the effects of drug abuse. In
the present lecture, we will look into some of the measures to be undertaken to prevent drug
abuse.
As you might have already understood, multidimensional interventions are required to

address problems like drug abuse. As we all know, any intervention measure would require
support from the drug abuser and in cases of such people, early intervention with personal
counseling is essential. We can also prevent such issues by adopting primary preventive
measures like protecting the host, early identification, ensuring proper psychological well-
being of children, proper communication between parents and children, channelizing one’s
energy into constructive work, dissemination of information on the harmful effects of drug
abuse, inclusion of drug dependence education in school curriculum and proper nutrition etc.
Unfortunately, if one is found abusing drugs then we need to adopt secondary level of
intervention which includes appropriate counselling and motivation, family and community
support, availability of well-equipped and staffed treatment centers, follow-up and
rehabilitation, mental and moral support for seeking alternative job or continuing education.
Certain specific strategies like organizing self-help groups, mobilizing community support
for yoga and other physical activities etc.
In India, we have the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 (NDPS Act)
which sets out the statutory framework for drug law enforcement. This Act consolidates
certain principal Acts, like the Opium Act 1857, the Opium Act 1878 and the Dangerous
Drugs Act, 1930. This act also incorporates provisions that are meant to implement India's
obligations under various International Conventions.
I would also like to mention some of the key findings from the report prepared by the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India in the year 2019. It laid
down certain eye opening findings based on a National survey commissioned to understand
the extent and pattern of substance use in India. The report establishes that substantial amount
of people in India use psychoactive substances like alcohol, cannabis and opioids. Alcohol is
the most commonly used psychoactive substance, that is, about 14.6% of the population of
people between 10 and 75 years of age use alcohol. Use of alcohol is extensive among men
(27.3%) as compared to women (1.6%). For every one woman who consumes alcohol, there
are 17 alcohol using men. Among alcohol users, country liquor or ‘desi sharab’ (about 30%)
and spirits or Indian Made Foreign Liquor (about 30%) are the predominantly consumed
beverages. States with the highest prevalence of alcohol use are
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Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa. After alcohol comes cannabis
usage and the report clearly states that about 2.8% of the population i.e. 3.1 crore individuals
have used cannabis product within the previous year. States with the highest prevalence of
cannabis use were Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and Delhi. Bhang is the legal
form of cannabis and charas as well as ganja are the illegal forms of cannabis.
It was also found in the report that about 2.1% of the country’s population i.e. 2.26 crore
individuals use opioids which includes Opium or its variants, Heroin or its impure form
which is smack or brown sugar and a variety of pharmaceutical opioids. The most commonly
used opioid product is Heroin. Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram
have the highest prevalence of opioid use.
This survey also indicated that a sizeable number of individuals use Sedatives and Inhalants
also. About 1.08% of 10-75 year old Indians that is, approximately 1.18 crore people are
using sedatives for non-medical and non-prescription purposes. States with the highest
prevalence of current sedative use are Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. However,
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are the top states which
have the largest populations of people using sedatives. When it comes to inhalants, it was
found that its use was highly prevalent among children and adolescents than adults.
Before, we end this lecture lets have a reflection spot.
Among the following substances, which is the most commonly used psychoactive substance
in India?
a) Charas
b) Opioid
c) Heroin
d) Alcohol
I hope you got the right answer. Well, alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive
substance followed by cannabis and opioids. So, the right answer is option d, alcohol.
Friends, with this we come to the end of Module 5. In the next module we will discuss some
of the topics which are essential to ensure professional and personal ethics like honesty,
plagiarism, malpractices in examination and stealing.
Till then, bye and thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 48
Defining Professional and Personal Ethics
Welcome back my dear friends. Today we are going to begin module 6, Personal and
professional ethics. In this module we have some engaging topics to discuss like honesty,
stealing and malpractices in examination and plagiarism.
First of all, we need to understand the meaning of professional and personal ethics.
Professional ethics can be defined as ethics that a person must adhere to in respect of their
interactions and business dealings as part of their professional life whereas personal ethics
denotes ethics that an individual identifies in respect to the situations they deal with in
everyday life.
Professional ethics are basically the guidelines and the rules imposed on an employee in a
company or on a professional as a member of that profession. Example: there are certain
codes of ethics to be followed by doctors, engineers, lawyers etc. They are learned through
our participation in a professional setting or when we are trained or educated to become a part
of an organization or a profession. Examples of professional ethics include: time
management, punctuality, transparency, confidentiality etc. You know these set of ethics can
provide guidelines and also satisfy our needs. We might even face consequences for not
following these professional ethics like, it can lead to termination of job or cause harm to our
professional reputation.
Personal ethics, on the other hand, basically consists of individual values and moral qualities.
They are incorporated through primary socialization or through our interactions and
experiences within our family, friends and immediate surroundings since our childhood. We
have examples like honesty, care, sincerity and integrity etc. By adhering to these set of
values we can satisfy our personal needs and if we don’t follow them then it can hurt us as
well as others.
Here, I would also like to explain the meaning of ethical dilemma and conflict of interest.
First, let’s look into the meaning of ethical dilemma. Ethical dilemma or ethical paradox or
moral dilemma is a complicated decision making situation between two possible options,
neither of which can be accepted completely from an ethical perspective. As individuals we
do face difficult situations in our lives but such dilemmas are complicated challenges that
cannot be solved easily and it does not offer a prompt solution that would comply with ethical
standards. We have examples like taking credit for others work, producing defective products
for customers for our own profit etc. To solve such problems we need to carefully analyze
them and try to identify and choose an alternative which reflects greater good or something
which is lesser evil. Even in some cases, the problems can have alternative options also.
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Now, I spoke about another term i.e. conflict of interest. We can say that a conflict of interest
occurs when an entity or an individual becomes unreliable because of a clash between
personal interests and professional duties or responsibilities. Such a conflict occurs when a
company or a person does something for a vested interest such as money, status, knowledge,
relationships, or reputation which puts their into question whether their actions, judgment,
and/or decision-making can be unbiased. When such a situation arises, the party is usually
asked to remove themselves, and it is often a legal mandate. Conflict of interest often has
legal consequences. We have examples like nepotism and self-dealing, where someone acts
in their own benefits rather than the interest of their organization. It can be observed in public
as well as in private sector. Conflict of interest can take place both personally and
professionally. As certain forms of conflict of interest are illegal, hence, government norms
have been put in place to limit such issues.
Now, before we end this lecture, let’s have a reflection spot. Read the case and identify the
ethical issue. An MP asked in the parliament whether the government had any plans to reduce
the excise duty imposed upon RO purifiers. She was the brand ambassador of a water purifier
at that time.
Now, what is the ethical problem highlighted through this case. Is it conflict of interest or is it
ethical dilemma? What do you think is the answer? Well, as you can see, this is a clear
depiction of conflict of interest as the person is showcasing a biased opinion towards a
particular product due to their association with a brand.
Ok friends, we come to the end of this lecture. In the next lecture, we understand the meaning
of honesty and integrity.
Thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 49
Honesty and Integrity
Welcome back my dear friends. In the previous lecture we defined personal and professional
ethics and we also understood the meaning of ethical dilemma and conflict of interest. In this
lecture we will discuss the importance of two essential values – honesty and integrity. Now
you might be thinking, what are we supposed to learn on honesty and integrity? Is that even a
topic to learn? Do you think anybody can teach you how to be honest and how to have
integrity? You know it’s a very difficult question. To be honest or not to be honest, to have
integrity or not to have integrity is our moral choice.
But there remains a question. Is it wrong to be dishonest? Is it wrong to not have integrity?
Well, I leave these questions for you to answer with one condition, please be honest and have
integrity while answering. Now, lets begin our discussion. First of all honesty and integrity
they look similar. If they are similar then why are they two different words? So, definitely
there might be some difference in some specific contexts.
Let’s look at a case. Imagine a cricket match between two teams. It’s not a match between
two nations or two clubs. Let’s take it as a match being played at a local level. This match is
very important for them because whoever wins the match will get an opportunity to play at an
international game. So, there is a very strong competition between the two teams. The batting
team requires only two points to win the match. It’s the final ball of the game. The bowler
delivered the ball and the batsman played it into the gap and started running. The bowler out
of excitement, looking at the ball, unknowingly moved into the running path of the batsman.
Even though the batsman tried to change his path but eventually they collided heavily. The
batsman got injured. Still, out of compassion and knowing the gravity of the situation, he
somehow finished the first run and started limping back to finish the second run. In the
meantime, the baller reached the other end of the pitch and collected the ball from the
outfield. With the ball in his hands, he saw the injured batsman putting in all the efforts to
reach the crease. The batsman a couple of meters away was limping towards the crease. What
are the possible outcomes of the situation? What is going through the mind of the bowler who
saw the batsman putting all his efforts and struggling to reach the crease? The bowler knows
that the batsman got injured because of him. Now, here, either the bowler can look at this as a
game where the ultimate objective of each team is to win the game and keeping other
thoughts apart he can run the batsman out and avoid his team from losing the game or he can
think over other perspective where it was his carelessness that might deny a much deserved
victory for the opponent team and thus he should refrain from running the batsman out. The
collision that happened in the middle of the pitch can be seen as a grave error from the side of
the bowler. Now what is the difference in both these perspectives? Can you spot the
difference? The first perspective demonstrates honesty and the other is the perfect example of
integrity.
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For better understanding, I will give you one more case. A classic example of understanding
the concept of integrity is an event associated with the legendary wicket keeper and batsman
Adam Gilchrist of Australian cricket team. The scenario was the 2003 world cup semifinal. It
was the match between Australia and Srilanka. While the score was at 34 for 0, Aravinda Di
Silva bowled a spinning delivery to Adam Gilchrist which appeared to miss his swinging bat
and went on to hit his pad and went high up in the air. After catching the ball, Srilankan
