The Role of Personality Development and Experience in Shaping Political Commitment: An Illustrative Case

Abstract

This paper highlights some complex relationships between personal experience and political behavior through a detailed analysis of the emergence and consolidation of political beliefs in one individual's life. We argue that conceptualization of the relationship between personal experience and political action should take account of (1) the centrality of political values in an individual's identity; (2) the individual's life stage and life history; and (3) the individual's current situation, including the reference group that frames the individual's perception of the situation. In an analysis of Vera Brittain, we find that political events taking place in adolescence shaped her broad ideological commitments, and that political events in later life were experienced as demanding expression of beliefs formed earlier. Finally, with the appearance of a need to be “generative,” or to contribute to the future, Brittain experienced a strong need to translate her beliefs and values into responsible political action.