Political development as agency

Political socialization is about the external factors that influence young people's interest and involvement in politics and society. The basic assumption in the literature is that parents, peers, teachers and other adults, and the media, raise this interest in their children, adolescents, and young adults. There is a different way of thinking. It is that young people are agents of their own political development. Some have a growing interest in politics and society. They begin to discuss with their parents, peers, teachers, and other adults. They seek information on the Internet and they are talking to others on this medium. They try to keep themselves informed in different ways about what happens in society. In short, they drive their own political development.

In this research project we use different theoretical models to see young people as agents in their political development. It is, for example, self-determination theory and theoretical models that are being developed in the project.