DEFINITION:
The term “dutifulness” refers to a multifaceted character trait that encompasses such virtues as “being responsible,” “being reliable,” or “being dependable.”
ETYMOLOGY:
The English noun “dutifulness” is connected to the adjective “dutiful,” which is attested from the sixteenth century. Both words derive from the word “duty,” which is attested from the thirteenth century.
“Duty” derives, via the Middle English noun duete, from the Anglo-French word dueté, meaning “obligatory service” or “what ought to be done.”
Dueté is connected to the Old French adjective deu, meaning “due” or “owed,” which, in turn, derives from the Vulgar Latin adjective debutus.
Debutus derives from the Classical Latin past participle dēbitus of the verb, dēbeo, dēbēre, meaning “to owe.”
DISCUSSION:
As the preceding etymological discussion shows, the core meaning of the term “dutifulness” is the feeling of being obliged to fulfill one’s duties.
As such, the concept underlying the term “dutifulness” refers to an aspect of the broad personality trait, or virtue, of conscientiousness—namely, the aspect which is most relevant to job performance.
In other words, individuals who score high in “dutifulness” care greatly about the quality of their work. This means, among other things, that they are highly motivated to carry out, or follow through on, the instructions of their superiors regarding the duties they are expected to perform.
Thus, the essence of “dutifulness” lies in being strongly motivated to meet the expectations of authority figures.