In order to understand the maintenance of political socialization of the person it is important to underline that the person is simultaneously both the subject and object of a policy. But some people try to show great interest to policy and others are small, while the third part try to escape from a policy at all. Some of them try to achieve the confirmation of the existing political system and behave themselves in the way of constructive policy, while others are taking measures aimed at his overthrow and demonstrate the destructive position. There are also such kind of people who can easily adapt to any political regime and authority. Such a variety of political behavior, in my opinion, mostly is due to the type of person’s political socialization.
We can definitely say that none of the political power or the political system can function normally, unless people haven’t been taught according to accepted community standards of behavior.
First of all, it can be done in relation to state power, which implies the obedience and active support of their actions on the part of the population. The state can use enforcement for this purpose. But, I think that, the most effective way is to raise the awareness of the citizens’ conscious of their civil duty.
This is the best is the political socialization of the individual, which in the scientific literature remains poorly un-derstood. The decision of this problem is the lack study of the person’s political socialization in scientific literature.
The political socialization of the individual has been confirmed as a continuous process of development, continuing throughout life of personality and in different social groups and communities in modern political science. We can distinguish different stages playing different roles in the political development of the individual. However, nowadays there is no identical point of view in explaining the specifics of these stages.
To my mind it is due to the 2 reasons. The first is related to the fact that the concept of political socialization began to form after the establishment of the general theory of socialization, and on its basis. However, there are several general theories of individual’s socialization nowadays and the presence of which complicates the knowledge of concepts and stages of individual’s political socialization.
There are also different points of view according to the periods of the process of individual’s political socialization, which differ both in the number of stages as well as on substantive features of the last in the scientific literature. For example, some politicians distinguish four stages: primary school, school, labour and postlabour periods; and others have distinguished three: the beginning stage, the stage of maturity and retirement, and the third part of politicians distinguished two stages: primary and secondary, etc.
The heart of political socialization is the process of constant learning, in which an individual develops the culture and adapts to the society, which is for him an environment.
It proves that, the socialization of the individual is affected by three factors: personality, culture and society. These factors interact with each other not arbitrary, but within social groups and communities, which is an integral part of the individual. The structuring of the personality happens in the interaction of these factors and it interacts with the help of the culture into collective, community, social group.
The assimilation of the culture and its subsequent adaptation to a society is based on constant learning of people. The process of teaching is based on the interaction of the individual with his social environment. This process lasts throughout the life of the individual. It happens in the family, school, group, during the work. The intension of this process is different in different periods of life. It happens more intensively in childhood and youth, when they try to take part in public life. It is due to the high degree of plasticity of the young organism, and a high degree of adaptation abilities of the individual.
The consideration of political socialization in relation to the duration of human life allows you to emphasize the primary and secondary stages [1].
The primary stage of political socialization takes place in the field of interpersonal relations in small groups.As the first agents of socialization can be individual’s immediate environment: parents, close cousins, friends, family, peers, teachers, etc.
The primary political socialization begins early enough. The children of three or four years distinguish the symbols of his state and also various political figures.
Kindergarten, school, parents, television involve children in economic and political life very early, although, of course, mainly from the school they begin to find about politics, forming a certain attitude to it. Then comes the environment of their own parents, co-workers, colleagues, etc. There is an initial perceptions by people the political categories, which leads to the gradual formation of an individual relationship to the phenomena of political life.
American scientists D.Iston and J.Denis distinguish the following four stages of political socialization of the child:
- as the politicization of the term "perception" of the child's emerging feelings of political life. A crucial role plays at this stage the parents, their attitude to politics, reactions and feelings caused by it;
- personalizationof politics. The child establishes the first direct relationships and contacts with the political sphe-re through the identity of some of the most famous political figures and, above all, with the president in this stage;
- the idealization of power, political leaders assigns only positive quality, and on this basis, the formation of steady emotional relationships to politics;
- institutionalization of acquired properties, meaning the change of conscious of children to different representation of authority and to become selfish as a transpersonal vision of
Such a model of political socialization reveals the mechanism of permanent integration into the inner world of a child of the political system of society in all its complexity. Graphically, this model can be represented by concentric circles radiating in the center of which is an outstanding personality, the same person with whom the child first feels the sensations of a political nature. Namely in this way is represented the process of politicization of the child in American political culture. This follows from the concept of authority and its relationship with the individual.
Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget has proved in his work "Selected Psychological Works”, that at fifteen years are appeared the most important change in political thinking as a comprehension of abstract moral and political principles.
Such type of models of political socialization are offered by French scientists. Thus, A.Persheron showed the particularity of French model of political socialization based on a special study that conducted among the children and teenagers from 10 to 15 years of the two communes of Paris.
