What if I told you there was a reason behind why two Republican parents could raised a child that would become a democrat. Sounds weird, right? Its common place for children to share similar political affiliations because that's what their parents infused in them. Even sitting in a college level American Politics class, professionals say that political affiliations develop while you're young due to exposure to a certain belief.
I am a democrat and I have two republican, but not super hardcore, parents. How did this happen? It could've been because my grandmother, a democrat, talked politics with me even before I could form my own educated opinions. However, some new research may say otherwise.
You see, I grew up in a very relaxed home when it came to rules. My parents were compassionate and kind, and not really that strict. My mother would argue that they didn't need to be too strict with my brother and I because we were good kids. Could I have developed a democratic mentality because of the way I was raised? Some new research would say: Yes.
If you follow my articles, you know that I've been listening to podcasts lately; particularly, on the subject of Psychology.
One I've been listening to is from NPR called "Hidden Brain" hosted by Shankar Vedantam.
This particular episode was exploring the link between parenting styles and political affiliations in the United States.
Disclaimer: This doesn't mean this applies to everyone in their beliefs. Everyone is different. However, this finding was significant because of the correlation between parenting and political views.
The significant difference between Democrats and Republicans is, yes, the difference on every opinion under the sun, but also the phrases they use.
The metaphor they used in the podcast was America is a family. And Democrats and Republicans have differences in opinion on how the family should work. Therefore, both opinions of this family use different sentiments and phrases.
This was presented by George Lakoff, a cognitive linguist, who noticed the sentiment differences between Democrats and Republicans in relation to their views on how families should be run.
The "strict father/ parent model" are those parents that are cautious and untrusting when it comes to society. It supports the idea of tough love and the "father" or parent figure knows best. In this model, competition is a positive thing and winning in a competition equals strength and fortitude. These parents believe what is good is what is strong.
Sound familiar? Sounds like the messages about strength and tough love that Republicans have been using for decades.
Nurturing Parent, or empathetic parents, have the perspective that children will be good and healthy is they are empathetic. It is their job to make sure the children have the tools they need to be self fulfilled. These types want to make sure that others have the tools they need to fulfill needs.
Sound familiar? These are aspects Hillary Clinton have been pushing since she announced her candidacy.
"You are first governed in your family," Lakoff said.
Therefore, there is a possibility that the way you were raised could shape the way you see politics later on in life.
