An ideology is a set of beliefs that can be applied to society and politics. These offer views of how society should be organized and provide a lens for interpreting behavior and events. Ideologies represent a shared mental model for thinking about society and are used to justify social policies, systems and structures. The following are the key things to know about ideology:
Ideology is a system of beliefs.
An ideology is a set of ideas, values and beliefs. For example, progressivism is the belief that society should change rapidly to create social justice and progress.
Ideology influences behavior.
Ideologies drive individuals and groups to take specific actions, whether social, political or economic. For example, protests motivated by a Marxist ideology.
Ideologies offer a worldview.
Ideologies tend to relate to society and don't necessarily offer a complete worldview. However, they commonly contribute to an individual's or group's worldview in some partial way. For example, environmentalist ideology that shapes peoples views of lifestyles and political policies.
Ideologies define societal problems.
Ideologies are used to identify problems in society and to frame these problems. For example, a reactionary ideology that sees crime as an urgent problem and frames this as related to recent social change such as immigration.
Ideologies justify government action.
An ideology is often used to justify social, political or economic policies and programs implemented by governments. For example, in the 19th century, mercantilist ideology supported the use of tariffs to protect domestic industries from foreign competition to ensure that a country exports more than it imports.
Ideologies are shared by groups.
An ideology isn't a personal thing but is a means to align views of society across groups. For example, religious ideologies provide common beliefs and values that unite followers.
Ideologies evolve over time.
Ideologies are not static but change and adapt in response to new social, political and economic circumstances. For example, modern liberalism is actually shifted strongly towards progressivism and away from its roots that centered around individual freedoms.
Ideologies are normative.
Ideologies can provide an expected way to think and behave. For example, capitalism encourages people to pursue self-interest.
Ideologies Are incomplete.
Most ideologies focus on an issue or area and do not offer a complete system for organizing society or life in general. For example, environmentalism is focused on nature and capitalism is focused on markets.
Ideologies can be totalizing.
Although ideologies are often incomplete, they are also sometimes used to explain everything in life. For example, Marxism has been used to explain every human thing whereby it offers a way to organize everything about life. This is a little strange because really it is more of an economic theory and means for organizing markets.
Ideologies simplify issues.
Ideologies take a strong position and often aren't nuanced such that they are used to simplify complex issues. For example, a nationalist ideology that is against anything associated with globalization such as trade agreements or immigration.
Ideologies are persuasive.
Ideologies that are well-known are this way because they are centered around convincing arguments that resonate with people. For example, libertarianism that advocates for a small government that doesn't interfere in people's lives. This may resonate if the government is overly involved in your life in some way.
Ideologies provide identity.
People identify with ideologies. For example, a person who strongly identifies as a Democrat or Republican.
Ideologies can be polarizing.
Ideological beliefs create sharp divisions between individuals or groups leading to conflict, misunderstanding or hostility. This is because ideologies take a strong and uncompromising position without much chance of nuance or middle ground.
Ideologies are linked to power.
Most politicians who rise to power do so on the back of an ideology. Likewise, power structures such as political parties are often linked to an ideology.
Summary
An ideology is a way of thinking about society, events and behavior that is aligned across a group. These play a key role in power and politics. Ideologies are also an element of culture that plays a role in everyday norms and people's sense of identity.
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Ideology
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