According to the results of interviews for the political power in terms of "President", "laws" and "police" was perceived by people as a strong, but distant and abstract reality, against which there is a some distance and indifference. In the matter of President (at the time of General de Gaulle) is not marked a personalized relationship. It was usual relation to the authority (35 per cent of respondents claimed that the president "rules", "command", "controls"). The most part answered that, he commands the country. Most of American contemporaries in contrast to such kind of attitude of French children and teenagers, supposed that, the President take care of them, thus exposing the very definite sense perception of the personality of the president: about 14 percent of respondents were positive ("Hero," "Big Man", "great responsibility") and7 percent of them were negative ("arrogant," "old").
The investigations have been made in France showed that, the key concepts of political culture in childhood are words such as the flag, the republic, the freedom, equality, fraternity, nationality, state. They are followed by what is called a concept that expresses the political institutions: the vote, elect, the laws, the citizen, democracy, etc. All these terms are positive, which is comparable with the perception of the position of president in American political culture.
We are interested in the findings of French scientists, based on the analysis of the social vocabulary of French children and teenagers. The concepts of social class, capitalism, the bourgeoisie, the trade union, political party, extremist, left, right, moderate and others cause the most negative emotions towards politics in general and political conflicts in particular. It is regarded as a characteristic feature of the national political culture. In this case the concept of war, illegal, violence, power, taxes will not accept the most of the surveyed children and teenagers.
At the same time, the children of working class are close to a positive perception of the dictionary associated with the class struggle, political parties and ideologies. Another interesting fact is that general knowledge about the politics to mind of children of working class differed little from the level of knowledge similar to children of higher status, professional people, and exceeded the level of political awareness among children from families of middle management status, civil servants and businessmen.
The notable differences between children are depending on the orientation to left or right. Children are sympathetic to the left are widely used such kinds of words as parliament, democracy, strike, union, communism and a foreigner. The child who is close to right give preference to the words as wealth, the bourgeoisie, the far right, the minister, the forces of order, an American. The third group of children and teenagers did not recognize the policy and did not want to integrate into the system, showed a strong hostility to the words of the vote, a strike, the party, trade union, deputy, administration.
French sociologists have concluded that, in France the children realize the meaning of the national community and republican values quite early. At the same time it is strongly influenced by the ideology and social status of children and adolescents [2]. There are no the first two phases of political socialization as a personalization and idealization of authority as a rule among French children and adolescents that inherent in American political culture. The perception of politics among French children is characterized by a massive refuse from the conflict understanding of the policy.
The Changes in the political life of France after 1969 contributed to the overall picture to some of the perceptions of children and young people of this country's politics and power. Sociologists have noted the growing influence of patriotic feelings. The number of supporters of both the left and right have increased. At the same time nearly a quarter of children do not consider themselves neither to left nor to right and poorly perceived political system.
In general, the features of the primary stage of political socialization, in my opinion, consist in the fact that a person has to adapt to the political system and cultural standards, while they are not still have an understanding oftheir nature and significance.
The policy preferences and settings are formed in childhood are more stable. The process of values’ radical change are formed by political culture( is known as re-socialization) is painful and may be accompanied by a sharp interpersonal conflicts and even the destruction of the personality structure.
The most important stage of political socialization is the adulthood. This is the secondary stage of political socialization.
The secondary stage of political socialization occurs at the level of large groups and institutions. The secondary agents are a formal organization, institutions acknowledgment: representatives of the school administration, army, state, etc. The second stage of individual’s political socialization begins when a person moves from the emotional - sensitive perception of the political life to his understanding and understanding of his place in the political life of society.
According to this it should be noted that, although the basis of political orientation are laid in childhood and adolescence, however, and in adulthood, people are not excluded from the process of socialization. This is due to the explainable circumstances. Firstly, changes in all spheres of public life are made so fast that a person doesn’t have a chance to foresee what will expect the world and his country even in the nearest 20 years. Secondly, society has become so diverse that creates so much difficulties to a person in determining the choice. In Third, the social and political mobility increases significantly, both geographically and vertically. For example, a child (boy), socialized in a social environment can be (and indeed is) in a different socio- political environment as an adult. Fourthly, institutions (agencies) that are responsible for the political socialization of children and young people (family, school) are more specialized in other areas of knowledge and at the same time less specialized in political life than those who exercises political socialization during adulthood (for example political parties).
The secondary stage of political socialization is characterized by the fact that this phase is associated with the expansion of independent political experience of the person and also his ability to make individual political judgment, to process information, to form attitudes and follow to their social roles. In the second phase of socialization the person can resist to the pressure of a group and express the ability to the individual review of ideological positions, re-evaluation of cultural norms and traditions. The reverse socialization plays here definite role that characterized by the influence of the person on the selection and acquisition of knowledge, norms, methods of interaction with the government.