players appealed for his wicket. The umpire Rudy Koertzen was very sure that the ball had
missed the bat of Gilchrist and out rightly denied the appeal. However, Adam Gilchrist knew
that his bat has taken a slight edge on the ball and he is in fact, out. While the Srilankan
players were upset at the denied appeal, well, on the other side, to the amazement of everyone
on the ground, Gilchrist silently started walked back towards the dressing room without
making any comments to anyone. Now, what virtue was displayed at this occasion, knowing
the gravity of the match and the importance of the player who was the then attacking opening
batsman of his team? - This, my dear students is integrity and it requires a lot of courage to
take a stand at such crucial situations.
So honesty or imandaari is nothing but the virtue which resonates truthfulness or straight
forwardness of the conduct. Honesty is moral choice and it definitely creates credibility and
builds trust. It enhances leadership quality and it is expected that a leader should be honest,
sincere and committed to the task assigned to them. It improves work culture and such virtues
percolate down to other members as well. Integrity is also a value. Integrity can be called as
satyanishtha and it is this nishtha or commitment or adherence which brings out the
difference between integrity and honesty.
The root word of integrity is integration and it is the combination of two factors which are
values and conduct. Basic idea behind integrity is doing the right thing when no one is
watching you.
Every value has two reference points which are institutional/organizational reference and
individual reference. If we say that an individual should have integrity and honesty, we can
also say that an institution, let it be a government body, office, an NGO or an educational
institution, should also have these values. So, the term probity or the virtue probity is
generally used within the contexts of organizations and institutions. It has basic relevance in
organizational context. For example when we say that a system follows honesty and integrity,
then we can say that they are the systems of probity. It is also associated with the work
culture values like transparency, well defined by laws and an understanding that non corrupt
practices are taking place. It is also used in the individual context but it is mostly confined to
the organizational perspective. While understanding the term probity in an individual context
or while making an individual reference to the term, it would suggest that the person has
proved the quality of probity. In case of individuals, probity has to be proved. The root word
of probity is to prove. For example, when we say that he/she is a person with probity, it
means that it has been proved by the person. We can also say that the person has probity but
lacks overall integrity when the person demonstrates professional integrity but lacks personal
adherence to integrity. For example, suppose an individual working as an engineer in the
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public sector has an opportunity to be bribed but the engineer denies any corruptive activity
and makes sure that his colleagues are also not involved in it. Now, what if the same engineer
is eagerly waiting to obtain dowry on his son’s marriage? See, as you can see, the engineer
can make lakhs of rupees through corruptive activities but he has denied making a single
rupee out of corruption. Now, in his personal life, he seeks to make maximum profit from his
own reputation and status by demanding dowry for his son. So, we can say that he has
professional integrity but in personal, he is not adhering to that same philosophy.
So, I think with these examples you people might have understood the meaning of honesty
and integrity along with another virtue probity. In the next lecture, we will seek to understand
another interesting ethical issue which is stealing.
Until then, bye and thank you
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 50
Stealing
Hello friends. Welcome back to the lectures on ethics and values. We have already discussed
the meaning of honesty and integrity in the previous lecture. In this lecture, we will be
dealing with an ethical issue i.e. stealing. Now, how do we define stealing? It is important to
clearly explain what constitutes stealing? You might think, it’s fairly a simple task, what is
there to define in stealing? Ok, let’s say that stealing is just taking someone’s property
without their consent. Sometimes, stealing a small thing that we like seems quite harmless,
especially when the other person is not going to find out. In children, what we call stealing
does not begin the way it appears later. Lets look at an example,
Suppose Ram's mother has made a lot of sweets at home. Ram is 2 1/2 years old and likes
eating sweets. His mother leaves them in the kitchen to cool down and tells him not to eat the
sweets as they are hot, until she is back. While she goes away to bath, Ram cannot wait for
the sweets to cool. He goes to the kitchen, picks up a warm sweet and starts eating it.
Strictly speaking we can say that Ram stole the sweet since he did not take his mother's
permission to eat it. But do you think his mother would call it stealing? When she comes out
of her bath, and finds Ram finishing the last crumb of the sweet, his face all smeared with
crumbs. She might burst into a peal of laughter and say; "I should have known better and
given you a hot sweet before going for a bath. She does not scold him nor does she call him a
thief. After all, Ram did not mean to steal; he just wanted to enjoy it as he could not control
his craving.
Now, is it possible to steal something, if the owner has given you the permission to do so?
This might look like a counterexample but consider someone who is drugged and gives you
the consent to take a valuable item from their home. You see, you have their explicit
permission but again acting on their instruction to steal a valuable item might seem to be an
act of theft as the owner is not in their senses while giving the instructions. Now lets look at
another scenario. Suppose you have been asked to play a game for real money, you know that
you are good at the game but you hide this fact from others. You play the game and win the
money. Now, can we say that you have stolen their money even though they invited you to
play the game? Again, I am giving you another example, suppose you are paid by the hour
and you are given a job, instead of finishing the job fast, you spend time on social media, talk
to your friends over phone to simply delay the work and spend more time to get more money.
Now, how do we look at it? Can we say that you have stolen money from the employer or the
time? Similarly I could give number of examples for you to think about the situations where
we cannot define what is right or wrong. Again, as individuals we cannot universalize our
individual understanding on what can be considered as right and wrong.
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For better understanding the ethical problem with stealing, I would like to mention certain
key ideas from Kantian philosophy. Immanuel Kant born in 1724, was a central
enlightenment thinker, famous for revolutionizing the way we think about every aspect of the
world like science, art, ethics, religion etc. Kant’s main works in ethics are his Metaphysics
of Morals (1797) and the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785). Kant sought to
establish the supreme principle of morality as he argued that we should not give practical
solutions or advices to others about particular situations rather the answers should be
obtained through rational reflections. He believed in the notion of duty and argued that
people adhere to their duties despite conflicting interests due to good will. The good will
unlike anything else is good unconditionally and what makes a good will good is the willing
alone.
Kant believed that the acts of lying, cheating and stealing have something in common, they
all involve treating someone as a mere means to an end. Now, this is a central notion in
Kantian ethics on stealing. So, he argues that whenever we want to steal or cheat or wish to
do something that is forbidden, we should ask ourselves whether it would involve someone as
a mere means to an end. For example, you could ask your friend directly to help you with
your assignment and now if your friend agrees and helps you then according to Kantian
philosophy, it’s the proper thing to do. Suppose you trick your friend and in the name of
helping you make your friend do the work and submit it for you, then I believe your friend
only has an instrumental value.
Now, this is one dimension of looking at stealing. We have another perspective known as
Aristotelian virtue ethics which does not focus on the moral status of individual actions rather
it is interested in the character traits and the dispositions of the person performing the action.
So, virtue ethicists believe that those who engage in the act of stealing on the basis of
righteousness, courage and for the goodwill of others can be considered as moral whereas
those who indulge in such activities motivated by rashness, irascibility and shamefulness
cannot be considered moral. So, if we analyse from this perspective, we can say that the
fictional character Robin Hood is a virtuous person as he stole only from the riches to help
the poor.
Again, I would like to mention that even these virtues might clash as an act of help by
stealing can be both brave and rash. Then is it virtuous? So my advice for you people from
my experience would be to look for answers within and yes, I do believe that its not kind to
consider someone, let it be your friend, family or a stranger as only a means to an end.
Now, lets have a reflection spot. Well, stealing can also be caused as an impulsive disorder
that leads to an irresistible urge to steal. What is the name of that disorder?
a) Kleptomania
b) Xenomania
c) Pharmacomania
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d) Zoomania
Well, what do you think is the tight answer? Well, xenomania defines an inordinate
attachment towards anything that’s foreign like customs, traditions, manners etc.
Pharmacomania is the unconditional desire to take or administer drugs. Zoomania is an
excessive devotion to animals. Therefore, the right answer for the question is option
Kleptomania. The cause of kleptomania remains unknown but risk factors include a family
history of kleptomania or other impulse control disorders. Kleptomania is a serious disorder
that causes an irresistible urge to steal items that aren't required and are usually of little value.
Consequences can include job loss, financial penalties and trouble with the police. No cure
exists, but treatment with talk therapy and medication such as antidepressants may help end
the cycle of compulsive stealing.
Ok friends, with this we come to the end of this lecture. Well, in the next lecture, we will
look into the problem of malpractices in examination. Now, isn’t it a very interesting topic?
See you in the next lecture. Until then, bye and thank you.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 51
Examination Malpractice
Hello friends. Welcome back to the lectures. We were discussing about the issue of stealing
in the previous lecture and now, we are going to discuss another interesting problem which is
examination malpractice. Somewhere, while writing examination we might have experienced
the temptation to copy or to do any form of malpractice. Some of you might have already
experienced the temptation and indulged into such malpractices but I am sure there would be
people who surpassed this temptation and refrained from doing any form of examination
malpractice.
Examination malpractice is defined as any deliberate act of wrong doing, contrary to the rules
of examinations designed to give a candidate an undue advantage. Examination malpractice
also known as cheating is the illegal action that students take during their examinations to try
to get good grades by cutting corners. Examination malpractice can also be defined as an act
or irregular manner of testing candidates which disobeys the rules and conventions guiding
the conduct of examinations. Examination malpractice has done a lot of harm to students
since many of them have neglected their books and instead of using their productive time in
studies, they would sometimes indulge in the preparations for the successful conduct of the
malpractice, with the hope of performing the magic they are used to in every examination.
It is any illegal act committed by a student single handedly or in collaboration with others
like fellow students, parents, teachers, supervisors, invigilators, or anybody before, during or
after examination in order to obtain undeserved marks or grades.
Some of the forms of examination malpractice include:
Leakage: This means that the content of examination or part of it is disclosed prior to taking
the examination. Usually it involves one or more people like the staff members of the
examination authorities, proof readers, and messengers.
Impersonation: An individual who is not registered as a candidate for a particular

