Political psychology investigates politics, politicians and political behavior through psychological perspectives, while also examining psychological processes through a socio-political lens, so that the relationship between the two fields runs in both directions. The interdisciplinary field draws on anthropology, economics, history, international relations, journalism, media studies, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology, examining how beliefs, motivation, perception, cognition, information processing, learning, socialization and attitude formation shape phenomena including leadership, domestic and foreign policy, ethnic violence, war, genocide, group conflict, racist behavior, voting, nationalism and political extremism.
Facts
Central QuestionPolitical psychology asks how psychological processes such as beliefs, motivation, perception and information processing shape political behavior, and how political context in turn shapes those same psychological processes. 1 Key DebateThe authoritarian personality theory, developed after World War II to explain susceptibility to fascism, carries acknowledged weaknesses in its F-scale measure and may have been more relevant to the period in which it was produced than to political behavior generally, a limitation later researchers such as Bob Altemeyer tried to address with revised trait-based measures. 1 Level of Analysis Connections
Associated With
His social identity theory is widely applied in political psychology to explain group-based political behavior.
Includes
Source Wikipedia: Ballot Order Effect
Source Bradley effect - Wikipedia
Source Drawbridge mentality (Wikipedia)
Source Jim Sidanius (Wikipedia)
Source John Jost (Wikipedia)
Source Low information voter (Wikipedia)
Source Philip E. Tetlock (Wikipedia)
Source Social dominance theory, Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia: System Justification Theory
Source White backlash (Wikipedia)
Related Branch
Source Political psychology
Sources
1. Political psychology
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening sentence
Political psychology (or psychology of politics) is an interdisciplinary academic field, dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective, and psychological processes using socio-political perspectives.
Frameworks for assessing personality, The authoritarian personality section
There are many weaknesses associated with this syndrome and the F-scale. It may have been more relevant during the period in which it was produced, being shortly after World War II.
Lead
dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective
Related Branch: Group Dynamics, Article text
Political psychological theory and approaches have been applied in many contexts such as: leadership role; domestic and foreign policy making; behavior in ethnic violence, war and genocide; group dynamics and conflict; racist behavior; voting attitudes and motivation; voting and the role of the media; nationalism; and political extremism.
View the Source Low information voter (Wikipedia)
Includes: Low Information Voter, Lead sentenceQuote, Includes: Low Information Voter, Lead sentence
Low information voters, also known as misinformation voters, are people who may vote yet are generally poorly informed about issues.
Drawbridge mentality (Wikipedia)
Includes: Drawbridge Mentality, Lead sentenceQuote, Includes: Drawbridge Mentality, Lead sentence
Drawbridge mentality, also known as fortress mentality, is a conservative and anti-immigrant attitude of prior immigrants in an established community.
White backlash (Wikipedia)
Includes: White Backlash, Lead sentenceQuote, Includes: White Backlash, Lead sentence
White backlash, white rage, whitelash, and white grievance are terms used by some scholars and commentators to describe reactions by certain white individuals or groups to social, economic, or political changes related to race.
Bradley effect - Wikipedia
Includes: Bradley Effect, Lead sentenceQuote, Includes: Bradley Effect, Lead sentence
The Bradley effect, less commonly known as the Wilder effect, is a theory concerning observed discrepancies between voter opinion polls and election outcomes in some United States government elections where a white and a non-white candidate run against each other.
Jim Sidanius (Wikipedia)
Includes: Jim Sidanius, LeadQuote, Includes: Jim Sidanius, Lead
He won the 2006 Harold Lasswell Award for "Distinguished Scientific Contribution in the Field of Political Psychology"
John Jost (Wikipedia)
Includes: John T. Jost, Lead, political ideologyQuote, Includes: John T. Jost, Lead, political ideology
John Thomas Jost (born 1968) is an American social psychologist best known for his work on system justification theory and the psychology of political ideology.
Philip E. Tetlock (Wikipedia)
Includes: Philip E. Tetlock, LeadQuote, Includes: Philip E. Tetlock, Lead
is a Canadian-American political psychologist and writer
Wikipedia: System Justification Theory
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: System Justification Theory, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: System Justification Theory, Lead section
System justification theory is a theory within social psychology that system-justifying beliefs serve a psychologically palliative function.
Wikipedia: Ballot Order Effect
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Ballot Order Effect, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Ballot Order Effect, Lead section
The ballot order effect refers to the effect of voting behavior based on the placement of candidates' names on an election ballot.
Social dominance theory, Wikipedia
Includes: Social Dominance Theory, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Social Dominance Theory, Lead section
Social dominance theory (SDT) is a social psychological theory of intergroup relations that examines the caste-like features of group-based social hierarchies, and how these hierarchies remain stable and perpetuate themselves.
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