Political Socialization Scale

Abstract

The Political Socialization Scale (PSS) is a 26-item instrument developed by Jabali, Khalili, and Jabali in 2024. It was specifically designed to investigate the relationship between the formation of political beliefs, psychological resilience, and symptoms of PTSD among a highly specific population: Palestinian men engaged in resistance activities against the Israeli occupation, particularly those involved in confrontations on Mount Sabih. The scale utilizes items adapted from existing, reliable measures to operationalize various facets of political socialization.

The scale’s initial application demonstrated that the underlying structure of the construct could be described by four main factors. However, the initial publication did not report detailed psychometric data regarding the scale’s internal consistency (reliability) or construct validity, suggesting that further validation work is required for widespread academic use.

Keywords

Political Socialization, Psychological Resilience, PTSD, Palestinian Resistance, Mount Sabih, Citizenship, National Identity, Political Attitudes, Scale Development, Self-Report.

Authors

Jabali, Oqab, Khalili, Fakher, Jabali, Saqer

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Political Socialization Scale is twofold. First, it aims to quantitatively measure the degree and nature of political socialization—encompassing knowledge, commitment, and political involvement—within a population subjected to extreme political conflict and trauma. Second, the scale serves as a key variable in examining how high levels of political socialization influence mental health outcomes, specifically mitigating the impact of trauma (as evidenced by resilience levels) and exacerbating or reducing symptoms of PTSD.

The study context is unique, focusing on individuals actively engaged in resistance, thus providing insight into how deeply internalized political identity functions as a psychological resource or stress moderator during conflict exposure.

Construct

The scale is designed to measure the construct of Political Socialization. This construct refers to the process by which individuals acquire political attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors relevant to their political system and national identity. As operationalized by the 26 items, the scale appears to tap into several dimensions of this construct, including:

• National Knowledge and Commitment: Awareness of historical struggles, understanding of civic rights and responsibilities, and adherence to the law.
• Patriotism and Identity: Deeply rooted love for the country, often linked to faith, and the embodiment of patriotic role models.
• Political Engagement: Active participation in political seminars, discussions, and resistance activities (e.g., protests).
• Democratic Values: Endorsement of political partnership, rejection of centralized power, and support for democracy, justice, and diversity of opinion.

Validity

Information regarding the specific types of validity (e.g., content validity, criterion validity, or convergent validity) for the Political Socialization Scale was not explicitly provided in the initial published study. The authors state that the 26 items were derived from existing, reliable scales, which suggests an attempt at establishing content validity through item selection. However, formal statistical evidence supporting the scale’s measurement accuracy in this specific context is currently unavailable in the source material.

Reliability

Similarly, definitive reliability statistics, such as Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency or test-retest reliability, were not included in the primary source document detailing the scale’s development and application. Researchers intending to use the PSS should conduct independent reliability assessments to ensure consistent measurement within their target populations.

Factor Analysis

The application of the Political Socialization Scale in the initial study indicated the presence of four main factors underlying the 26 items. These factors represent distinct dimensions of the political socialization process captured by the scale. While the specific names or item loadings for these factors were not detailed in the source content, the finding of a multi-factorial structure confirms that political socialization, as measured here, is a complex, multi-dimensional construct rather than a unitary trait.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological assessment tool

Format: The scale consists of 26 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale. The scoring system assigns higher values to stronger agreement with the socialization statements:

• strongly agree = 4
• agree = 3
• disagree = 2
• strongly disagree = 1

Language Available: Arabic (Implied Original Language)

Population Group: Palestinian men

Age Group: Adult (Specific age range not provided)

Population Details: Individuals engaged in resistance activities against the Israeli occupation forces in the Mount Sabih region.

Test Methodology: The scale was administered to Palestinian men involved in resistance activities as part of an empirical study investigating the interaction between political socialization, psychological resilience, and trauma symptoms.

Keywords

Political Attitudes, National Identity, Resistance, Trauma, Psychometrics, Self-Report Instrument, Middle East Conflict, Civic Engagement, Oqab Jabali, Fakher Khalili, Saqer Jabali.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in the source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in the source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in the source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 2024

Permissions and Fee: Information regarding specific permissions for use or associated fees must be obtained directly from the authors or the journal publisher, European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation.

Reference’s

Jabali, Oqab, Khalili, Fakher, & Jabali, Saqer. (2024). Political socialization and its impact on psychological resilience and PTSD among individuals engaged with Israeli occupation forces on Mount Sabih. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, Vol 8(2). DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2024.100413

Items of the Political Socialization Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I possess an extensive knowledge and comprehensive understanding of the historical events and struggles of my country.
2. I am committed to fulfilling my obligations as a responsible citizen.
3. I have acquired a substantial repertoire of patriotic and revolutionary anthems and songs through memorization.
4. My love for my country is deeply rooted in my faith and is an integral aspect of my belief system.
5. I consistently strive to exhibit exemplary citizenship through my actions and behaviors.
6. I have a thorough comprehension of my rights and responsibilities toward my nation.
7. I actively engage in political and national seminars and events.
8. I maintain a personal library that encompasses literature pertaining to the Palestinian cause.
9. Political and national dialogs and debates frequently occur within my household and among my family members.
10. I consistently adhere to the principles of the law in both my words and deeds.
11. I actively encourage others to develop a love for our country and to make sacrifices on its behalf.
12. I consider myself a role model of patriotism, inspiring others through my actions.
13. I firmly believe that I have a role to play in the realization of the dream of establishing an independent Palestinian state.
14. I endorse the concept of political partnership between all Palestinian factions.
15. I reject the concentration of power within the hands of a single Palestinian entity.
16. I strongly advocate for the values of democracy and justice within Palestinian society.
17. I vehemently oppose any form of tribal, factional, partisan, or regional discrimination and fanaticism.
18. I actively encourage others to participate in political events and initiatives.
19. I am deeply engaged in following the political developments within my country.
20. I actively engage in discussions surrounding political matters concerning others.
21. I actively involve myself in volunteer work, such as street cleaning, wall painting, and tree planting.
22. I firmly believe that elections represent the most effective means of transferring power.
23. I embrace the diversity of opinions and perspectives among my fellow countrymen.
24. I openly criticize abuses and corruption cases, regardless of the individuals involved.
25. I steadfastly support the families of martyrs, prisoners, and the wounded.
26. I actively participate in protests against the practices of the Zionist occupation.