examination takes the place of one that is registered. Usually this involves collusion between
the chief examiner and the examination supervisor.
Smuggling of Foreign Materials: This is perhaps the most common form of malpractice. It
relates to the introduction of unauthorized materials like parts or whole note books, text
books into the examination hall. These materials are frequently smuggled in pants, shoes,
hems or deposited or fixed in the hall prior to the examination or even smuggled in by the
candidates or their aids during the examination.
Copying: Copying from another candidate’s work with or without permission.
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Collusion: Unauthorized passing of information between candidates usually by exchanging
notes or scripts. This is usually facilitated by inadequate spacing between desks and lazed
supervision.
Makers Malpractice: this involves a deliberate alteration of marks designed to inflate or

deflate a candidate’s original mark. This can be initiated by examination officials or
candidates.
Then we have other severe forms of examination malpractice like the allotment of
examination centre, appointment of invigilating staff, bribing/influencing/terrorizing
examination staff, invigilators and paper setters or examiners, possessing cheating material
which can be written, printed or an electronic device or copying from such material. Even
giving or receiving assistance to copy in an examination centre is also malpractice. I must
also mention that disclosing one’s identity in answer books, if they are not told to, can also be
considered as a malpractice.
Now what causes malpractice in examinations? Well, the reasons can be many.
It can start with a wrong value system which gives priority to certification instead of
knowledge and skills. Laziness, lack of preparation or in-adequate preparation for
examination, lack of self-confidence, poor school facilities like unavailability of an adequate
examination hall and poor sitting arrangement, socio-economic factors, privatization and
commercialization of education, poor invigilation, weak parental function and peer pressure
are some of the reasons which motivate someone to indulge in such unethical activities.
Laziness or lack of preparation can be induced due to the disinterest towards the subject or
may be due to improper study habits or a disciplined life style, which is usually expected
from students. We have socio-economic factors like societal expectations, parental pressure,
increasing competition due to privatization and commercialization; poor financial conditions
and need to get employed for aiding financial circumstances can also act as contributing
factors.
Now, lets look at the consequences of examination malpractice.
The consequences of examination malpractice both to education and the society will be
catastrophic in the long run for candidates and students who instead of working hard to pass
examination would depend on such malpractices. This will affect the quality of candidate
obtained after conducting an examination as they might qualify the examination without
genuinely testing their knowledge and expertise.
Examination malpractice increases lack of confidence among students. Students who would
have ordinarily passed an examination feel disappointed and lose confidence when less
intelligent ones perform better than them through cheating, thus leading to loss of confidence
in themselves and in the examination and the system at large. This will in turn discourage
good candidates from studying hard and also deny opportunities of admission for deserving
candidates. It can even delay the process of examination, if any such cases of malpractice are
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reported. So, just imagine how it would feel if after studying for a long time and after writing
examination with all effort, you come to know that the results have been cancelled due to
malpractice and then, you have reappear for the test. You know, it delays the entire process
and causes waste of time and energy. This can cause dissatisfaction in a deserving candidate
and also, affect job efficiency if non-deserving candidates get the job.
Just imagine, what if the doctor that you visit has got the job only through malpractice?
What would be condition of the patients? Suppose a candidate became an engineer by bribing
the examination board, and by spending a lot of money. So, after getting a job their first
intention would be only to attain all that money spent through corruptive activities.
What would be quality of the buildings they construct? So, please realize that anyone who
engages in examinations malpractice is building on a false foundation which can lead to
serious professional errors.
Now, let’s have a reflection spot. From the following options, identify the impact of
examination malpractice.
a) Poor sitting arrangement
b) Privatization
c) Loss of self confidence
d) Peer pressure
If you have any doubt, listen to my lecture again. I hope you have got the right answer which
is option c, loss of self-confidence. Yes, low self-confidence also provokes students to
indulge in examination malpractice but the question was to identify from the options given
and the rest of the options clearly depict the causes of examination malpractice.
So, my dear friends! if you can’t face a test all by yourself, then, the test is not yours to take. I
hope you have clearly understood the meaning of my words.
Thank you and bye.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 52
Plagiarism
Hello friends. Welcome back to the lecture. We spoke of academic malpractice in the
previous lecture and now, we are going to discuss another form of stealing which is prevalent
in the academic sphere. Not just academics, it can also be found in other spheres like movies,
music, songs, photographs and even ideas. And it is called as plagiarism.
Yes, it is a form of academic dishonesty or a serious act of academic misconduct. It is the act
of stealing someone else's work and attempting to "pass it off" as your own.
As students we all might have done this in one form or other like while submitting a paper or
a dissertation thesis which is to be graded or reviewed that you have not written on your own.
Copying answers or text from another classmate and submitting it as your own. Quoting or
paraphrasing from another paper without crediting the original author. Also citing data
without giving credits to the original source from where it is taken. Proposing and claiming
another author’s or researcher’s ideas as if it’s your own. Fabricating references or using
incorrect references. Submitting someone else’s presentations, programs, spreadsheets, or
other files with only minor alterations. Even buying or selling term papers /assignments/
Dissertations / Thesis, also shows plagiarism.
Now, as students you must be aware of some of the common types of plagiarism. The first
one is direct plagiarism or word-for-word transcription of a section of someone else’s work,
without attribution and without quotation marks. Then we have self-plagiarism, where an
individual submits his or her own previous work, or mixes parts of previous works, without
permission and submits them. Another form of plagiarism is mosaic plagiarism, which occurs
when an individual borrows phrases from a source without using quotation marks or finds
synonyms for the author’s language while retaining the structure and the meaning of the
original work. The last one is accidental plagiarism and it is the most commonly found
amongst students as they ignore and neglect to cite their sources, or misquote their sources, or
unintentionally paraphrase a source by using similar words, groups of words, and sentence
structure without attributing credits to the original author. This happens due to their ignorance
and unawareness regarding the seriousness of the issue and the relevance of developing the
habit of referencing.
Now, why do students plagiarize? There can be many reasons like academic pressure to
perform well, disorganization and poor study habits. Yes, of course, the prevalent cut and
paste culture as the information is now at the tip of your fingers. Another reason identified is
the use of English as a language of conveying instructions whereby some students find it very
difficult to understand and reproduce academic tasks. As I already said, even lack of
understating the seriousness of plagiarism and strict institutional norms of plagiarism is also a
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contributing factor. Then, we have other factors like careless attitude and lack of referencing
skills.
Before moving further, let’s try to answer this question which is now on your screen.
Identify the type of plagiarism. Suppose, you want to take a sentence from an author’s work.
You know that copying the entire sentence could cause plagiarism. So, now, instead of
quoting the author, you find a synonym of a word and reproduce the same sentence just by
replacing the original word used by the author with the synonym. What form of plagiarism is
this?
a) Accidental plagiarism
b) Mosaic plagiarism
c) Self-plagiarism
d) Direct plagiarism
Well, I hope you have identified the correct answer. If you have any doubt, listen to my
lecture again. The above case is a clear depiction of mosaic plagiarism which occurs when an
individual borrows phrases from a source without using quotation marks or finds synonyms
for the author’s language while retaining the structure and the meaning of the original work
and hence, the right answer is option b.
So, we spoke about the causes and the types of plagiarism. Now, we will look into the
strategies to avoid plagiarism.
First of all, understand that you must provide a reference when you include information from
let it be any source like the books, journal articles, newspaper articles, essays, reports,
projects, reviews, interviews, videos, emails and so on.
Also, while you are at university, you are expected to develop your own ideas and opinions
about different issues, which you can then document and reinforce and support with the
findings, analysis and research of other scholars.
There are certain ways incorporate others work in our assignments like: paraphrasing their
information and providing a reference by which you can restate the entire context presented
by the author in your own words. Next, we have summarizing or synthesizing the information
provided by others and the citing their reference. By summarizing, you can include certain
essential points from the work done by others. Then we have another method, whereby we
quote directly their words and provide a reference, and another important measure is to
provide the source of any tables, graphs, diagrams which you use in your work or
presentations.
Another important thing is that you can’t simply give references. You need to follow a format
or a reference style. There are various styles of referencing in use. It's very important to learn
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their rules, especially as different courses may require different referencing styles, like APA
(American Psychological Association), Harvard, Endnote, MLA (Modern Language
Association) etc.
So, before I end this lecture, I would like to state that learn to develop your own ideas.
Initially, it will not be easy. You might take a lot of time to construct a proper sentence or a
proper idea but eventually you would and when you do it at least ones, then my dear students
you will realize that sometimes your words, your ideas are much better than what’s already
done.
All the best, and thank you.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 53
Abuse of Technologies
Hello friends. In the previous lecture we discussed the issues related to plagiarism and
completed module 6. Now, we are beginning module 7 with the topic abuse of technologies.
Can you imagine a world without internet? In this era of postmodern societies, every
individual is interconnected through a network of information and communication
technologies. These technologies have become one of the most important factors of
socialization for young people and adolescents. As we all know, technology can be used for
educational purposes and also to connect with our family and friends and also for
entertainment purposes. But they can also be misused and abused. Abuse of technologies has
become a serious concern throughout the world.
Now, how do we abuse technologies? According to Beard and Wolf, abuse of technology is
the use of the internet that creates psychological, social, school or work difficulties in a
person’s life”. The problem of technology abusers is that they don’t realize the time spent
online. They mostly are engaged in online activities and avoid any face to face contact with
friends and family. Such abuse of technology can cause physical and psychological problems
to an individual. One of the first symptoms of this problem commonly observed among such
people is the feeling of anxiety, anger and outbursts when network is weak or is lost. Even
problematic use of technologies like internet addiction, mobile addiction or compulsive use
of these technologies can also be called as abuse of technologies. There are many research
works which state that adolescents are more likely to become addicted to these technologies
as they tend to use them more frequently than adults.
Now, you all must be having a mobile phone of your own, well this was not the situation
some 20 or 30 years before. As an adolescent, some 20 years before I could not even imagine
to own a mobile phone or a laptop. Now, every household might be having at least a basic
smart phone. During this pandemic period, mobile phones and laptops with internet
connection has become an inevitable component for ensuring unabated flow of information.
In this module we will be discussing some topics like cybercrime, gaming, mobile and
internet addiction also.
Now, let’s have a reflection spot. The question is on the screen.
Among the following, identify abuse of technology.
a) Extensive use of social networking sites
b) Gaming addiction
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c) Sending abusive texts and messages using social media
d) All of the above
Take some time and try to answer the question. Did you get the right answer? You see, as I
have already stated any activity which leads to abuse of technology, let it be technology
facilitated abuse like hacking, cyber harassment etc., can be called as abuse of technology.
So, option d is the right answer.
Ok friends, in the next lecture we will understand the meaning of cybercrime and the types of
cybercrime.
Until then, thank you and take care.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 54
Cyber-crimes
Welcome back to the lectures on ethics and values. We were discussing abuse of technology
and in this lecture we will understand the meaning and the common types of cybercrime.
Cybercrime is a generic term which tends to cover all sorts of civil and criminal wrongs
related to a computer. We can also say that all crimes resorted by abuse of electronic media
with the intention of influencing the functioning of a computer or computer system can be
called as cybercrime. So, it is essential that a cybercrime involves a computer and a network
where the computer may or may not play an instrumental part in the commission of the
crime. These are the high tech variations of the conventional crimes. Here, the perpetrator
would tamper the transmission of data for some sort of illegal or unethical purposes. Even
criminal exploitation of internet or net crime can also be seen as a type of cybercrime. With
the advancement of technology and the inclusion of computer and internet in every field of
life, let it be banking, telecommunication, travel, medicine or education, there is an increase
in the rate of commission of such crimes. Issues surrounding this type of crime have become
high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement, child
pornography and child grooming etc.
Based on the data from National Cybercrime reporting portal under the Ministry of Home
Affairs, it was found that a total of over 3.17 lakh cybercrimes and 5,771 FIRs were
registered online through the centralized portal from August 30, 2019 till March 01, 2021 and
maximum number of cases was reported from Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Now, these crimes can sustain beyond any geographical boundaries. On the global scale we
have issues like cyber terrorism and cyber warfare emerging as a serious threat to the
security, privacy and safety of nations. Such crimes engage activities like espionage, financial
and data theft and cross border crimes etc. A cyber-attack can potentially disable the
economy of a city, state or an entire country.
Computer crimes encompass a broad range of illegal activities and broadly they can be
divided into three categories which are:
 Crimes that target computer networks or devices directly

