What is Political Psychology?

Political Psychology is a branch of psychology that, in general terms, studies the behavior of individuals in relation to different forms of power. It is classified as a new field, but the truth is that the first studies of this discipline date back more than a century.

Regarding the definition of Political Psychology there is a great debate. While some theorists think that it is an autonomous branch, others believe that it is only a component of Social Psychology. The truth is that this knowledge is becoming more and more important in electoral campaigns and the management of areas of power.

Currently, Political Psychology is responsible for the study of political subjectivity and decision making in this ambit. For example, studies on the behavior of voters, communication and perception of power, psychology of the masses, etc. are becoming more frequent.

The origins of Political Psychology

The precursors of Political Psychology were thinkers like Machiavelli Hobbes and Spinoza, among others. All of them analyzed people’s political behavior, although more from an instrumental than an academic perspective.

The first person to talk about Political Psychology was Gustave Le Bon. This French sociologist and physicist was fond of social psychology and in 1910 he wrote the book Political psychology. The objective of this work was to guide rulers to become better managers.

Le Bon is considered a pre-fascist thinker who had great influence on the subsequent rise of Nazism. Almost simultaneously, another work appeared in England that dealt with similar issues: Human nature in politicsby Graham Wallas.

A dynamic story

Charles Merriam was a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He was also an advisor to several US presidents, including Hoover and Roosevelt. In 1924 he wrote an essay which he titled Politics and psychology.

A little further on Harold Lasswell appears who is considered one of the founders of Political Psychology. Laswell’s most recognized works were Psychology and politics and Power and personality. He also made some interesting analyzes of the phenomenon of Nazism.

Beginning in the 1950s, interest in the discipline began to grow. and several essays and books were published about it. This time the focus was more oriented towards voter behavior.

In 1969, the American Political Science Association opened the line of work and research in Political Psychology. In 1978, the International Society of Political Psychology was founded and a year later the magazine began to be published Political Psychology in United States.

The discipline had a definitive push when a group of Latin American experts delved into the study and research in this branch. Some of its promoters were Rodríguez Kauth, Maritza Montero, Ignacio Martín Baró, Christlieb, among the most notable.

Models in Political Psychology

This interesting discipline has had several approaches since its origins. Currently, Four well-differentiated perspectives are recognized.

Psychosocial perspective

It is the closest to social psychology and in it two tendencies are distinguished: cognitive and behavioral. Both focus on the analysis of attitudes, beliefs, motivations, values, prejudices, stereotypes, representations and images present in the individual and associated with politics.

Psychoanalytic perspective

It gives special emphasis to the analysis of political phenomena based on defense mechanisms. defined by Freud. It focuses on the study of aspects such as collective memory, traumatic events, personality structure of politicians and unconscious aspects of political behavior, both of masses and individuals.

Discursive perspective

They start from the idea that politics is a discourse that constructs reality.. That being the case, talking about politics is politics. Another approach focuses on the construction of political actors, through political discourse. It is the dominant perspective in Europe and Latin America.

Structural-functional perspective

It is based on the idea that political subjects make utilitarian decisionsThat is, they choose the options that generate the greatest profits. In this way, political behavior is evaluative-rational. However, it is based on beliefs or prejudices.

Other theoretical models have emerged from the previous perspectives.. Currently, studies are increasingly focusing on the interrelationships between communication and crowd psychology, an aspect that is increasingly evident in social networks. Be that as it may, Political Psychology has become a source of growth and consideration by those who want to achieve power.

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