Key Terms
Description of the Word
Chapter 4
American Political Culture
Political culture
p. 80
Political subculture
p. 81
Political ideology
p. 81
Civic duty
p. 84
Civic competence
p. 85
Work ethic
p. 90
Class
consciousness
p. 90
 A share shared way of thinking about
o political and economic life
o how the government should work
 Basic assumptions about how the political
process should operate that distinguish
citizens by region, religion, or other
characteristics
 People who hold a consistent set of views
as to the policies government ought to pursue
 Belief that one has an obligation to participate
in civic and political affairs
 A belief that one can affect government
policies.
 A belief in the importance of hard work and
personal achievement.
 An awareness of belonging to a particular
socioeconomic class whose interests are
different from those of others.
 Example workers vs managers and business
owners.
Orthodox
Person
p. 91
 A person who believes that moral rules are
derived from the commands of God or the
laws of nature
 Person believes that commands and laws
are clear, unchanging, and independent of
individual moral preferences.
 Person believes that traditional morality is
more important than individual liberty and
should be enforced by government and
communal norms.
Progressive
Person
p. 91
Political Efficacy
p. 94
 A person who believes that moral rules are
derived in part from an individual’s beliefs
and the circumstances of modern life.
 Progressives favor
o government tolerance and
o protection of individual choice
 A citizen’s belief that he or she can
understand and influence political affairs.
 2 types: internal and external
Internal efficacy
p. 94
External efficacy
p. 94
 Confidence in a citizen’s own abilities to
understand and take part in political affairs
(internal effectiveness)
 A belief that the system will respond to a
citizen’s demands (external effectiveness)