Political Socialization

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Political Socialization

• Agents through the life cycle

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Political Socialization
DEFINITION

• the process and agents that determine a persons
  core political values and beliefs,
• and behavior

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Most influential AGENTS?
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Place of origin (home)
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where you grew up

• Influences your
• POLITICAL
• attitudes and
• behaviors

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Interest (or apathy) Political
Efficacy
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Early attachments to system

• SYMBOL
• RITUAL
• MYTH

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SCHOOLS

• SYMBOLS (FLAG)
• CIVIC CLASSES
• CLUBS
• ECAs prepare children for adult particpative
  roles

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(No Transcript)
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As HOTS develop more critical courses (Pol Sci)

• HIGHER
• ORDER
• THINKING
• SKILLS

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Increasingly important AGENT
MEDIA
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Influence of Media -contradictory

• MERE
• Exposure
• I.e.,
• pictures

• Selective
• Exposure
• (self-censor-ship

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Lots of Contradictory Information

• leads to
• COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
• how do people
• resolve this dissonance?
• (Festinger)

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Impact of INFORMATION

• VALID
• RELIABLE
• TIMELY

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CULTURE BOUND GENERALIZATIONS

• Valid, reliable, timely information?
• US CNN RADIO (esp some
  groups)
• HAITI TELEDIOL (Creole for
• word of mouth or rumors
• WHY???

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Social interaction -relevant
reference point/group
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Most influential AGENTS?
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Will marriage change your

• POLITICAL BELIEFS???
• POLITICAL
• ATTITUDES???
• POLITICAL
• BEHAVIOR???

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Will having children?
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Will growing older?

• Life Cycle effect?
• --Aging--
• as people grow older they become more
  conservative
• Generational effect
• (WWIIboomersx)
• Period effect

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Resocialization-Why dont more spies
defect?
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Which factors are more important for determining
your attitude on

• 1 ABORTION
• 2 DEFENSE
• 3 the deficit
• 4 Who wins the next election

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OVER TIME Attitudes AND Core beliefs may change

• Large change
• OR
• REPEATED
• INCREMENTAL
• CHANGES

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Over time CORE BELIEFS serve as anchors

• CORE BELIEFS
• a LOOSELY ANCHORED RUBBER BAND
• Implications???