Berelson's Theory Of Democracy

Berelson et. al. introduces the idea that we struggle to live up to an ideal political society. He states that we are influenced by the behavior put forth from the government. His main claim is that there is a main impact of realistic research in contemporary politics which need further requirements to have traditional normative arguments. Berelson brings up small situations in where an average democratic should possess certain qualities. Theses qualities should then determine how they should act in out system of government in the United States. His reason for gives example of how and what a democratic should behave shows how, in reality, uninformed our society is in making long lasting political decisions. His first example is that the average …show more content…
He states “in order for the democratic system to work, we need to practice discussion…” He states that discussions between political candidates and its potential voters leads to moral understanding of how much their vote counts in the political government. The relationship between the candidates, representatives, and voters in debates and discussion does actually heavily influence how knowledgeable the voter will be in making their decision. He also states that there is an assumption in the underlying of the theory of democracy. This theory is that citizens actually possess a strong motivation for participation in their political life. Berelson attempts to prove this theory through examples dealing with knowledge, principle, and rationality. He states an example of being knowledgeable in where an average citizen is expected to know the issues, policies, history, facts, party facts, alternatives and consequences in order to make an effective voting decision. This makes the vote more of worth and more factual in the sense that the voter knows exactly what they are getting themself into. Berelson claims that the average voter uses more of their …show more content…
Political Socialization is the process of how individuals acquire their knowledge on political beliefs and values. We obtain these skills better in our childhood rather than our adulthood. In addition, there is a significant numbers of contributing agents that affect how a person identifies with their political views. Agents such as family, peers, school, race, age, and religion play big roles. These all focus of the basis of American ideals and their native ideals. The idea of “being apart of a group” illuminate the fact that Americans tend to be bandwagons when it comes to politics. To relate this to the agents of political socialization, family is one of the first factors you are introduced with in how you shape your political views as a child. Studies have shown how most citizens don’t know how to vote correctly only because they feel as if they don't know enough information to make sensible decisions. Citizens often vote according to how closely they relate to their race, gender, and partisanship of the potential