Our
discussion so far, about political socialization clearly suggests that
political socialization performs certain roles in the socio political
development and continuity of a nation. Some of these functions shall be
discussed in this post.
Table of Content
By the time you learn the
content in this post, you shall be able to:
(a) Understand the various
functions of political socialization
(b) Appreciate the reasons
political socialization should be deliberately encouraged in the society.
What is Political Socialization?
Political socialization is
the process of transferring knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and general
dispositions about politics from one generation to the other. It accumulates
almost unconsciously through citizens and people’s interactions with social
institutions such as the family, the religious houses, the schools, the
tertiary institutions, the media, and political parties and so on.
These institutions through
which people are socialized into political values are called agencies of
political socialization. Social scientists, especially those favorably disposed
towards social learning theories; believe strongly that whatever a man behaves
like in the society and its politics- from activism to its other extreme of
apathy- is primarily a function of how he or she was socialized by these
agencies.
Analysis and various Functions of Political Socialization
1. Intergenerational Transmission
of Political Values: Political socialization assists every
society in preserving political culture across time. It also helps to inculcate
political values and orientation in people. This is the function we call
intergenerational transmission of political norms, and, by extension, values,
symbols and ideas. For instance, a person who attends the university, majors in
engineering and later gets employment in an engineering firm may not at all understand
the workings of law making and recall except he or she witnessed it at eh level
of students union which the school as an agent of political socialization
offers.
In an increasingly
complicated world where politics is fast becoming everyone’s business even
though we do not all major in politics, agents of socialization serves the
purpose of transmitting political values and norms from one generation to the
other, and this helps in ensuring stability in the society.
2. Stability of Polity: By
virtue of performing the foregoing function of intergenerational transmission
of values and inculcation of political culture, political socialization helps
to maintain continuity and stability in the society. Such stability is needed
to advance the course of the society from all walks of life. To the extent that
political socialization is a means of role-training therefore, it, at any time
equips the members of a society with the basic skills necessary for political
participation or the performance of important political roles.
3. Creation of Hegemonic
Order: Political socialization helps the society to create
hegemonic order. Every political environment needs hegemony to stabilize and
develop, hegemony being a subtle, non-coerced assimilation of how things are done
in a society. Political socialization helps a society to foster this, and every
member of the society needs only little push or coercion to obey the law and
promote good values.
5. National Discipline Political
socialization makes it easy to ensure some degree of discipline among members
of a political community. In other words, political socialization curbs or
controls disruptive political behaviour by ensuring that members of a society
behave in a manner that is socially acceptable to the majority of the people,
and especially the hegemonic class.
6. Political socialization assists in promotion of patriotism and nationalism.
People, who learn the political values, believe and orientations of their
people and hand the same down from one generation to the other tend to become
obsessed with it. They see themselves as being embedded in such values and
ideas and are often willing to defend and promote it at any time necessary.
This is called patriotism, and it is useful for the domestic and international
aura of a state.
Conclusion on 6 Functions of Political Socialization
Political socialization
performs some functions in the polity. These functions are basically for
continuity and stability, and they affect not only the political, but also the
economic and social strata of a political community.
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