Ideology explained - through ham & cheese sandwiches and running!

Ideology. What does it actually mean? In this blogpost, I’m going to explain it with reference to ham and and cheese sandwiches and running. Curious? Keep reading, it will all become clear.

We’re going to cover four key things in this blog: 1) Definition of ideology and the three essential components of ideology 2) A specific worldview 3) Action to roll it out and 4) Power to get that done.

Ideology - definition

Ideology is a set of beliefs, values and desired outcomes that promote the interests of a particular social group.

Ideology is a set of beliefs, values and desired outcomes that promote the interests of a particular social group.

In other words, there are a group of people who are committed to a particular way of doing things and thinking about things, and this is something that they think everyone should be doing. They believe their worldview is superior and they want other people to live by it.

Components of ideology

Ideology has the following components:

1) Worldview – it’s a set of beliefs and values, a way of life.

2) Action – there’s a desire to do something with it, to establish it more broadly, to kind of impose it on other people.

Ideology is more than about just thinking that a particular approach to life is great – there’s an urge to want to get other people living their lives by this set of values too. It goes beyond thinking, “This is great because I love it”, and it becomes, “This is great, I love it, everyone else should love it too”.

We tend to think about ideology in terms of political belief systems and particular causes in society – environmentalism, socialism, conservatism. But, by relating it to everyday things, we can begin to think more critically about it. Let’s do that now.

Everyday, relatable examples

Have you ever had a friend who’s started a new diet, taken up a new exercise regime or began a new hobby and they’re just gone on and on and one about how great it is, how you should try it. To be perfectly honest, it’s become kind of annoying?

The plant-based friend

Say for example your friend has gone 100% plant based with their diet. They’re asking for oat milk at the coffee shop, they’re not interested in going to McDonalds anymore. They keep saying just how much better they feel, how much more energy they have and how you don’t know what you’re missing by not being plant-based? Every time you take a bite out of your ham and cheese sandwich at lunchtime, you get a lecture about the dark side of meat and dairy.

The running boss

Your boss at work has taken up running. They can’t shut up about it. Every conversation you have with them relates back to running. You talk to them about that nice new restaurant in town and they tell you that they run past that on their new 10k route. You tell them you went to the park at the weekend, and they say there’s a 5k run at that park every Saturday and you should do with them next weekend. No really you should, they’ll pick you up at 0700.

Let’s do some critical thinking here – WHY do you find this annoying? Why do you want to avoid this person now? Why are you relieved when they leave the room?

Because you don’t share their views and you’re feeling really irritated by the way they are trying to change you. You want them to just respect the fact that you adore BigMacs and the only time you’re going to run is if you absolutely have to. Whilst you can see the benefits of their new hobbies or ways of life, good for them, but that’s just not for you and you wish they’d just change the subject.

This is a good way of remembering that ideologies promote the interests of a particular social group. A particular social group. Not all social groups. Not all people. Your friend is a full-on advocate of a plant-based diet, but you aren’t.

If your friend secretly started replacing your ham and cheese sandwich with one made of ham and cheese substitutes, you wouldn’t appreciate that, would you? If your boss decides that your annual bonus next year isn’t going to be based on how many sales you made but how many miles you ran, you’re going to be a bit upset about that, right? Because you don’t share their values and the fact that they’re trying to impose them on you and coerce you into living your life in a particular way makes you angry.

This brings us back to the core components of ideology.

1) Worldview – it’s a set of beliefs and values, a way of life. The plant-based diet is THE way to eat. Running is THE way to stay healthy and fit.

2) Action – there’s a desire to do something with it, to establish it more broadly, to kind of impose it on other people. Your friend fools you into eating fake ham and cheese sandwiches. Your boss makes your bonus dependent on how many miles you ran.

Ideology and power

How have these people been able to impose this ideology on us when they’re something we didn’t agree with? One word – POWER.

We have to look at who has power in these situations. Your friend has the power to trick you into a plant-based diet because you trust them to buy your lunch. Your boss compels you to become a runner because you’re dependent on them for your job. The person imposing the ideology on you can do so because they have POWER over you

When we think about the kinds of ideology we come across as social science students, very often that is social institutions like governments and large influential organisations who have power to implement and ideology because they can use a range of means to shape how people think and behave. Governments and large organisations have the capacity to do this because of the influence they exert over our lives and they can do this in more subtle, gradual ways than in my examples of the plant based friend and running boss!

A government might impose a heavy tax on ham and cheese sandwiches to discourage people from buying them. A major social media platform might push out content on a particular running challenge to encourage people to take it up because all their friends online seem to be doing it.

In order for an ideology to take root and become something that all people subscribe to, it needs to become ‘normal’, common sense, widespread. It needs to get to a stage when it’s weird, abnormal and deviant and sometimes even criminal NOT to be following that ideology. For that to happen, the people who want to implement the ideology need to have power over the people they want to take it up.

Recap

So, that’s been a very quick lesson on ideology, we’ve learned that it is:

• A set of beliefs, values and desired outcomes that promote the interests of a particular social group.

• And that there is a desire to want to establish it in the lives of people beyond that particular social group.

• However, in order to do that, the people who subscribe to that ideology need to have power over the people who do not yet subscribe to that ideology.

Found this blogpost helpful?

If you found this blogpost helpful, sign up for my weekly emails! Every Wednesday, I share tips, advice and time saving hacks for postgrad social science students with the lovely people on my email list. Recent topics have included: structure & agency, conceptual frameworks, how to write an introduction, how to be more critical, and when it’s time to stop reviewing the literature. Sign up by clicking the button below!