The etymological structure of this word has Greek origin, it is formed by two elements of that language: idea, defined as "form or appearance" and the suffix logia which refers to the study of something specific.
Personal interest makes room for its origin, based on the needs that keep a certain thought standing. It is independent of the real conditions of the social group because it departs from them by manipulating them for its own interest.
Ideology is characterized by the intention to maintain or change the socio-economic, political or cultural system that prevails in a given society. It analyzes the behavior of the same as a whole and consequently makes a plan to achieve what it considers the ideal as, in short, it represents a society and at the same time provides a political program.
It is a theoretical foundation that determines the desired ideals of life and on the other hand, it is a practical foundation that establishes the set of actions, measures and changes necessary to achieve what you want to achieve.
Beliefs and ideas both personal, group or social framed in a certain area of the individual they define their ideology, their way of thinking.
An ideology encompasses the different spheres of events in a society; political, economic, religious, social, scientific and technological. It can refer both to ideas and thoughts of an individual, of a society and even of historical periods.
When in a society there is a set of specific ideas related to its reality and they are shared and are consciously accepted as true, we are in the presence of the ideology of that social group.
These ideas become a trait that identifies them in a way analogous to their religious values, social class, sex, political tastes, nationality, etc. They can be grouped both in small groups and for example religious sects, as well as in larger groups for example; supporters of political parties, sports teams, etc.
Types of ideologies
In relation to the number of people who agree with certain ideals, these can be classified as:
- Particular.: Refers to the ideological thinking of a single person
- Dominant: When an ideology is extended to a complete community.
- Alternative: When the expectations of a dominant ideology do not satisfy its followers and a restructuring of ideals is encouraged. In relation to their sensitivity to changes, ideologies can be:
- Conservatives: They seek the preservation of the system.
- Revolutionary: They apply unexpected and extreme transformations.
- Reformists: Gradual changes apply
- Restorative: They restructure an existing system.
Ideologies can gradually advance by communicating, monitoring and adjusting with mutual consent of what they consider to be correct or harmful in the social system.
Others are imposed by large groups of many thought manipulative power whose main interest is to influence and control a community, sometimes using means of violence.
These ideological implementation processes do not distinguish a specific social group, they can be institutions, social, political, religious or cultural movements.
Political ideologies.
Fascism
This ideology is based on the idea that power must be concentrated in a leader and the nation over the individual. Full control of collective obedience. The power of man over woman.
Nacionalismo
The defense of territorial identity can encompass different ideological types; economic, ethnic, religious, cultural etc.
Liberalism
It is one that contemplates the division of powers of the state, the rights of individuals and the just administration of justice without underestimating religious values, equality between people and the right to their private property.
Economic ideologies
Capitalism
Its main objective is the accumulation of capital as the backbone of economic activity. In it, the production resources are exclusively privately owned, their operation is based on profit and financial activities are taken on the basis of capital investment. In this ideology everyone involved they behave according to the interests that move themand; the owner of capital (capitalist) goes in search of higher profits; the worker performs the work in order to receive a payment (the salary) and the consumers seek to obtain the best products or services at the price that best suits them. It is often called a free market economy.
Private property is its main axis and the elements that compose it are regulated according to it, namely; entrepreneurial freedom, activity defined by the investor's own interest, price system, business competitiveness and little state intervention.
Communism
It is based on a social organization that does not recognize private property, nor the difference in social classes. Has control of the means of production and ensures to distribute the goods in the same way between the members of the society according to the needs. This system seeks to implement extreme measures in order to expropriate individual property so that it can be exploited by the State.
Socialism
The state is the one who maintains the ownership of the productive means and their administration, it also has the purpose of progressive elimination of social classes. He defends the theory that all major sectors of the economy should be under state control.
Although it looks a bit like communism in its ideological bases, socialism proposes an economic plan where the community is the owner of the means of production and their distribution, or of a centralist government that monopolizes planning and controlling the economy.
Social democracy
It is, in which a peaceful transformation of the capitalist system to socialism is sought with gradual reforms within the system, avoiding avenues of violence. She aims to achieve higher levels of freedom, equality and well-being for the whole society, as well as stimulates values of social justice, solidarity, responsibility, progressivism and humanism.
They disagree with the way in which the market economy distributes resources, however they accept it but seeking state intervention in search of the balance that guarantees economic freedom.
Gender ideologies.
This ideology It is based on the conviction of its supporters, that the social perception of the being prevails over its biological condition, and that its social behavior is more relevant than what its body appears biologically. They reject the biological gender classification (female-male) arguing that it leaves no room for any other option. By adopting the linguistic term "gender" it allows them to refer to three classifications (masculine, feminine and neuter).
They consider that socially, what a person says they are in sexual terms (their psychological sex) should be accepted independently of what they physically identifies biologically (biological sex).
Studies regarding the sexual identity of a person establish the existence of three interdependent aspects to consider; biological sex, psychological sex and sociological sex.
In both men and women there is a close cohesion between their body components, psychic and spiritual as well as biological and cultural.
The supporters of this ideology are mostly homosexual, transgenic, bisexual. This ideology seeks the liberation of man in all areas of society.
The subject of ideologies is so broad and at the same time so complex. Many are related to each other because being a concept specifically inherent to human thought and its social environment, which encompasses all areas of life, inevitably occurs a ideological interaction which makes his study so extensive.
This time we have walked through the most current and controversial ideologies in society and aware that there are many others worth analyzing.