Chapter 4 Flashcards
politicization stage
the child begins to recognize that authority figures other than her parents have to be taken into account
personalization stage
a child begins to recognize the president of the United States as the persomification of government (symbolic “chief of state”) and learns to respect his role as the “head of government.”
idealization stage
a child perceives the president as a protective and trustworthy leader, who is correct in his judgements, and well qualified to make decisions
institutionalization stage
a child’s idealization is transformed into support for the political system
agents of socialization
several actors involved in the political socialization process
most common are: family, schools, religious institutions, peer groups, and the communications media
primacy principle
which states that what is learned first is leanrd best (and retained the longest)
structuring principle
states that what is learned first structures later kearning that generally occurs in schools.
duty-based model of citizenship
encourages conformity and adherence to social norms while promoting basic activities such as resgistering with a political party, voting in all elections, donating to campaignes, and joining civic groups
concept of equality
the idea that “all men are created equal” and should, therefore, have equal access to the political system
personal freedoms
the belief that individuals should be able to decide what is best for themselves and exercise those decisions with limited government interference
concept of the consent of the governed
means that government gets its power from the people and a government exists only because people want it to
free enterprise system
Americans strongly support the value of hard work, individuals right to own property, and freedom of business to make profits
political ideology
the conflict on how to establish policy
political efficacy
a person’s sense of being able to accomplish something politically
party identification
strong allegiance to a political party
political alienation
the blief that participation and voting are not essential to the democratic process, andd approval of government policies and adminstration
political powerlessness
individuals with low political efficacy often feel separated from the government and limited in their ability to influence government actions.
political meaninglessness
individuals who believe there are no predictable patterns to political decision making and, therefore, no way to influence the political system, may give up
political normlessness (anomie)
individuals conclude that government and its officials are violating widely accepted norms leading to a breakdown of the political system
political isolation
this occurs when an individual rejects current norms as “unfair and illegitimate,” and, therefore, withdraws from political life.
agenda-setting function
able to put something on the public policy agenda by bringing attention to a problem
vehicle of direct communication
the media serves as a __________ ____ ______ ______________________, allowing policymakers to communicate directly with the public
gatekeepers and spotlights
the media acts as ____________ ____ _____________ for policy problems by signaling what the public should know and care about
assimilation school
acculturation to mainstream norms progresses in stages to complete integration (the ‘melting pot’ metaphor)
