Class, Socialization, and Politics Essay -- Political Socialization an

Elections are at the core of the American policy-making system. They are the way we choose our government, the extraction of government authority, and a means by which the people can warp public policy. For more or less Americans, voting is the only form of political participation. necessity questions to ask concerning these issues are Who ballotings and why? What influences people to mystify voters? And what influences how they vote? It is heavy to approach these issues from a sociological standpoint addressing such matters as socializing and social stratification. Socialization is a gradual process that takes place as we grow up. It is the process that aids in developing attitudes and opinions that allow us get along within a society. These beliefs affect the political views we piddle later in life. Through social agencies such as family, schools, peers, and media we become aware of social rules and develop a social identity. (Introduction to Sociology Pg. 96) A crossing of this development is political socialization, which is the process of learning political attitudes and behaviors. The idea of political socialization helps in providing the answers to the questions concerning who votes. It aids in explaining how and why people take part in politics. The strongest agent in political socialization is the family. What this means is that most children adopt beliefs similar to those held by their parents. Therefore most people pull up stakes believe in and vote for issues that are important to members of their familys. The extent to which an singular is involved in the political process is shaped by his or her familys level of involvement. For example, a child is less likely to vote if they are raised by parents who dont regularly go to the polls on Election Day. Children of course, dont always counterpart their parents political learnings, but are often heavily influenced by them. As a result, most people end up favoring the political party that t heir parents generally identify with. Social Characteristics also affect how an individual(a) will participate in politics. Whether a person is young or old, black or white, rich or poor, northerner or southerner will befool a heavy impact on his or her political opinions and behavior. sort may be just as important in establishment peoples political opinions and behaviors. The term social class refers to iodin of the systems of structured... ...rank of middle class tend to have a much start level of involvement in politics while those who rise preceding(prenominal) the line feel quite the opposite. Granted there will be deviant cases that can on some level disprove these theories. and on the grand scale, class remains as the supreme hunting expedition of such severe division among the attitudes expressed by the American people. Bibliography1.)Hammond, jakes L. The Politics of Benevolence Revival Religion and American Voting expression. Norwood, newfangled Jersey Ablex P ublishing Corporation, 1979. 2.)Doppelt, Jack C. and Shearer, Ellen. Non-Voters Americas No Shows. gibibyte Oaks, California Sage Publications Inc., 19993.)Bailey Jr., Harry A. and Katz, Ellis. Ethnic Group Politics. Columbus, Ohio Charles E. Merrill Publishing troupe, 1969.4.)Houtman, Dick. correct and Politics in Contemporary Social Science. New York Walter de Gruyter Inc., 2003. 5.)Catt, Helena. Voting Behavior A Radical Critique. London Leicester University Press, 1996. 6.)Giddens, Anthony, Duneier, Mitchell, and Appelbaum, Richard P. Introduction to Sociology Fourth Edition. New York W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2003.