Political Socialization The Macro Process

1
Political Socialization - The Macro Process

• Diffuse support is critical to the maintenance
  and stability of the political system
• A political system must be able to generate or
  create diffuse support
• How? -coercion or force
• -manipulation of values/propaganda (hegemonic
  theory)
• -socialization (systems theory)
• Systems theory argues that values in support of
  the political system are transferred through a
  generational process, wherein the family teaches
  values that will allow the child to succeed in
  society. These values are reinforced by other
  important agents of the socialization process.

2
Political Socialization - The Macro Process
contd

• Agents of socialization
• parental family
• 1. direct value transfer values having a direct
  political context party id, policy ideals
• 2. indirect value transfer values having an
  indirect political context conformity,
  respect for authority figures, competition for
  rewards, gender roles, moral values, religious
  values, self-reliance, work ethic, thrift, other
  economic values, etc. these may vary according
  to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, etc.
• schools and the educational system
• 1. direct value transfer curriculum (idealized
  forms), texts, pledge of allegiance, etc.
• 2. indirect value transfer conformity, respect
  for authority, competition for rewards,
  democratic decision-making, citizenship, etc.
  these may vary according to the clientele of
  the school
• peer groups

3
Political Socialization - The Micro Process

• In order for the political system to convert
  specific demands in public policy outputs, it
  must have support. The political system must be
  able to generate and sustain support if it is to
  remain stable. Perhaps the most important way to
  accomplish this objective is to instill favorable
  attitudes in people toward the symbols of the
  system. This process may be overt and
  orchestrated as hegemonic theory suggests or it
  may be a natural, generational process as systems
  theory argues.

4
Political Socialization - The Micro Process
contd.

• Through the processes of socialization we learn
  about our culture - its norms, traditions,
  values, and acceptable patterns of behavior.
  Political socialization is the process in which
  each of us learns about the political culture
  -that is, political norms, traditions, values,
  and acceptable patterns of political behavior.
  Through political socialization, people acquire
  attitudes and orientations toward the politics of
  their societies. Socialization is important
  because it usually teaches values and norms that
  support the system. If it is successful at a
  macro or systems-wide level it produces the
  broad, diffuse support that is critical to the
  stability of the political system. Socialization
  also at a micro or individual level is the
  process whereby each member of society comes to
  form his or her own specific set of political
  attitudes, values, beliefs, orientations, and
  opinions. Therefore, while the socialization
  process has some basic similarities for all
  members of society, there may be variations on
  the process for particular groups or sectors of
  society and for individuals.

5
Political Socialization - The Micro Process
contd.
There are three major phases of the
socialization process childhood, adolescence,
and adulthood. While socialization takes place
throughout a persons lifetime, some phases are
critically important in shaping socialization at
both the macro and micro levels. The
primacy principle argues that the values that we
learn earliest in life are the ones that form the
core of our value systems when we become adults.
For most of us, these values remain with us
throughout our entire lives. The structuring
principle means that the values that we learn
earliest in life help us structure or
assimilate new and ,sometimes, competing
information into our existing value systems.
These two corollary principles suggest that
childhood, even very early childhood, is critical
in the process of successful political
socialization. They also imply that the most
important agent of the political socialization
process is the parental family.