Our political environments
Lately, I’ve been wondering to what extent my political worldview was influenced by my parents and my environment when I was a child. Are my beliefs truly my own? Or am I simply regurgitating what I happened to soak in during my formative years? The same set of questions can be asked of anyone with political opinions: is what you believe truly “original”?
I see three possible outcomes, with the first two being the most likely:
- Opinions are formed by childhood indoctrination — the environment — with little or no resistance by the subject
- Opinions come as a direct result of rebellion (typically in the teen years). The subject ends up having opinions at odds with those of his environment.
- The subject forms opinions objectively — with scant indoctrination during the formative years. In this case, the subject’s environment has little or no effect on the subject’s worldview, either positively or negatively.
Rarely is the third outcome given as a explanation of why someone has certain political beliefs. If his environment propagated similar worldviews, then it is likewise credited. But if his environment had dissimilar worldviews, then the subject must have rebelled.
Political views and religious views are, for the most part, created by a combination of different factors. The majority of people’s views are created by their families. When and if they differ – that is based on several different reasons. Most often it is that the child switched social class, moved to a different area, was exposed to other worldviews, etc, etc.
No one will ever escape his or her environment.
Btw, here’s a thought for you: Did you know that one’s sense of self is created by human interaction and how one is perceived? I can’t find my textbook at the moment but it’s true. Society is the main factor of who a person is, how they interact, etc.