 Computer as incidental to crime
 Computer as a tool in the execution of the crime
Now let’s discuss each of these categories. The first category deals with offences that target a
computer network or a devise directly. Well, such crimes involve trespassing or unauthorized
access to a computer network or data in a computer and the common victims of such crimes
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are military and intelligence computer systems, commercial, industrial or trading companies,
research, development or scientific organizations etc. Examples of such crimes are sabotage
of computer systems, operating systems, theft of data and information, unlawful and
unauthorized access to government data and records. As you all know, we have certain other
forms of threat like VIRUS (Vital Information Resource under Siege), Trojan horses, spam,
hacking, spoofing, logic bombs and worms etc.
Before we move further, let’s try to answer a question. Identify the correct option.
Statement 1 - The speed of transmission for virus is slower than worms
Statement 2 - Virus corrupts or erases a file or a program and worms can halt the system
completely
a) Statement 1 is false.
b) Statement 2 is only true
c) Both statements are false
d) Both statements are true.
You must be aware of such threats like virus and worms, for which we take extra care by
installing antivirus and firewalls in our systems. Virus or Vital Information Resource under
Siege is computer program, which when executed replicates itself affecting the functioning of
the computer. On the other hand, worms can spread from one computer to another without
any human interaction. They can halt the system completely. Their speed of transmission is
faster than virus. So, option d is the right answer.
Now, let’s move on to the next category where a computer is used to facilitate the
commission of the crime such as processing of data, e-mailing, electronic trading and
electronic money transfer etc. a lot of people including educated and well placed individuals
get cheated by illegal online lotteries which again is an example of misusing online
platforms.
In the third category of computer crimes, a computer or an online platform is used as a tool
for committing an offence. We have examples like computers being used for pornography,
gambling, stealing money by hacking and illegal money transfer etc. Some of the crimes
include deceitful use of Debit/Credit cards, online bank accounts, electronic fund transfer,
online stock transfers telecommunication frauds etc. Even cyber stalking, cyber bullying and
cyber harassment fall into this category of computer crimes, where an individual faces
derogatory comments may be due to their online post, gender, religion, nationality etc.
We must also be aware of some of the types of cybercrimes like phishing, cyber terrorism,
hacking, online drug trafficking etc.
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Phishing is the process by which someone can acquire the personal and sensitive information
of another individual by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. In
such cases, an individual’s personal information like their bank account number, login id, and
password is obtained by creating a false website of an organization. It is a form of identity
theft. The purpose behind such criminal activities is to misuse the information gathered. Now,
if a telephone is used as a medium for identity theft, it is known as Vishing or voice phishing.
Another form of phishing is Smishing, in which SMS is used to lure the customers of an
organization.
The next type which we must understand is cyber – terrorism. As the name suggests, it is the
use of online platforms or computer resources to intimidate civilian population or to coerce a
government or any sections of our society or may be an organization to obtain some political
or social objectives by launching a computer based attack against networks and computer
systems. This has become a growing concern among the federal agents and the security
officials of our nation to stop such organized intrusions made by terrorist groups or foreign
intelligence services.
Now, hacking is a practice of altering computer hardware and software to achieve a goal that
is outside the creator’s original purpose. There are various reasons behind hacking like it
might be for demonstrating someone’s technical skill, or may be to steal certain confidential
information, or may be to modify and destroy some information for social, political, security
and economic reasons. As we all know, corporates hire hackers, some government bodies
hire hackers may be to seek certain crucial data or to fix security vulnerabilities of a computer
network. The hackers may be broadly classified into four categories: white hat, black hat,
grey hat and blue hat.
White hat hackers are the people who hack the system to find the security vulnerabilities of a
system and to notify the organizations. In this way, a preventive action can be taken to protect
the system from outside hackers. These people may be paid employees of an organization to
find the security loop-holes, or they may also be freelancers who just want to prove their
capability in this field. They are popularly known as ethical hackers.
In contrast to the white hat hackers, the black hats, hack the system with ill intentions. They
might have certain illicit intentions for which they identify the security loopholes of the
system and keep the information to themselves or exploit the system for personal or
organizational benefits. They are known as unethical hackers or crackers.
Grey hat hackers find out the security vulnerabilities and report to the site administrators and
offer the fix of the security bug for a consultancy fee whereas a blue hat hacker is someone
working outside computer security consulting firms who is hired to bug-test a system prior to
its launch, looking for exploits so that they can be closed.
Now, before we discuss any further, let’s have reflection spot. You have to match the
following examples with the type of cybercrime.
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a) Cyber stalking
b) Spamming
c) Data theft
1. Crimes that target computer networks or devices directly
2. Computer as a tool in the execution of the crime
3. Computer as incidental to crime
Well, did you get the correct match. If you have any doubt, you can listen to my lecture again
or just try to remember. Cyber stalking can be matched with option 2. Spamming can be
matched with option 2 and data theft can be matched with option 1. I hope you got the right
answer. Now, lest move on.
So, we discussed about hacking and now we are moving forward with another type of cyber-
crime that is, online drug trafficking. You might be aware that drug trafficking is happening
over the internet also. Well, it is the fastest medium through which information can be passed
and gathered. Drug traffickers are misusing this platform to sell their illegal substances and
make drug deals through encrypted or password protected mails. A recent study on the global
Internet-facilitated illicit drug trade identified the presence of online vendors of drugs over
the darknet where more than 1,000 drug listings were published from India across 50 online
crypto-market platforms. Moreover, in the year 2017, authorities in India dismantled two
illicit pharmacies selling psychotropic drugs over the Internet and arresting 15 people in the
process. It was further identified in the study that non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs,
containing controlled substances, continues to be prevalent in virtually all South Asian
countries.
Well, the seriousness of the issue of drug abuse which is prevalent in India is something we
have already discussed in module 5. It is actually upon us to ensure our safety and security
while using computers. So, we need to take certain precautions which are extensively
discussed by various government bodies. In the next lecture, we will look into some of the
impacts of cybercrime.
Bye and thank you.
4
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 55
Impact of Cyber-crimes
Hello everyone! Welcome back. I hope that you have understood the meaning of cybercrime
and its type from the previous lecture. So, in this lecture we will look into some of the
impacts caused by cybercrime. How do you think a cybercrime can affect us?
You see, the consequences of cyber-crime on adolescents are manifold. It can have a
physical, emotional, economic and psychological implication that not only impact the
academic performance of a student but also affect their daily life. Based on a study published
in the Indian journal of Law and Human behavior, it was identified that the major cause of
increasing crime rates among youth is the greed towards making “easy money”. Moreover,
the study also mentioned other factors like unemployment, peer pressure, attention seeking
behavior which motivates youth to commit atrocious crimes.
As an impact of cyber bullying, one can face increase of stress and anger. It can even cause
depression due to the fear of talking about the problem to anyone. The victim might become
isolated and frustrated and start hurting themselves. This feeling of embarrassment and
humiliation can have a negative impact on their academic performance which further affects
their self-esteem and confidence. In some of the extreme cases, the victims might also
attempt suicide.
I don’t know whether you have heard the term cyber grooming? Well, cyber grooming is also
growing as one of the major cyber threats faced by children and adolescents. The perpetrators
of this crime are called cyber groomers. They create a fake account on gaming websites, chat
rooms, social media, instant messaging etc. and pretend to be a child or someone having an
interest in the child. They slowly build an emotional bond with the child through social media
or other messaging platform with an objective to attain their trust to exploit them. Cyber
groomers mostly target teenagers and adolescents as they face immense biological,
emotional, personal and social changes. Now, every teenager has a smart phone with them.
These criminals utilize the curious and impulsive nature of adolescents, making them
vulnerable to cyber grooming. The devastating effects of online grooming can have long term
impacts and sometimes haunt the victim even in their adulthood.
We all know, as soon as a smart phone reaches our hand, a never ending world of online
content gets opened before us. As teenagers we will be excited and curious to explore
anything that comes to our attention. One such platform is the world of online gaming. More
and more young people are gaming online and I am sure the numbers are going to increase in
the coming future. And whenever a platform has online users in abundance, the
cybercriminals seek opportunities to victimize them. There are chances that you might face
bullying from aggressive players who are playing online. They might deliberately harass you
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and use inappropriate language which might provoke you to spend more money to move from
