Egalitarian Attitudes of Warsaw Students

stage of mass communication, a middle stage in which voluntary associations become involved, and a final stage in which political institutions are activated. At each stage, however, opinions are relayed through primary groups in which the content is sharpened and clarified. As the public develops, opposing factions develop around organizations that strive for power to invoke decisive action. Their positions are increasingly publicized through mass media and secondary groups. Individual opinions tend to conform to these polar positions. As polarization grows, ambivalent members of the public experience growing external pressure and internal stress that impels them to seek clarification through communication in primary relationships.