Ideology, in my own words, is how people think and what they consider to be valuable. And further, how these thoughts and values are in direct correlation with their political affiliations and societal beliefs.
An example of ideology is one’s stance on abortion. Some believe women should have a choice to abort a baby, while others are against abortion no matter the circumstances. The different positions on abortion lend to religious debates, discussions of opposing social views, arguments of economic impacts. The individual’s core ideological beliefs determine which side of this topic they stand.
Ideology is greatly influenced by your upbringing and environment, whether it be family or social groups. Parents or guardians may have the most influence on a child’s ideology. A child who is born into a home of gang members may very likely grow up as gang member. As a baby that child grows up wearing the colors affiliated with that gang. The child grows up attending gang functions. That gang is socially acceptable to that child.
A community may have an ideology that helps shape the belief system of that entire neighborhood. There are neighborhoods called Planned Unit Developments (PUDS). These are homes that have a board and a system of rules: the grass may need to remain cut, the trash is placed in specific locations, noise levels are governed, etc . . . Anyone who obeys these rules may be deemed an outcast. The community values these regulations.
Conservatives would like the government to be less involved, unless it is to benefit their business. They oppose many economic benefits for the disadvantaged. Conservatives support strong military and police presence. And they promote their religious beliefs. Liberals, on the contrary, believe that government involvement and regulation benefit the country. They are supportive of economic benefits for those in need. The Liberals would rather cut funds for defense and the military and direct those funds to more socially impactful efforts. The Liberals oppose laws based on religious beliefs but believe that individuals should be allowed to make their own choices. Gender has been a dividing topic for years now. Many conservatives are supporting Trump with the stance that there are only two genders: male and female. Many liberals are supportive of people having the freedom to identify with a gender that differs from the sexual organ they were born with.
Althusser’s definition of ideology is that societies belief system and behaviors are formed using some type of apparatus. He presents the idea of repressive ideology which controls society through fear using police courts and prison. And repressive apparatuses are only need when the state apparatuses fail. State apparatuses include schools, politics, and mass media. He argued that schools are a state apparatus used to train children for a capitalist society. For example, the students are told when to arrive and when to leave; the same behavior they will utilize when employed as an adult. The students are told to speak when spoken to or called on; the same behavior displayed on many jobs where the employee submits to the authority of the employer.
