Worldviews, otherwise known as mental lenses, are what many people dismiss as just "the way things are" (Olsen, pg. 1). The fact of the matter is the concept of "how things are" can vary from culture to culture depending on their worldview. Worldviews are exactly what they say they are: how an individual or culture views the world. Much of one's worldview is held in the depths of the unconscious. They are more of a "mental reflex" then a consciously thought-out idea. People who go against these worldviews are usually socially outcaste or considered "morally wrong", insane, or criminal.
Worldviews are composed of beliefs, belief-systems, social paradigms, and ideologies; each of which plays a large role in the make-up of a worldview. Each of these segments is dependent on and interrelated to each other. .
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Beliefs, the smallest aspect of a worldview, are ideas about life that its possessors are certain are true and/or "right". When singular beliefs connect in order to deal with complex social issues, they become belief systems which can formulate into paradigms. .
Paradigms are the perceptual and cognitive orientation that a "communicative community" uses to interpret and explain particular aspects of social life. (pg. 4) Though they only pertain to a few aspects of life, they do provide a framework of meaning in which facts can obtain enough significance to become part of a mini-worldview or ideology. .
Both worldviews and social paradigms can be turned into ideologies. Like worldviews and social paradigms, ideologies consist of both beliefs and belief-systems. Ideologies are also used by its advocates for political purposes. It is ideologies that can lead to social paradigm shifts when they become the trigger for a complete transformation of a worldview. .
According to historian of science, Thomas Kuhn, all paradigms are mental creations that can be destroyed by anomalies. (pg. 7) It is these anomalies that cause complete social paradigm changes.
