Ch 4 Influences on Beliefs and Actions The Environment The broad context in which an individual lives This can be anything from unemployment rates to racism to advantages associated with the political party systems Agents of Political Socialization Schools Can easily be used by the state to influence political beliefs Family The first agent many experience Peer Groups People are controlled by the thought of what people like me think Two Step Communication One peer learns a lot about a subject and then relays that info to many friends who then make an opinion Media Since most people don t have the change to experience politics firsthand they learn through the media Susceptible to agenda setting where specific information is shared to lead to a favorable opinion TV remains an important influence in the western world but internet has generally made an impact on the less technologically advanced Religion Culture Can be specific like Cuba banning any non socialist artwork OR more subtle in terms of metaphor Events Like 9 11 Personal Characteristics aka demographic characteristics Can be things like race and age or education and social class They filter what comes in the environment based on the individual Political Personality the deeper psychological dynamics inside the individual that affect that person s response to political stimulus Personality What causes someone to act a certain way Normative Approach What characteristics should the leader have What should they portray Empirical Approach Identify the characteristics a leader already has and apply those to figure out what their political beliefs are Biology and Human Nature HN innate motivations and drives humans share
View Full Document
Unlocking...