Introduction
Socialization is a very important aspect of growth in children. This is the process by which they are inducted to the society and they get to learn all about the rules and laws that govern people. They also get to learn about some norms and societal processes such as politics. Political socialization is one important aspect of a child’s growth that happens whether consciously or subconsciously. Staying around their parents and hearing their political reservations and choices, it helps them form an opinion of their own. This might be in line with the parent’s views or it might take a complete turn from what the parent think.
Studies
The British journal of political science recently published the results of a study that was conducted in the United Kingdom and the US. This research was carried out to see its conformity with the works of Birditt (2009). The research was aimed at finding out how children who are raised by parents who are insistent they adopt a particular set of political views turn out to be in the future. The results turned out to be that children often turn a turn and adopted different views. The explanation behind this is that children from a background where political views are talked about more often tend to also talk about these views once they leave home. In the process of sharing and getting opinions, they are exposed to new view points and in most cases they tend to adopt the new views. These assertions are further supported by Miller (2009) who says that a child’s level of political development has a lot to do with parental preferences.
Another divergent study is one by Professor Albert Bandura (1961) known as the Bobo Doll experiment. It came to the assumption that children will most likely interact with others in the exact way their parents modeled for them. As such many parents have tried to talk their children into the kind of people they want them to be. They have also behaved accordingly in a bid to ensure they children emulate this behavior and turn out as carbon copies of them. This was mostly practiced in families that had conservative views. Robert Hess further went on to support this argument in 1960 by stating that adolescents take up civic and political responsibility from their parents. This view was however disputed as the liberal nature of universities exposed children to more options and views and most ended up abandoning their previous beliefs.
Deductions
As such it is right to say that a parents political views have very little to do with a child’s political views as they grow. As children, they will obviously adopt the biased political view presented by their parents. They will believe that is the best opinion as it is common place for children to tie their opinions to those of their parents at a tender age. They believe that their parents are always right and that they know everything there is to know. The parents do not do much to help the whole situation as they only present their children with what they think they ought to know. They take up the role of decision making on behalf of the children.
The parents’ actions and level of political responsibility also help shape the child’s level of political participation. Those parents who are active participants in political process provide a path for their children to follow. Political discussions amongst them are also important determinants of a child’s political views as the child will most likely take up the parent’s view at that early stage of development.
This parent influence in a child’s political opinions is however undercut once the child is in a position to make rational decisions based on empirical facts. These facts can be facts that he or she has researched on or views by other people that they are having discussions with. The child weighs the new information against the parents’ actions and views and makes an independent decision fuelled by fact and not bias.
Political socialization and development theories tend to postulate that parents play a big role in influencing adolescent views on civic behavior and responsibility. Political socialization theory says that these teens learn civic expectations by simply observing their parents civic participation and also their discussions on civic issues (Hess and Torney, 1967). Development systems theory on the other hand proposes a more transactional process when adolescents can own attitudes and opinions through interactions with the elements in their environment.
Findings
What is evident is that children will most likely take a different opinion as that of the parent as they grow up. This can have something to do with rebelling as a result of finally finding a neutral ground where they can take in all the facts and make up their unbiased opinion. It might be a way of lashing back at the parents for not having given them facts on both sides. As such they get different views and also do their own research to try to find out more. In this process of fact finding, they might end up getting sucked up to new political ideas and concepts. As they invest more time and energy in learning the new idea, they are slowly deviating from what they have grown up knowing.
Because they kind of feel cheated they decide once they get their own children, they will indoctrinate them to their views as they believe are the correct and accurate opinions of how to approach political matters. Their children grow up subscribing to these ideas until they also come of age. They have their eyes opened by strangers as we now live in a liberal society. Their children feel the same way they felt towards their parents and as such, they adopt a different ideology. This process turns out to be a cycle that keeps changing depending on what their parents were taught by their grandparents. The only way middle ground can be attained is by parents not giving their children biased political opinions. Liberalism is encouraged in homes as children will have the opportunity to access all the information they need to make informed decisions on political matters.
Politics is not a matter of life and death for children so it would be nice if children were allowed to access facts and make their own decisions. What parents should do is give children the information then give them suggestions and also the pros and cons of one. Also the parent defending his choice of political opinion would be helpful as it might eventually lead to the child subscribing their way of thinking. This not only reduces chances of the children rebelling against their parents but it also helps them develop the basic traits of decision making. Politics largely revolves around decision making and teaching your child on how to be a good decision maker is one way in which you can prepare them to be a good political participant. The child will be confident about decisions they make. They will also be more liberal as they will have learnt the importance of openness and not being biased.
Conclusion
With the current parenting trends, it is obvious that political opinions are forcefully impressed on the children which in the long term lead to change in opinions with time. For children to become informed decision makers when it comes to political issues, it is better to allow them room to make their own decisions and choices. Whether a child subscribes to your idea or not, there will be time for them to know more and revert that choice; so it better to let decide for themselves.
References
Robert H. H. (1960).the sociological quarterly. Political socialization. A study in the psychology of political behavior. Volume 1
Robert D. H. Judith V. T. (1967). THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL ATTITUDES IN CHILDREN. Print
Birditt K.S. Miller L. M. (2009). Tensions in the parent and child adult relationship: links to solidarity and ambivalence. Web