The isolation of stable patterns of political behavior of the individual that shows the level of political maturity, independence, ability to be responsible for its own political choices are characteristics of the stage of secondary socialization. At this stage of socialization, the nature of political interaction between the authorities and the individual may be based on dialogue, consensus and conflict between them. This is due to the type of political culture, dominant in the society, its homogeneity and the existence of different subcultures within it.
The political elite pays great attention to different stages of political socialization. This is explained by two opposite reasons: the need to bring the political views of people according to the spirit of the time or desire to protect the these views from the effects of time. The political system of the former USSR could have been to protect the political views of people from the effects of time for a long time.
As a means of socialization can be here the social norms. The action of social norms consists of generally:
the establishment of types (samples) having socially significant behavior and b) to establish the boundaries within which individual behavior is the implementation of the objectives of society, and beyond that against
The rule of law plays an important role in the socialization of the individual, it is due to the fact that the rights mediate the major economic and social relations, directing them to develop and improve in accordance with objective laws governing the functioning of society. Through influencing on social relations, the law thus in some measures determines the whole process of socialization.
Further, the law influences on every citizen and sometimes even more direct impact. They determine the extent of possible human behavior, giving citizens the freedom of creative activity, the ability to satisfy the personal needs and interests, and ensure the participation of the individual in shaping the conditions of his own life by providing the possibility of incorporating it into the existing system of social relations. However, the law sets simultaneously measure of binding behavior which every citizen should keep to ensure the normal functioning of society and each of themembers. The set of basic rights and obligations enshrined in the Constitution of the state.
The immediate impact of the law on the socialization of the individual may be in different forms: by establishing the legal status of the individual, by giving the terms of the specific, subjective rights and legal obligations of participants and relationships by bringing the legal liability of persons who breaks the rule of law.
One of the important means of individual’s socialization is an art as a complex social phenomenon and a pre-determining way to communicate and form social consciousness and a special area of social activities included in the system of social division of labor is characterized by a specific network of institutions and also at a certain period with own economic and technical base.
Acting as a factor of socialization, the art is interconnected with other social phenomena. Moreover, other elements of society as a means of socialization, influence on the person along with art and also through it (the fabric woven works of art, for example, public interest, attitudes, philosophical, moral and other ideas).
It should be noted that all works of art, existing as a unity of opposites of the material and ideal, objective and subjective, real and unreal are interpreted differently by people. The historical movement of society, moreover, imposes on them also their temporal interpretation.
The process of influence of art on the individuals is carried out indirectly, through formal and informal groups, institutions, education and training. This is especially noticed in the early stages of socialization in childhood and adolescence. The first tales, toys, books are imposed by family and social environment. Besides, the process of socialization is mediated by social relations and the nature of all institutions governing the artistic process.
A huge role in the political socialization plays the media [3]. They are able to influence on the maximum number of people in the shortest amount of time.
The implementation of political socialization in the actions and thoughts of a person can be represented in the following way: interest to political information that is implemented in the search for the information and its consumption, the habit of political assessment of what is happening in the world, country, nearest environment, which requires the latitude of the political outlook, the need for systematic political knowledge , implemented in the education and self-education, search for meaning of life, their own place in the real political diversity of the world, the desire and ability to protect their political, civil position.
As socialization involves a certain "adaptation" to a changed conditions of human life that: 1) the process of political socialization takes place continuously throughout the life of the individual. According to the accumulation of social, political experience, there is a permanent modification or hardening of attitudes of the individual, 2) political socialization may take the form of overt or covert transfer of experience.
In my opinion, the process of political socialization solves the problem as the transferring to new generations of the main elements of political culture.
In general, we distinguish three main systems of political socialization. They usually have a complex effect on the person.
The system of direct and purposeful socialization. It includes directly related to the human elements of government, political institutions, political parties, organizations and social movements. In the young age for the political socialization the most important things are children’s, adolescents’ and youth political organization.
The system of spontaneous socialization includes the informal unions that carry elements of the counterculture in relation to the prevailing political culture. As a rule, this specific group is within the youth culture.
Thus, from all the above stated, we can make a conclusion that the political socialization starting from early childhood continues throughout adult life, since the original submission acquired and also the orientation, attitudes and skills do not remain changed forever and they can be corrected, changed in adulthood and even in old ages depending on various factors and especially under the influence of personal socio-political experience and socio- political institutions. Political socialization is the involvement of personality in politics and functioning on it. The person acquires knowledge of representation associated with the existing political system that generates his attitude toward it in this process.
- Иванов С.П. Социализация личности. – СПб., 2010. – С.
- Социологические исследования общественной жизни: французский опыт. – Ростов-на-Дону, 2009. – С.76.
- Политкорректность в СМИ Казахстана: поиск гармонии. – Алматы, 2007. – 456 с.