one level of gaming to the next level. There are chances that someone might help you out by
giving you tips about the games and share points and as a result, use this opportunity to run a
scam against you to gather your personal information. Sometimes you might end up
downloading viruses and malwares while installing free online games which in turn harms
your laptops, smart phones or other gaming devices. As I already said, in some of the online
games, you are asked to share your credit card details for improving your performance or for
some extra advantage. Well, criminals can use this platform to capture your credit card
information and misuse it. And yes there have been cases, where due to addiction and
ignorance, people start spending money for advantages in online games.
Now, before we end this lecture. I have a question for you. What is name of the online
platform created by the Ministry of Home affairs, Government of India to address the menace
of cybercrime?
a) National Cybercrime reporting portal
b) National portal
c) National cyber volunteer programme
d) National cyber cell portal
Just think for a while and try to answer the question. Well, the right answer for the question is
option a National Cybercrime Reporting Portal about which we will be discussing in the next
lecture which is on the prevention of cybercrime.
Until then, thank you and do take care of your mobile phones and laptops.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 56
Prevention of Cyber-crimes
Welcome back my dear friends. We were discussing cybercrime. In the previous lecture, we
have covered the impacts of cybercrime and in this we will understand some of the
preventive measures to be undertaken.
First of all, you need to secure your online presence as you secure yourself. You need to
ensure right settings on your social media accounts, to avoid any unwanted downloading and
viewing of your personal photos and videos, by other than your friends, without your
knowledge. I would recommend that before joining any social media platform, you need to
read their guideline, especially those related to security. It’s true that we can’t read the entire
terms and conditions but at least familiarize yourself with some of the essential features like
how to block someone who makes you uncomfortable and how to remove someone from the
friends list. So, ensure right privacy settings and content sharing filters. And be selective
about accepting friend request of strangers on social media. And remember to logout from
your social media accounts after use. Secure your laptops and phones with passwords which
should not be shared with others apart from your family members, because they won’t
attempt to hack you or bully you online.
Another very important thing which I want to say is that be aware and alert of your presence
in online video calls and chats. You never know, sometimes the other person might record the
content. There have been instances where conversations which are meant to be private in
nature get shared online through social media groups and websites. Do not accept video chat
and call request from strangers.
Now, apart from calling someone, people use smartphones for taking high clarity pictures and
videos and we sometimes forget that these videos and pictures that we click might be saved in
cloud storage. All the smart phones have this feature. So make sure you delete your images
from your device while repairing, servicing or selling phones and also ensure that you do a
factory reset, which erases all the data on your device.
Now, before we move further, lets answer a question. What would you do when you identify
that you have become a victim of cybercrime?
a) Be quiet about it
b) Talk to friends
c) Talk to parents
d) Ignore or avoid the problem
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Well, this is a question which reflects your reaction and you must be genuine while
answering it. If you remain quiet and suffer alone, or if you avoid or ignore the problem, then
there are chances that the situation might become severe and go out of your hand. By doing
this you are also creating a congenial environment for the abuser or the criminal to spread the
menace. Talking to friends also won’t help you so; the right option is option c, to talk to your
parents and let them guide you.
Now, let’s move on with our discussion.
Protect yourself from cyber stalking and cyber bullying as well as online grooming. When
you observe that someone is constantly trying to contact you online despite your clear
indication of disinterest, then I suggest you people to inform this first to your parents and file
an online complaint on the National Cybercrime reporting portal. Well, by doing this you
might be saving several youngsters from becoming a victim. So refrain from sharing your
location details online and also your personal information like phone number, email id,
address and photographs to strangers. Do consult your family, teachers and trustworthy
friends, if you think you are a victim of cybercrime.
Be aware of fake social media accounts and websites. I have already spoken about this while
discussing the problem of phishing. I would also say that do not use your friend’s mobile
phone, public computer, cyber café or free Wi-Fi while doing online transactions or for
sensitive browsing as there are chances that the data may get stolen.
If anybody shares any content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse or sexually
explicit material such as rape/gang rape with you, then it is your duty as a responsible citizen
to inform the concerned person that sharing such content is illegal. You can even report it on
National cybercrime reporting portal.
One of the best ways to keep attackers away from your computer is to apply patches and
other software fixes when they become available. By regularly updating your computer, you
block attackers from being able to take advantage of software flaws or vulnerabilities that
they could otherwise use to break into your system.
In order to curb the menace caused by the cybercriminals, the government has enacted the
Information Technology Act, 2000 whose prime objective is to create an enabling
environment for effective use of the internet along with reporting the cybercrime in India.
The IT Act is a comprehensive law that deals with technology with respect to e-governance,
e-commerce, and e-banking. The cyber law also lays down penalties and cybercrime
punishment in India.
As I mentioned in the previous sections, we also have National Cybercrime reporting portal
under the Ministry of Home affairs to register cases. You should also be aware of yet another
initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs known as the cybercrime volunteers. Indian Cyber
Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has been established under Ministry of Home affairs
(MHA) to act as a nodal point at National level in the fight against cybercrime. It aims to
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provide a platform to deal with cybercrimes in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.
One of the important objectives of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre is to create
an ecosystem that brings together academia, industry, public and government in prevention,
detection, investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes. Well, this programme was initiated
to bring together citizens with passion to serve the nation on a single platform and contribute
in fight against cybercrime in the country.
I hope that you would take part in this noble initiative, by becoming cyber volunteers. You
know, this is platform where you can showcase your expertise, solve problems, gather
information and generate awareness.
As individuals, we should learn to use technology wisely and not let these technologies use
us.
So, friends, I hope you would remember my word. In the next lecture, we will understand
another form of addiction which doesn’t involve substances but are caused by obsessive
behaviors.
Bye and thank you.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 57
Behavioural Addiction
Hello everyone. In the previous lectures, we have discussed a lot about cybercrime, its impact
and preventive measures. Now we are going to look into another set of problems called
behavioral addiction.
As the name clearly suggests, behavioral addiction is the inability to resist an impulse, drive
or temptation to perform an act which is harmful to the person or to others. Well, the
characteristics are similar to the characteristics of substance addiction, with one most
important difference – in substance dependence, you are addicted to an addictive substance
but here you are obsessed with an act.
Now, you have a question on the screen. Which among the following is an example of
behavioral addiction?
a) Smoking
b) Alcoholism
c) Gaming addiction
d) Drug addiction
I am sure you would have found the answer which is option c gaming addiction where
someone gets addicted to the act of playing online games. Options a, b and d are examples of
substance addiction. We will be discussing addiction to online games in the coming lectures.
Now, moving on.
In case of behavioral addictions also, one gets fixated and preoccupied with the thoughts of
performing that particular activity which slowly deteriorates the quality of social life for the
person. This activity takes over that person’s feelings and causes mood modifications. It
starts to provide comfort, pleasure and relaxation. The person starts to develop tolerance
towards the activity and sometimes increases its frequency or spends more time in doing the
particular activity to achieve the same effect. The individual also experiences withdrawal
symptoms subsequent to discontinuation. Such behaviors eventually lead to interpersonal
conflict and conflict with other activities like job, social life, hobbies and interests, or
emotional issues due to the inability to stop the behavior despite adverse consequences. If not
addressed properly, then there is every chance for the habit to revert after a period of
complete abstinence.
Therefore, the salient features of behavioral addiction can be described using 4Cs.
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Craving, Control, Compulsion and Consequences which may include depression, academic
and professional underperformance, lack of social activities, isolation and psychological
distress due to excessive engagement in the particular activity.
As I already said, there are similarities between substance dependence and behavioral
addiction as shown in the table on the screen.
The symptoms common to behavior addictions include compulsive need to act out the
behavior, frequent mood swings, experiencing a feeling of euphoria from the activity,
obsession and fixation towards the activity and preoccupied with the thought of planning the
behavior ahead, such that it takes precedence over work, health and family.
Different types of behavioral addictions include gambling, internet addiction, cellphone

