Strict Father And Nurturant Parenting Styles: Metaphors For Political Ideologies with George Lakoff, Ph.D.

MP3 Download George Lakoff compares two opposing political ideologies with two distinct parenting styles. He explains that the strict disciplinarian parent parallels conservative ideology, and the nurturant empathetic parent parallels progressive ideology. Lakoff identifies the strengths and weaknesses in these two communication systems and the framing of their messages. Lakoff’s research has determined that framing matters because it unconsciously rules perception. Morality and freedom become the ultimate message in each ideology, but the framing of these concepts varies. For example, Lakoff writes that all politics has a moral base, but each political ideology frames its message of morality differently. He explains that the strict father model holds discipline and morality to be inseparable. The logic behind that assertion is “that if you become internally disciplined, you can go out into the world and become prosperous…If you’re not disciplined, you can’t be moral, so you deserve yo