Political Socialization - Essay Example

As such, this brief analysis will attempt to weigh and analyze the type of different political socialization experiences that have shaped the way in which this author engages or chooses not to engage in the political arena of our nation. The first of these factors can be traced to the fact that although I consider myself to be a believer, I do not allow my individual belief system to dictate in what way my political faith evolves. Although developmental factors have had a profound effect on the way that I engage with the world, view reality, and perceive key issues, I was fortunate in that my upbringing, to include each of the factors that have been previously listed, did not directly influence the way in which I allow my belief to influence my political views (Diemer 246).

Obviously, it is impossible to say categorically that my belief system does not influence my political beliefs due to the fact that this belief system is integrally tied to the individual that I am and the way in which I approach key issues; however, I can say that as compared to many of the individuals I know who are deeply involved in politics, the level to which my belief has socialized me with respect to politics is limited. Likewise, perhaps the most important determinant to the way that I have been politicized is the experiences and formative occurrences which were a result of my childhood and the way in which my parents raised me.

Although it is difficult to point to a specific example of how it took place, it is not difficult to say that due to the values and morality that my parents sought to pass on to their children, it deeply affected the way I have come to identify with politics and specifically key political issues. In this way, I would say that this socialization determinant is perhaps the most important of all (Pels et al 312). Due to the act that I have always retained a close relationship with my family, the value system which they passed on to me has remained largely intact with respect to the way I have developed my own political thought process.

In much the same vein, I consider the education that I have received to be one of the main factors that have served to socialize my interpretation of politics. Due to the fact that education helps individuals to open their world view and consider aspects of topics that they would otherwise not consider, my educational experience has served to open up topics that the other forms of political socialization I have experienced up until this point have not. It is worth noting that although one cannot consider one aspect of their upbringing and experience as necessarily more powerful than another, I would consider education to be the one factor that is perhaps even more powerful than the world-views and values that were given me by my parents.

This is at least partly due to the fact that as a young person I was inspired to question my surroundings and not take things for granted. In this way, due to the fact that I grew up in a household that prided itself in freedom of thought and of expression, I was encouraged from an early age to explore and formulate my own ideas. Although all of these factors have helped to develop the way I engage in the political process, there is of course a final fact that has not been considered (Skhavat 197).

This factor revolves around the previous experiences I have had and noted with regards to the political process. Oftentimes I have been told by peers and professors alike that my political views are “too jaded” for someone of my age. However, due to the fact of the experience that I have witnessed with regards to a litany of