YETİŞKİNLERDE YURTSEVERLİK TUTUMLARININ ÇEŞİTLİ DEĞİŞKENLER AÇISINDAN İNCELENMESİ

A significant value that each citizen should have is patriotism, which refers to the action of protecting, loving and exalting the land one lives on. It entails a deep feeling affection towards the country and nation. A patriot boasts about the successes of his/her nation and protects moral and material values. In addition, a patriot is someone who shares the grief felt by fellow citizens from different ethnic backgrounds. In this regard, a common language, history and culture play a significant role in the development of the feelings of patriotism. This study aims to study imprudent and positive attitudes towards patriotism with respect to several variables. A descriptive survey design was adopted in the study, in which the sample is composed of randomly selected adults living in provinces, counties, towns and villages in Turkey. To collect the data, the researchers used “Patriotism Attitude Scale” (PAS) originally developed and fully validated by Schatz, Staub and Lavine (1999) and later adapted into Turkish by Yazıcı and Yazıcı (2010a). The data were analyzed using SPSS 1.8.0 after the scores were calculated based on information from personal information form and based on the properties of the data collection instrument. In line with the research questions, frequency, mean, t-test and one-way ANOVA were used. Patriotism attitude scores were examined in terms of such variables as gender, income, political views, place of residence, educational background, occupation, watching the news, how often and how much they read and frequency of going to the cinema. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between attitudes of imprudent and positive patriotism with respect to different variables. It was found that the differences mostly resulted from intellectual, social and cultural variables. Except for two variables; that is, gender and watching the news regularly, there was a significant difference between the scores of imprudent and positive patriotism as regards such variables as income, educational background income, political views, place of residence, occupation, reading and going to the cinema in imprudent patriotism scores in adults. However, there was not a statistically significant differences in terms of positive patriotism scores. Constructive patriotism attitudes of adults in Turkey do not show significant difference in terms of some variables. However, significant difference is more obvious in terms of blind patriotism. The most significant difference was seen in terms of the places adults live in, educational level, profession and political views. While the place the participating adults made significant difference between patriotism attitude scores in terms of blind patriotism, no significant difference in terms of constructive patriotism was seen. As the size of residential area becomes smaller, i.e. as one goes from cities to counties, from towns to villages, blind patriotism scores increase.The patriotism attitude scores of adults show difference in terms of education levels. As education levels decrease, blind patriotism attitude scores increase. Blind patriotism decrease in university graduates and in those with postgraduate degree. Critical-rational thinking skills increase in adults with high education level. It was seen thatthere was a strong link between critical thinking and constructive patriotism. As a matter of fact, a significant difference was seen in constructive patriotism attitude scores of individuals with postgraduate degree. An interesting finding to be noted here is that individuals without education have low blind patriotism emotions. This can be attributed to patriotism education given in primary and secondary schools. Idealist education which is based on racist-chauvinist emotions might have strengthened blind patriotism. Blind patriotism decrease as intellectual interest increase. When patriotism scores of the adults participating the study are taken into consideration, significant difference was seen. Blind patriotism attitude scores of the adults working in the public sector were lower compared to farmers and unemployed ones. Public workers’ having high blind patriotism attitude scores compared to those from other professional group can be attributed to their higher intellectual interest levels. Public workers are expected to have blind low patriotism attitudes if not constructive patriotism attitudes as they are more literate, keep up to date and acquire more extravert, constructive and rational behaviors. A significant difference was seen patriotism attitude scores of the adults participating the study in terms of monthly income levels. As income levels decrease, blind patriotism scores increase. By the same token, it was seen that those with high income level had high constructive patriotism scores. Interestingly, it is not explicable that a small group with high income level had low constructive patriotism scores. In general, all over the world it is expected that adults with small bourgeois tendencies have republican-constructive patriotism attitudes. This is different in our country. In Turkey, some circles with high income level have not been able to break dogmatic patterns. In our study a significant difference between patriotism attitudes in terms of political view was seen. While blind patriotism attitudes of participating adults who defined themselves as social democrat, socialist and liberal were lower compared to those of who defined themselves as rightists, nationalist and conservative. The constructive patriotism attitudes of adults who define themselves as social democrat, socialist and liberal were higher compared to their blind patriotism attitude scores. Higher blind patriotism scores of adults who define themselves as rightists can be attributed to obedient idea. Traditional and Conservative circles credit obedient idea more. A significant difference was seen in blind patriotism attitudes in terms of having the habit of reading regularly. Accordingly, blind patriotism attitudes of adults who do not read books regularly were higher compared to those who read books. When compared in terms of constructive patriotism, the difference between thosewho read books and who do not read books is not obvious. Blind patriotism attitudes of adults who do not read books is more apparent.There is a significant difference between blind patriotism scores of adults in terms of the habit of going to the cinema. Blind patriotism attitude scores of people who go to the cinema less frequently are high. This is meaningful in terms of intellectual interest. There is not a significant difference between those who do not go to the cinema and those who go to the cinema in terms of constructive patriotism attitude scores. In other words, we cannot say that those who go to the cinema are more constructive patriot. As a result, patriotism attitudes of adults in Turkey show difference in terms of various variables. While there is a significant difference between blind patriotism scores of individuals in terms of social and cultural factors, difference in constructive patriotism is not very obvious. Constructive patriotism will increase as democratic culture and education level increase, welfare becomes widespread. In Turkey, blind patriotism attitudes of rightist adults are higher than those of leftists. These data can be used to develop social policies and to direct education. Besides, these results can provide a theoretical point of view to develop democratic culture and to create a room for maneuver for political discussions.