addiction, eating addiction, shopping addiction, exercise addiction, sex addiction, work
addiction, etc.
As you all know, the present lifestyle has made us dependent on mobile phones. From
morning alarm to watching news, interacting with friends and even our work and study is
performed using this device. But when do we understand that we have become addicted to it?
You will get the answer in the next lecture.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 58
Addiction to Mobile Phone
Welcome back friends. In the previous lecture, we have discussed the meaning of behavioral
addiction. Now we are going to understand, what constitutes mobile addiction or cell phone
addiction.
Mobile or cell phone addiction is not yet recognized as a formal disorder by behavioral
scientists but as we all know, excessive usage of mobile phones can be associated with a loss
of sense of time or a lack of interest in other activities. A person addicted with cell phone
may show symptoms like sudden anger, tension, and irritation and in some extreme cases the
person faces depression when the mobile phone is not working or when the network is
inaccessible. In such form of addiction, tolerance to the use of the device is manifested when
the user demands new and latest mobile phones with varied applications and more hours of
use.
Cell phone addiction can have both physical and psychological consequences. Excessive use
of cell phone results in fatigue, eye strain, blurred vision, neck problems. As you all know,
texting and driving is also dangerous as drinking and driving. Multitasking and the tendency
to answer calls and using phones while driving can be lethal not only for the driver and the
passengers but also for the people on the road.
Cell phone addiction has been linked to sleep disorders as well. Studies have also shown that
using mobile phone prior to bedtime might increase the chances of insomnia. It can also lead
to compulsive obsessive disorder. We all know that the first thing many people do after
waking up is to check their mobile notifications and some people watch videos till late night
before going to sleep. When we hear the notification sound, some people find it difficult to
control the impulse to check the message in their phones. These habits can have negative
repercussions which include lying, creating unnecessary arguments especially with family
members, poor performance in academics and at workplace, social isolation, impaired
physical activity and fatigue.
Does all this sound familiar to you? Then please reflect upon your habits of using mobile
phone.
Therefore, some of the important characteristics of cellphone addiction include excessive use
which is manifested in the gradual increase in use to obtain the same level of satisfaction and
also to frequently replace the old mobiles with new and more sophisticated models. Some
people also showcase the tendency of spending more money to replace the old devices and
create problems especially with parents. Excessive use of mobile phone can interfere in your
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academic performance and cause emotional alterations when the phone use is discontinued or
there is impeded network coverage.
Now, before we end this lecture, lets try to answer a question which is on your screen.
Which is the term that defines the fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity?
a) Claustrophobia
b) Brontophobia
c) Nomophobia
d) Acrophobia
Well, did you get the right answer? Do you find it difficult to put your smartphone
somewhere without using it or do you feel anxious and angry when you don’t get network
coverage? Do you fear losing your mobile phone and get distressed just by imagining it loss?
If so, then it’s possible that you have this modern phobia caused by increased dependence on
technology and the concern over what would you do if you don’t get access to required
information. This fear is called nomophobia or no mobile phobia. So, the right answer is
option c. There are certain emotional and physical symptoms of nomophobia like stress,
anxiety, irritation when you can’t check your phone and some people would also experience
rapid heartbeat, tightness in the chest, dizziness and disorientation etc. while they lose their
mobile phones or mobile phone connectivity. Now, for your information, claustrophobia is
the fear of closed spaces, Brontophobia is the fear of thunder and Acrophobia is the fear of
heights.
As I already said, you should be the master of your device and don’t let these devices control
you. In the next lecture, we will discuss the characteristics of addiction to video games. Bye
and thank you.
2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 59
Addiction to Video Games
Welcome back my dear friends. In the previous lecture we discussed the characteristics of
mobile phone addiction and we also came across the term nomophobia. In today’s lecture, we
will look into some of the issues related to online gaming addiction.
As I have already discussed in the previous lectures, internet has become an essential element
of our daily life. Especially, during the pandemic period, everybody is using internet to make
contact with their friends, family, also to do a job, to ensure education and dissemination of
information etc. It does have its benefits but it also carries a danger along with it. Internet
opens wide world of opportunities for us which if used properly can provide benefits or even
entertain us but excessive and obsessive utilization of these facilities can have dangerous
impacts as well.
In the year 2018, the WHO, classified “gaming disorders” under the category of disorders due
to addictive behaviours in its diagnostic manual on International Classification of Diseases.
The World Health Organization defines gaming addiction as a pattern of persistent or
recurrent gaming behavior which may be online or even offline. The gaming addiction is
manifested as an impaired control over gaming i.e. its intensity, frequency and duration
gradually grows, then, the user progressively starts to give priority to gaming which takes
precedence over other life activities and the continuation of gaming, despite negative
consequences.
There are basically two major types of video games and hence, we can have two types of
video game addictions. We have standard video games which is usually designed for a single
player and involve a clear goal or mission. Well, the addiction to such games is often related
to the obsession of finishing the task or beating a high score or completing the mission. Now,
there is this other type of video game which involves the participation of multiple players at
the same time. These games are highly addictive because of the element of competition and
sometimes the competitor might use aggressive comments, which further motivates
adolescents to continue the game. Gamers addicted to such video games enjoy creating and
temporarily assuming an online character. Such games can create an opportunity for cyber
groomers.
Now, what causes addiction to video games? There are many reasons and one of the first
reason is that they are designed to make people addicted. The challenges and new hurdles
introduced in games motivate young people to continue playing the game and the reward
obtained after every stage and challenge, triggers the pleasure centers of brain and acts as an
element causing addiction. There are many studies which say that the spiral of challenges and
achievements along with rewards and the gradual enjoyment of the virtual world where
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someone feels free from societal responsibilities, expectations and control from family can be
a contributing factor. This might seem tempting for some and they seek out an adventure
without realizing its consequences.
 Here are some of the symptoms of gaming addiction:

