The democracy of the 21st century begins in the families of today

Abstract

Democratic relations repose upon the democratic culture, whose fundamentals each young person assimilates from the family environment. It depends upon the parents what kind of relations they will build up in the family, and whether or not they will teach their children democratic principles; and also, whether or not they will through their upbringing consciously lay the foundations for democratic relations in the wider community. The characteristics which are of importance for the psychological basis of democracy include: patience and tolerance, acceptance of responsibility, capacity for dialogue, independence and self-reliance. While the basic models of behaviour are, naturally, developed during child­ hood, they may also be developed by adults through contact with others of importance to them, and in an environment which is emotionally important to them. Since the majority of the most powerful emotional bonds are still to be found within the family, we would need further training and education of adults for living in the family community, a nd also with the aim of developing democratic relations.