Dynasty building through family's influence on career choice.

Abstract

This study revolves around the concept of dynasty building, specifically, on the influence of the family's work values on one's career choice, which may potentially lead to his/her entry into politics. Two (2) groups of participants were identified in this study: members from both political and non-political families. Each group consists of at least three (3) respondents chosen under two criteria: first, they are part of a family whose members are in the same profession, and second, either they have already pursued, or they intend to pursue a similar career in the near future. The data was gathered through personal interviews and reviews of various literatures on psychology, anthropology and political dynasties. The findings revealed that the respondents perceived the influence of a family's work values based on six (6) factors: (1) perception about work as a child, (2) family socialization and upbringing, (3) perception about work as an adult, (4) living by the family legacy, (5) selfrealizations and personal satisfaction, and (6) benefits of pursuing the same career. The cycle of dynasty building assumes when political family members pursue political careers. The study revealed that pursuing one career path down the family line, whether political or non-political in nature, leads to dynasty building. If, for instance, a non-political family came from a line of doctors, it is very likely that the new generation of that family line will take after the same profession. The same holds true for political families pursuing political careers. When the family matriarch establishes a stronghold in the political arena and the younger generations choose to follow suit, a political dynasty can easily be in the works.