 Thinking about gaming all or a lot of the time
 Feeling stressed when you can’t play
 Increase in the time spent for playing to feel happy
 Finding difficulty in quitting or playing less
 Withdrawing from other common activities
 Having problems at work, school, or home because of gaming
 Continuing online gaming despite problems
 Lying to people close to you about how much spent on playing
 Using gaming to ease bad moods and feelings
Are you experiencing these signs, then, I would suggest you to reflect on what you are
undergoing and decide what to do next.
Adolescents and not just adolescents, even adults love to play online. People might begin and
just attempt playing online for curiosity and excitement. I would also like to mention that not
everyone who likes to play online gets addicted to gaming. WHO says that to diagnose
gaming disorder, it is required that the behaviour pattern must be of adequate severity to
result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other
important areas of functioning. It should normally be evident for at least 12 months. As I
already said, gaming disorder affects only a very small number of people who continuously
engage in video gaming activities. However, people who involve in online gaming should be
alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when they play while
avoiding their daily activities. They should also be aware regarding any changes in their
physical and psychological health that could be attributed to their pattern of gaming
behaviour.
Now, let’s have a reflection spot. What would you do if you realize that you are addicted to
an online game?
a) Ignore the thought and continue playing the game
b) Become aware of the problem and start measures to stop
c) Talk to your parents and seek professional help
d) Talk to your friends
I definitely hope that you will be genuine in answering the question. There can be more
options than the ones I have specified but as a teacher, I would suggest you people to first
talk to your parents and seek professional help because we might think that we can solve the
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problem alone but addictions mostly show the tendency of recurrence. So, I would suggest
you people to go for option c.
Now, how can we prevent this problem? First of all, we need to set time limits and stick to
them. Also, make sure that you don’t keep your mobile phone in bedroom or where you sleep
so that you can avoid the temptation to play or use whenever you see it. Another very
important problem with online gaming is the sedentary lifestyle which gets gradually
developed among young people causing obesity in some. So, we should make sure that we
walk and remain active to avoid such diversions.
There are studies that even show that some children who are exposed to violent online games
exhibit anger and aggression more than those who did not play. There are also studies which
state that most adolescents who are addicted to computer games have high heart beat and
blood pressure due to too much excitement and stress. You might have heard of instances
caused by deadly online games like Blue Whale and Free Fire, when children sometimes
were found engaging in self-harm and in some extreme cases even suicide. In certain cases,
even the children were found of playing for more than 20 hours, they stop eating and talking
to their family members and always demand of getting a new sophisticated mobile phone for
better gaming experience.
Well, the intention of this course is for you people to reflect on your actions. So, if you are
facing any such condition, then, please find help and take steps to stop it. I repeat what I said
before, we should not let technology control us and not let it make us its slave. Spend more
time with your family members, and do understand that no technology can be a substitute for
the care, joy and love we get from our family and friends.
In the next lecture, we will be discussing another form of behavioral addiction which is
addiction to social networking sites.
Bye and thank you.
3
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 60
Addiction to Social Networking Sites
Hello friends. Welcome back. In the previous lecture we had a detailed discussion on
addiction to online gaming and in this lecture we will understand the issues of addiction to
social networking sites.
Online social networking sites gained importance with more and more individuals connecting
others via social networking sites. People use social networking sites to connect to their
friends and also to explore people with similar interests. Hence, it may develop the need to be
online and in some cases resulting in symptoms and implications which were traditionally
associated with substance addiction. As you all know, they can have a major influence on
adolescents. These networks can create vast opportunities and similarly, cause severe harm to
those who get fixated with it and use it beyond a certain limit.
The history of social networking sites dates back to 1997, when the first social networking
site six degrees emerged. In the year 2004, Facebook was launched as an online community
for Harvard students and as we all know, since then it has become the world’s most popular
social networking site. Over the past few years, new networks have emerged like Instagram,
Snapchat, Whatsapp etc. that have gradually risen in popularity particularly amongst
youngsters. As you all know, social networking activities comprise a wide variety of usage
motivations and requirements, which range from casual friendly connection, gaming, and
romantic endeavors etc. Now, all these motivations enhance the impact of such networking
sites on the everyday life of users.
As already discussed, there are many studies which stress upon the impact of social
networking sites on generating addictive behaviors among people. It may lead to symptoms
like salience, mood modifications, tolerance, withdrawal, relapse and conflict which are
traditionally associated with substance addictions.
For certain people, use of social networking sites might become the single most important
activity of each day and they would sometimes get so much preoccupied with these sites that
they deliberately do things which can be uploaded on these sites. Then, the activities on these
sites are used to induce mood alterations. Tolerance develops when increased amounts of
time and energy are required to obtain the same feelings and state of mind that was
experienced during the initial phases of usage. Now, suppose the individual discontinues the
use, then they might experience negative psychological and physiological symptoms.
Emergence of withdrawal symptoms might lead to a restoration of the problematic behavior.
As a consequence, the person experiences intrapsychic and interpersonal conflicts where they
might face subjective loss of control and problems in relationship, work and education.
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Now, what causes addiction to social networking sites? What do you think? Is it the
technology or is it what the technology allows them to do? There can be two perspectives to
this question. There are some scholars who argue that it is the technology that acts as a
medium or a tool that allows individuals to engage in particular behaviors like social
networking or gaming. Well, there is another view which argues that the technology is not a
matter at all while engaging in online platforms whereas it is people and information and the
connections which makes individuals happy and gives a pleasurable feeling to them when
they see these “likes” and positive comments of appreciations from friends and sometimes
even strangers.
Does all this sound familiar to you?
Addicted people face negative impacts and suffer procrastination, distraction, and poor time-
management. They are more prone to romantic relationships, jealousy and cyberstalking.
They are also prone to relationship problems, substance abuse and associated legal action.
They have more dysfunctional coping like escapism and avoidance.
There are studies which also state that vulnerable young people with narcissistic tendencies
are prone to have this addictive behavior. People addicted to social networking sites also
share similar symptoms with those affected by substance addiction. So, you have to realize
whether you are just a friendly media user or an addict.
Now, before we leave I have question for you. Among the following, identify the vulnerable
group that can get addicted to social networking sites.
a) People with low self-esteem and confidence
b) People seeking attention and recognition
c) People facing loneliness
d) People with high tendency to remain online
e) Friendly media users
f) All of the above
Now, what do you think is the right answer? Just think for a while and try to answer the
question. You know there are many psychological studies which state that though social
networking cultivates relationships and reduce loneliness but its excessive use negatively
impacts an individual’s self-esteem and their social skills, especially communication. It also
hampers mental health and reduces life satisfaction. So, did you get the right answer? Well,
option f is correct answer as all of these categories are prone to get addicted to social
networking sites. In the next lecture, we will look into some of the preventive measures to be
undertaken against behavioral addiction.

