Psychocultural Approaches. Among the psychocul-
tural approaches to
ideology
, the work of Léon Dion
and of Clifford Geertz may be examined. Dion refers
to
ideology
as “a more or less integrated cultural and
mental structure.” By this he means a pattern of norms
and values that is both objective (cultural) and subjec-
tive (mental). More specifically:
(Dion, p. 49).
Expressing dissatisfaction with the existing ap-
proaches to
ideology
, Clifford Geertz sets out to pro-
vide a more adequate nonvaluational theoretical
framework for its analysis. He approaches
ideology
in
terms of symbols and symbolic action, for he seeks to
show, at least in part, “how symbols symbolize, how
they function to mediate meanings” (Geertz, p. 57).
Geertz's initial assumption is that thought consists
of the construction and manipulation of symbol sys-
tems. Symbol systems, whether cognitive or expressive,
are extrinsic sources of information in terms of which
man's life is patterned (since intrinsic or genetic sources
of information are so few). Symbol systems are extra-
personal mechanisms for perception, judgment, and
manipulation of the world. Culture patterns—whether
religious, scientific, or ideological—are “programs”
that provide a blueprint for the organization of social
and psychological processes. More specifically, states
Geertz, “it is through the construction of
ideologies
,
schematic images of social order, that man makes him-
self for better or worse a political animal” (ibid., p. 63).
Ideology
, in other words, is more than a mere psy-
chological response to strain; it embodies social and
cultural elements as well. Broadly understood,
ideology ![next hit](https://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/icons/default/b_innext.gif)
is a cultural symbol-system that aims to guide man in
his political life. The attempt of an
ideology
to render
confusing social situations meaningful accounts for its
highly symbolic form and for the intensity with which
it may be held. As such: “whatever else
ideologies
may
be... they are, most distinctively, maps of problem-
atic social reality and matrices for the creation of
collective conscience” (ibid., p. 64).
The psychocultural approaches, then, attempt to
unify the mental and the environmental elements in
ideology
. In this view
ideology
requires both a psycho-
logical outlook and a cultural context. Its primary
function is to enable the individual to make sense of
the cultural symbol-system.