CHAPTER 10

POLITICAL SELF
 JOSE RIZAL: It is useless life that is not
consecrated to great ideal. It is like a stone
wasted on the field without becoming a part of
any edifice.

 The hierarchical structure of the family influences

the political self through the obligations and
expectations associated with one’s role as a
member of the family and the power and status
related with one’s position in the family. An
important prelude to the study of political self is
understanding the concept of politics.
 Understanding Politics
 Kendall (1998) defines politics as a social institution
through which power is acquired and exercised by
people and groups. In Aristotle’s work, Politics, he
describes the role that politics and the political
community must play in bringing about the virtuous
life in the citizenry. He observes that ‘man is by
nature a political animal”. Politics is an important
part of human development because it promotes
ideologies about democracy, citizenship, human
rights, freedom, family, health, and other social
issues. Politics exist in all human societies. It serves
as the mechanism by which individuals develop
power and understand proper functioning of
democratic society as citizen.
 Citizenshipis the most basic identification with the
nation. The term denotes the membership of a
citizen in a political society. As a citizen, a person
enjoys full civil and political rights, including
protection inside and outside the territory of the
state .

 Stevens, Anglin, and Jussim (2015) cite that in

some people, politics is a central component of
their identity. For others, politics may be a more
peripheral concern but temporarily becomes a
central one in a certain situations. The political
community where people belong offers an
opportunity for them to define themselves and
provide opportunities to satisfy their needs for
affiliation.
  The political self organizes one’s beliefs, attitudes,
and affiliations and aids in the processing of
politically relevant information. People use their
political values and belief systems to define
themselves as unique individuals of society.

 Political Self and Identity

 Asan essential part of the self, the political self
organizes self-relevant information about politics.
It constitutes knowledge about the Constitution,
government, and governance. The political self
helps in defining the structure and functions of the
government, in telling and understanding the
relationship between the state and the citizens,
and in describing their rights, freedom, and
obligations as citizens.
 The political self exemplifies the ideals and
aspirations of the people, embodies the rules and
principles of the state, and determines the status
and power of the people.

 One important component of political self is

identity, the person’s understanding of who and
what he or she is. Citizenship becomes a salient
basis for political self. The political self is often
define by citizenship. In her book, Democracy and
Citizenship, Ma. Serena Diokno (1997) mentions
that citizenship is the most basic identification
with the nation and as such, is oriented towards
the state and its expressions in law and policy.
 The institutions which influence the values of
citizenship are the family, church, school, media,
government, and non-government organizations. As
such, the political self is also in part defined by
reference to other members in the political group or
community where one belongs.

 The value component of identity construction is

shaped by societal agencies that enter life of the
individual from childhood all the way through
adulthood. The political self and identity are
developed through socialization, through the ways
people learn the knowledge, norms, values, motives,
and roles appropriate to their positions in a group or
community. Social interaction may significantly
influence a person’s understanding of politics.
 Through social interaction, people learn the status,
duties, rights, and power necessary to interact
successfully with other people in the group or
community.

 Throughout life, as individuals meet new people

and join new groups, the political self is influenced
and modified by the opinions, comments, and
suggestions of other people.
 The Origin of Political Self
 The family has hierarchical structure which
requires each member to perform his or her role.
Each position carries a set of rights,
responsibilities, and expectations. Through the
hierarchy of positions, status and power are
ascribed. The family consist of members who differ
in status, obligations, influential member of the
family. Traditionally the father is the most
influential member of the family. He acts as the
leader and establishes rules to maintain order in
the family. He coordinates with the mother in
helping the children perform the roles necessary
for a successful family. From an early age,
individuals are taught to obey and treat parents
with respect and conform to their rules.
 This shows that authority is necessary in the
development of the political self and identity, which is
established by the father and the mother. Children
must be governed; thus there must be some from of
established status and power in the family. The
ordered positions and ascribed roles in the family
prepare children for several and higher roles external
to the family.

 Aristotle considers the state as a natural union of

families, established for the common good under a
definite government. Thus, the family makes the most
contribution to the child’s development of political
self.

 The first and foremost duty of parents is to educate

the children about basic values and belief.
 The family directly and indirectly influences a
person’s political attitudes, views, and beliefs.
The Constitution thus recognizes the duty and
responsibility of parents to educate and train their
children to become good, useful. And worthy
citizens of the country and to prepare them for
future responsibilities.
 Constitution recognizes the vital role of schools in
inculcating among the youth the value of
patriotism and nationalism and encouraging their
involvement in public and civic affairs of the
country. While parents teach their children basic
values and discipline, schools have the
responsibility in the formal education and training
of children.
 One of the responsibilities of school is to teach
moral, spiritual, and political values that will help
the students to become patriotic and morally
upright citizens. The school has a similar structure
to the family, with the teacher acting as the leader
of the group. In terms of the functionality of status
and power, students will more likely comply with
rules in school because it entails serious and
greater consequences.

 The church also helps shape the ideals of

citizenship and democracy through their religious
teaching, values, and traditions. Consequently, how
the family, school, and church emphasize moral
behaviors may also influence political behaviors
and political self.
 On the other hand, peers are also important in
influencing the political self. The family and
school consist of member who are deferent in
status and power. In peer groups, the members
are equal in status. Thus, interaction with peers
encompasses and emphasizes the equal
distribution of power, rights, and privileges among
members of the group.
 Mass media could also be a key source of
information on politics, and thus may influence an
individual’s political values and beliefs.
 Theories of Political Self
 According to the Social learning theory, a person
can acquire learning through observation and
imitation. In imitation, the learner watches the
behavior of another person (model) and then
performs the behavior in a similar way. Observation
and imitation are important in a process known as
political socialization, the lifelong process by which
individuals gain knowledge about politics

 Another theory in political self is the cognitive

theory which suggests that the mental activities
of individuals are important determinants of
behavior (e.g, political attitudes). For example,
individual interpret the meaning of politics and
then choose and decide the actions they will
make.
 The theory of symbolic interaction suggests that
behavior are products of communication, meaning,
and symbols. People give meanings to symbols and
they express these meanings through language and
communication. For example, children develop their
political attitudes according to the symbols and
meanings that their parents communicate to them.

 This recognizes the importance of the theory of

political participation in political self. Political
participation can be defined as citizen’s actions or
activities anchored in politics. Thus, any activity
concerning the government or governance of the
state is an example of political participation.
 Inorder for political participation to work in a
society, a covenant of mutual trust and respect
among members of the society must exist. To
sustain this covenant, there must be an open flow
of communication and feedback from the
members.

 Allmembers must also commit to and take

responsibility fro fostering and maintaining an
environment in which political participation can
occur. For instance, ordinary Filipino citizen must
be allowed to take part in the policy and decision-
making process regarding the administration of
the country which is in accordance to the
democratic nature of the Philippine society.
HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND….
Thanks for Listening