2
Ethics and Values
Dr. M Rashmi
Lecture – 61
Prevention of Behavioural Addiction
Hello friends. We were talking about behavioral addiction and in the previous lecture we
discussed a lot on addiction to social networking sites. In this lecture we will deal with some
of the preventive measures.
There are basically five different types of social network site addiction. First is computer
addiction or may be computer game addiction, second is information overload or addiction to
web surfing or browsing. While the third is net compulsions like online gambling or online
shopping addiction, fourth is a cyber-sexual addiction or addiction to online pornography or
online sex addiction, and then, we have the cyber-relationship addiction or addiction to online
relationships.
Now, the prevention to all these problems lies with us. We need to adopt certain strategies to
avoid using technologies beyond a limit.
Lets have a reflection spot. From the following, what can be considered as the initial step to
begin preventive measure against behavioral addiction?
a) Identify the cause of addiction
b) Identify the severity of addiction
c) Identify the period of addiction
d) None of the above
Well, the question is easy and as an individual, I am sure you would first look into the
triggering factor rather than the period and severity. First you need to know your triggers.
Understand them and become aware of them and try to avoid situations that might trigger the
need to perform the addictive behavior. So option a, is the right answer.
As I said, by identifying the triggering factor, you would get answer to the question like -
What connects you to the addictive behavior? Is it boredom, peer pressure, physical or
psychological stress, or lack of self-esteem and confidence? Knowing this in advance can
help you prepare from inevitable challenges of daily life. Yes, it’s true that behavioral
addictions are less likely to become fatal, and can rarely yield immediate health consequences
which motivate many people to mistakenly believe that they can tackle behavioral addiction
on their own.
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At the initial stages, we can make an effort on our own but in later stages, I would
recommend a professional therapy which can further assist you to identify the underlying
factors behind your addiction and guide you to implement healthy coping mechanism. There
are several measures undertaken by professional counselors like cognitive behavioral therapy,
group therapy and talk therapy etc. which can prevent the recurrence of the addictive
behavior and also help you to resist temptation for the rest of your lives.
There are alternative coping mechanisms like engaging in physical exercises, doing yoga or
taking part in sports activities, talking to a close friend, gardening, painting etc. Again self-
regulation is an essential element to control cravings towards certain behaviors. So, learn to
set clear guidelines for your behavior ahead of time. Restrict the usage of mobile phones or
internet and do not engage in online activities especially before bedtime and immediately
after waking up.
Before I end this lecture, I would suggest you people to inculcate the habit of following a
zero technology hour, where you deliberately devoid yourselves from any form of
technology. Go for a walk, read, meditate, spend quality time with your family and friends,
indulge in some physical activities or do gardening or engage in some creative works.
So, with this we come to the end of module 7 which is the last module of our course. I hope
this course has equipped you people to at least develop the habit of reflective analysis.
Wishing you all the best in your lives. Thank you and take care.
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Ethics and Values

Let’s pause for a moment and have a quick reflection spot:

Which among these definitions correspond to the discipline ethics?

Take a moment and try to remember the answer,

The term ethics is derived from the Greek word _________.

a) Human actions done by humans consciously, deliberately and in view of an end.

Non-violent action takes three main forms:

1) Protest and persuasion

Thank you and have a nice day.

a) The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Thank you and have an insightful day.

 Charitable acts, including philanthropy such as donation of money.

Before we go further, let’s have a quick reflection spot.

Welcome back to the course on Ethics and Values.

Well, Cambridge English dictionary defines needy as “someone who is in a deprived,

Voluntary action is mainly characterized by the following features which include:

Ok friends, now it’s time for a reflection spot.

Till then, bye and take care.

Ok friends. Bye for now.

Hello friends! Welcome back to the lectures on ethics and values.

So, how can we define harassment?

Therefore, if anybody is threatened, intimidated, bullied, physically assaulted, mocked and

I hope you got your answer, which is option 1, R K Raghavan committee.

Till then, bye and take care.

Bye and have a nice day.

Hello everyone. Welcome back!

1. Is it caused due to Ignorance or lack of sensitivity towards others

POSH Act was enacted in which year? We have three options.

Till then, bye and take care.

Until then, Bye and have a nice day.

Before moving on further, we will a have reflection spot.

Amongst the two statements, identify the proper argument.

a) Direct violence represents intentional harming whereas structural violence is manifested

You have three options:

1. Both a and b are true

Before ending this lecture, try to answer this question.

So, with this we come to the end of lecture. Bye!

Now let’s move forward with the characteristics of terrorism.

3. Another important characteristic of terrorist-groups has been the acquisition of changed

So, bye and take care.

1. Threat to global peace

So, until then, bye and take care.

Welcome back to the lectures on ethics and values.

Corruption can be found in different forms: for example;

Lack of vigilance, enormous powers to the bureaucracy, lack of accountability, defective

Corruption in India can be considered as a consequence of the nexus between bureaucracy,

 Low Pay Scales and Wages, especially in a highly inflationary economy.

Until then, bye and thank you.

Welcome back my dear friends.

Bye and Thank you.

Till then, bye and thank you.

India is a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary system of government, and at the

Now, amongst the following, identify any one electoral malpractice.

a) Communal hate speech

Welcome back my dear friends.

And here are the options.

Thank you. Have a nice day.

Hello friends. Welcome back.

Welcome back friends.