In psychology, personal responsibility is the idea that we completely control all of our own actions and future. Some people also refer to it as individual responsibility. Generally speaking, most societies accept that a person’s actions are of their own choosing and therefore they should be held responsible for any and all outcomes. It takes on a shade of grey when we get into the legal side of things, as I’m sure you’ve heard of the insanity defense, which negates the above understanding. Psychologists generally feel that our upbringings can bear a huge influence on our life, actions, and behaviors in the future, so we may not always be completely responsible for negative outcomes. They call these mitigating circumstances.
