Although socialization which can be defined as a process continuing from birth to death causes to important alterations in every stage of life, researches reveal that childhood become a substantial factor in the context of formation of...
moreAlthough socialization which can be defined as a process continuing from birth to death causes to important alterations in every stage of life, researches reveal that childhood become a substantial
factor in the context of formation of adult personality. Childhood games are an important part of socialization process like family, school, entourage, corporate and non-corporate communication environments. In these games, positions, rules and responsibilities can be stated as some of the factors effecting formation of personality.
This study deals with the impacts of the characters in the games played in childhood on the political attitudes and behaviours in adulthood. In accordance with this purpose, a survey is conducted in Gumushane University Faculty of Communication. Faculty has 600 students. About 66 percent of students are interviewed. The survey is implemented by author in classroom.
The survey has two sections. First section has 58 items concerned characters in childhood games. These sections involve items about how students identify their characters in childhood games. The answers are “strongly disagree” (1), “disagree” (2), “undecided” (3), “agree” (4),
“strongly agree” (5). Second sections of the survey consist of questions concerned sociodemographic attributes, political attitudes and behaviours of participant.
Primarily, the obtained data in this study are analysed with factor anaylsis for revealing characters by which students identify themselves in childhood games. Descriptive statistics techniques are used for both factors determined with factor analysis and questions concerned sociodemographic and political variables. Correlations analysis is used for revealing correlation between factors. In addition to this, independent samples T-test and One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used for proving whether there are significant differences between factors and sociodemographic / political variables or not.
In this study, four factors are determined in the context of game characters in childhood. These factors are “the character who likes the group games”, “compatible and tolerant character”, “passive character” and “confrontational character”. One of the most important conclusions
revealed in analysis realized between these factors and political attitudes /behaviours is that individuals having the “confrontational character” in childhood games are more likely political than the others in their adulthood. Accordingly, this study reveals that “confrontational character” in childhood games increases the attention to politics, desires to participate in politics, oneself defining of individual as leader and tendency to radical ideologies. None the less, it is concluded that passive character has a reverse effect. Manifestation of aggression doesn’t reduce aggression tendency in the future. On the contrary, it increases (Kağıtçıbası, 2010:387).
Therefore, it can be said that aggression tendency in childhood influences the political behaviours in adulthood in terms of political practice which potently becomes conflict. The study found that there is statically significant difference between confrontational character and political opinions of participants. Those who define themselves as confrontational character, express their ideology as more radical. In this regard, it can be thought that radical political opinions are affected from
personality in childhood games. When it is considered in terms of the level of interest in politics,
the study reveals significant difference between the level of interest in politics and confrontational character. According to the conclusions, those who say that the level of interest in politics is high identify themselves as confrontational character. However; it is founded that there is significant difference between political engagement, confrontational character and passive character. Passive character has less willingness than confrontational character in terms of active
participation in politics. For this reason, confrontational character increases the interest and willingness of active participation in politics. In the analysis performed in the sense of defining themselves of participants as having leadership traits, it is observed that there is significant difference between confrontational character and passive character. The main difference observed herein is that participants who have confrontational character in childhood games define themselves as having more leadership traits than the others in adulthood. When leaders are considered as confident individuals, Participants who defines themselves as having leadership traits have confrontational character in childhood games reveals interaction between games and
political attitudes / behaviours.
In the study, it is found that there is a significant difference between confrontational character and gender. According to this, it is observed that men have more likely confrontational character than
women. However, other findings of the study reveal that participants having confrontational character in childhood games have more likely political attitudes and behaviours than the others. In this regard, this conclusion promotes that men generally have more likely confrontational personality than the women. According to the conclusions in another study, while women are more likely than men in terms of engaging in private activism, men are more likely to have
engaged in direct contact, collective types of actions and be members of political parties (Coffe ve Bolzendahl, 2010: 318). This situation can be commented like that men generally have a political personality.
This study reveals the influences of the personality by which one has by childhood games on political attitudes and behaviours in adulthood as part of above data. Literature doesn’t have adequate study which deals with influences of childhood games on political attitudes
and behaviours. Therefore, conclusions which are proved on different sample groups in the field are important. Especially in developed countries, when it is thought that an uninterested generation to politics increases, it can be revealed a perspective in terms of the future
political attitudes and behaviours of societies with these and similar studies.
Key Words: Political Communication, Political Attitude, Political Behaviour, Game, Child, Personality.
