ABSTRACT
Any effort at adequate analysis of political ideologies is contingent upon a clear understanding of what ideologies are, when and how they arose historically, and what functions they perform for individuals, societies, and governments. A clarification of the first issue is particularly helpful for developing a framework for comparative analysis of political ideologies. Definitions of ideology are legion. Some writers emphasize the sociological components of ideology, others its psychological characteristics, and still others its psychocultural features. "Cognitive dimension" refers to an ideology's "world view"-its outlook on society and politics, its perception of social and political reality. An understanding of this dimension, which is the most comprehensive, will put the other four components such as affect: feelings and emotions, valuation: norms and judgments, program: plans and actions, and social base: supporting groups and collectivities, into perspective.
