Belief Systems and Ideology

Individual and collective commitments to ideology

Origins and expressions of ideologies from a biological, psychological, and social perspective

Intersection of culture, belief, and ideology Individual and social change within

ideologies

Universal ways that humans conceptualize their world

Rules of living applied to everyday events such as how one lives their life and behaves around others.

Influenced by technology, one’s physical environment, institutions, and biology

Use of symbols to express ideologies•Transmits knowledge about a given

culture’s way of doing things• During prehistoric periods, use of

figurative and nonfigurative symbols was widespread and an important part of early human culture

National pride is positively associated with subjective well-being.

“Rally ‘round the flag”• Surges in flag buying and support for political

leaders following threats to one’s county• Terror management theory: awareness of death

is managed by allegiance to cultural worldviews that mitigate thoughts and feelings of terror

Symbols of patriotism• Flags are a major driving symbol in patriotism• Represent powerful sources of identity

Differences in patterns of cognition among political ideologies• Conservatives: tend to be more structured

and determined and possess a lower tolerance for disorder

• Liberals: tend to tolerate complexity and nuance and are more open to novelty

• These personality facets are moderately heritable— suggesting that people are predisposed to some degree to having an orientation to a particular political worldview.

Functions of religion• Moral compass for human beings• Social identity: increased functional

attachments to other people and a sense of belonging

Strong religiosity leads to greater respect for tradition and reduced tolerance for other religions

Incorporate general and specific religious values and beliefs into therapy• Leads to cultural congruence: stronger match

between client’s worldview and treatment Christian accommodative cognitive therapy

• Uses biblical teachings and ideas in guided imagery and restructuring of thoughts

• Positive treatment results with limited testing Utilizing religious-based therapies

• Based on client preferences and skill of practitioner• Must be adapted for each individual

Major groups are associated with ideologies reflecting the needs and goals of those groups.

Intersectionality• Race, gender, and class are not to be

considered separately, as these intersect and are difficult to study in isolation from one another

Intensity• Ideological orientations vary in intensity from

overt hatred to nationalist agendas

Include norms, beliefs, and values common to a minority population into intervention • Relatively weak empirical base and lack of clarity in

the behavior change mechanism ADDRESSING

• Age, developmental disabilities, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, indigenous heritage, national identity, and gender.

• Categories that individuals affiliate with can serve as basis for understanding one’s worldview but cannot lead to fixed ways of viewing others

Disagreements among social scientists about the definition of culture.• Ideals and symbols intrinsically important to a

group of people • Socially transmitted behavior and thought

Why should one understand its meaning?• Its definition shapes both policy and practice• Major aspect in how people live their lives; clients

vary in cultural values and commitments

Two general areas of culture• Symbolic-ideational: aesthetic expressions

found in art and architecture• Materialist-behaviorist

Cultural concept throughout history• Classical antiquity• Medieval• Renaissance

Herodotus (484–425 B.C.E.)• Manners and customs embodied in basic social

institutions such as marriage, religious rituals, death rites, food habits, and language

Thucydides (460–399 B.C.E.)• Culture grows slow and steady and exemplifies

the natural history of change; like a child developing into an adult

Greek Sophists (450–300 B.C.E.)• Culture was created by the interaction of

human reasoning and the social/physical environment

Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406 AD)• Link between classical antiquity and

Renaissance• Three major components of culture:1.There are general laws that are discoverable.2.Subsistence and lines of descent are the

foundation to understand a group’s character.

3.Culture evolves through a series of progressive stages.

Age of Discovery• Early taxonomy• Manners and customs• Lifestyles/rituals

Machiavelli• Human nature causes culture• Drives, wants, needs, conflict• Institutions for order and control

Hobbes• Human nature causes culture• Fear, conflict; institutions for order and

stability

Implicit nature of the cultural concept• Importance of clearly stating how culture is

being defined throughout one’s work Culture as part of the biosocial

system• Culture is entangled in a web of biosocially

based human relationships

Tendency to seek out evidence that nourishes one’s own belief or worldview and ignore/attack evidence that is not consistent or supportive• Hampers reasoning and results in widespread

distortions• High levels hurts the credibility of research

findings and confidence in the decision making of practitioners and policy makers

Childhood Adolescence Adulthood

Children typically like to interact with and make friends with other children who are like them.• Children prefer to make friends with children who

have similar accents rather than similar races. Ideology affects quality of life for children

living in adverse environments.• Higher levels of ideological commitment were

associated with decreased anxiety and depression.

Importance of peer groups•Formed based on shared features such as gender or

ethnicity and common interests Solidification of gender-based expectations

•Boys and girls adopt gender-ideological expectations into their behaviors

Emergence and rapid change in prejudices Importance of religion

•American adolescents are overwhelmingly religious, which can be a source of positive change for helping professionals.

Political ideologies• People left of center early in adulthood shift

right as they reach middle adulthood Models of masculinity across ideologies

1.“No Sissy Stuff”: hide emotions and do not show any strong affinities for “feminine” behavior

2.“The Big Wheel”: earning money for the family and being respected and revered

3.“The Sturdy Oak”: tough and confident and standing tall in difficult times

4.“Give ‘Em Hell”: aggression and risk taking

Patriotism is associated with conflict between groups and cultures. Groups, including nations, rally around symbols such as flags as a way to close ranks against a common enemy.

Groups, such as races, tend to place their needs before others’. Conceptualizations of culture vary significantly between people.

An historical analysis of culture suggests that many older views of this concept were more scientific in nature than they are today.

Confirmatory bias is the tendency of humans to seek out arguments or evidence that nourishes particular beliefs or worldviews and ignore or attack arguments or evidence that is not consistent or supportive of their own. Confirmatory bias is a major impediment to sound reasoning and can result in widespread distortions.

During the life course, ideologies and belief systems affect our behavior in many ways. Ideologies and belief systems are important parts of how we view the world and socialize.