Objectives:
Important social units that shape political attitudes
 to describe the ways which members of a society
acquire and pass along their attitudes and values
about the political system
 to examine the relative influence and methods of
the agents of political socialization
David Easton’s Political System Model
What is Political Socialization?
• the process by which the central values of the
political culture are transmitted from one generation
to another.
Political culture- political attitudes toward politics and their
role within the political system
• the learning process by which people acquire their
opinions, beliefs, and values
Classifications: PEER GROUPS
Direct-involves the explicit communication of info, values,
or feelings towards politics Motivates or pressure them to conform to attitudes or
behavior accepted by group
Indirect-when political views are inadvertently molded by
our experiences
MASS MEDIA
Unifying – e.g. international conflict which brings a country  For most people, the media are the major sources
together of political information and strongly influence our
beliefs
Divisive – e.g subcultures  The world we experience through media can
control our actions
The Agents of Socialization:
GOVERNMENT
- The persons by which and the setting in which the
process of political socialization is accomplished
 wide scope of governmental activities
brings citizens into frequent contact w/ various
bureaucratic agencies: personal experience à
FAMILY strengthens/undercuts images from other agents
INTERNET
 Most important agent of socialization
 Families have similar political views
 Major source of political ideas and values
 Children hold same party affiliation as parents
particularly among young adults
 Participation and family decision making can
 Offers tremendous opportunities of political
increase a child’s sense of political competence
participation
Socialization Groupings
SCHOOLS
I. Primary groups
 Provide children with knowledge of the political Individuals closest to you
world and their role in it • Family, friends
 Reinforce affection for the system II. Secondary groups
• Organizations
• Churches, professional groups
RELIGON III. Social classes
• Lower, working class, middle class, etc.
 Religious groups transmit definite political
preferences to their practitioners
 Churches helpdevelop strong belief systems that
guide a person’s views on social policies such as
abortion as well as a larger worldview
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

Philippine Mass Media REFERENCES:

Article III (Bill of rights) -> 1987 Constitution

Section 4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom
BOOKS:

Abueva, Jose V. "Ideology and Practice in the `New

POLITICAL
of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the

SOCIALIZATION
people peaceably to assemble and petition the government Society'." Pages 32-84 in David A. Rosenberg (ed.),
for redress of grievances Marcos and Martial Law in the Philippines. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 1979.
Media has a tripartite role in society: Political, Economic
and Social. Ethridge, Marcus E.”Political Behaviour”. Politics in a
Changing World: A Comparative Introduction to Political
Science. Canada: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010
Spread of Information technology
WEBSITES:
Yields higher political involvement among young adults
http://k-
BUT: 12.pisd.edu/schools/pshs/soc_stu/comp_gv/Ch3_04_3.pdf

- Political socialization through such social networks as http://bisikletaproductions.blogspot.com/2009/09/dissecting

MySpace and Facebook has its value but young citizens -philippine-mass-media-today.html
may be overly prone to accept their peers’ opinions at the
expense of input from older experts

- Web-based political socialization puts greater stress on

personality and charm than on issues

Prepared by:
Diana Veronica Buot