Political Psychology

Political psychology studies the psychological processes underlying political behaviour — perception, emotion, personality, and cognition in political life.

Scope

It covers authoritarianism and political personality, political cognition and decision-making, intergroup attitudes, and the psychology of leaders and conflict.

Core questions

• How do personality and emotion shape political behaviour?
• How do political leaders perceive and decide?
• What are the roots of authoritarian and prejudiced attitudes?
• How does cognition bias political judgment?

Key concepts

• Authoritarianism
• Political cognition
• Misperception
• Emotion in politics
• Leader psychology
• Intergroup attitudes

Key theories

The authoritarian personality

Adorno and colleagues linked personality structure to susceptibility to fascism and prejudice.

Perception and misperception

Jervis applied cognitive psychology to foreign-policy decision-making and the misperceptions that drive conflict.

History

Political psychology grew from studies of authoritarianism (Adorno) and the application of cognitive and social psychology to mass politics and to elite decision-making (Jervis), and now spans emotion, identity, and behavioural approaches.

Debates

Personality versus situation in politics

Whether political behaviour is driven more by enduring dispositions or by situational and informational factors.

Key figures

• Theodor Adorno
• Robert Jervis

Seminal works

• adorno-1950
• jervis-1976

Frequently asked questions

What is the authoritarian personality?

A personality syndrome, identified by Adorno et al., marked by submission to authority and hostility to out-groups, linked to anti-democratic attitudes.