Inspired Citizens: How Our Political Role Models Shape American Politics

Political role models are people that voters form a connection with, and who provoke them to think differently about and engage with politics. Inspired Citizens examines the impact role models have in American politics through the lens of political psychology. Jennie Sweet-Cushman investigates how citizens, especially marginalized ones, can be influenced by the presence of political role models. She asks critical questions: Do role models increase political participation and strengthen American democracy? Do role models encourage candidate emergence? Sweet-Cushman develops Inspired Citizenship Theory to show that political role models can have motivating effects on one’s political citizenship and may, in some case, insulate those who have been traditionally marginalized in American politics. Moreover, she asserts that citizens who have political role models possess very different political behaviors and attitudes than those who do not. Inspired Citizens also considers the often-conflicting pressures and messages political role models project to citizens. Sweet-Cushman posits that role models inspire political action most effectively when they fulfill highly individualized expectations for role model identity, spurring deeper connection and a desire to emulate. Inspired Citizens strengthens our understanding of what we should (and should not) look to political figures for in guiding democratic behaviors and inspiring productive citizenship. Contents Acknowledgments 1. Role Models in American Politics 2. The Psychological Impact of Role Models 3. Role Models in Political Science 4. Political Role Models and Everyday Jane 5. Political Role Models and Candidate Jane 6. Political Role Models Gently Shaping the American Political Landscape? 7. See It? Be It?: Political Role Models Encouraging Political Candidacies 8. Political Role Models Good, Politicians Bad? Appendix Notes References Index "Inspired Citizens enhances our understanding of how political role models function and affect political behavior in the United States. It explores what impact role models have on political participation and on candidate emergence, building a political science theory of role model effects which the author terms Inspired Citizenship Theory"--