Final answer:
In the representational view, members of Congress adopt delegate, trustee, or politico models to balance the interests of their constituents with national concerns. They face challenges in maintaining collective representation and navigating complex political pressures, yet Congress as an institution often receives low approval ratings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The representational view of how members of Congress behave includes several models that explain how legislators perceive their role in serving their constituents and the nation. The main models are the delegate model, the trustee model, and a hybrid known as the politico model. Under the delegate model, representatives aim to directly enact the wishes of their constituents. In contrast, the trustee model suggests that members of Congress should act on what they believe is in the best interests of their constituents and the nation, exercising their own judgment. The politico model is a blend of the two, where representatives act as trustees or delegates based on rational calculations about the needs of the constituency or the nation.
Members of Congress must navigate complex challenges given constituent diversity, competing party demands, strong ideologies, and the sometimes contradictory pressures of nationalism versus localized interests. Moreover, they operate within a system where collective representation seeks to ensure that the institution of Congress as a whole represents the American populace, a task made difficult by the nation's vast diversity. Issues like campaign funding and the balance between national legislative responsibilities and local representation add to the complexity of a Congress member's role.
Finally, descriptive representation is another viewpoint, where the focus is on how well the composition of Congress mirrors the demographics of the nation. Despite efforts to represent constituent interests and maintain popularity, Congress as an institution often has low approval ratings, contrasting with the high reelection rates of individual members.