Chapter Six: Becoming Accountable

for a pdf of Chapter Six, click here

Recognizing that we want to have relationships in which agreements are kept, and that, from time to time, they are not, we want to have a way to repair them. We do that by constructing mechanisms of accountability. We begin by looking at the phenomenon of blame and explore the reasons why blame doesn't work. We then distinguish responsibility from accountability and look at the four levels or orders at which we can understand both responsibility and accountability. Using the fictional relationship of Joe and Jane, we look at these four orders and how they can guide Jane and Joe to greater accountability in repairing their relationship after a rift.

The Credo of Accountability is a statement of how we could be toward the harm that we do in our relationships.