My Personal Ideological Framework

A person’s ideological framework, the lense through which they see the world and form opinions about policies and how systems should be run are influenced by their environment. They are influenced by factors of time and space. They are influenced by the people and events of their past and present. Through reflection of my own personal ideological framework, I realize that there is a stark difference between my surroundings at home in Rockaway, New Jersey before college, and my surroundings as a college student at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. This conflict (or perhaps collaboration) between my ideological experiences before college, and my present life, are what makes my beliefs my own. The integration of conservative and liberal beliefs and values shape the way I see the world today.
Before analyzing how my framework is influenced by my environment, there are a few internal factors.

Growing up, I didn’t take much interest in politics. I rarely watched the news or read a newspaper to catch up on current events. Politics had always seemed abstract and inconsequential to my life, and I thought that it what went on in government buildings had no important effect on my day-to-day activities. I was often hesitant to voice my opinion or take stances on issues because I do not know much about them. Any beliefs I held were most likely the beliefs that my parents and other family members held. Once I turned eighteen, and had the right to vote, I realized that I had the responsibility to be an active and informed citizen. Going to college, and being around peers who were knowledgeable than me about politics was a sort of wake-up call for me, alerting me to start caring about the people who are running my town, state, and country. I have the power to vote and voice my ideas in my community and in this