According to Marta L. Cottam et al political psychology is about explaining a range of political behavior from familiar political behavior i.e. voting, to seemingly inconceivable behavior such as mass terror.
The roots of political psychology can be traced back to the 1940s when psychoanalytic research into personality and politics became fashionable. In more recent times, however, political psychologists have tended to embrace the scientific method as a way of understanding and predicting political behaviour and the discipline has grown increasingly important and influential as a result.
Learn About Political Psychology
International Bulletin of Political Psychology:
The International Bulletin of Political Psychology (IBPP) is a free online journal designed to sensitize social scientists, public officials, mass media representatives, informed citizenry, and social activists to the psychology of politics and the politics of psychology.
The last edition was published in 2005, however, the IBPP website is still worth a visit, particularly the archive section where you can access articles on a range of political psychology topic areas.
Click Here To Visit The International Bulletin of Political Psychology Homepage.
International Society of Political Psychology:
The International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP) is an interdisciplinary organization representing all fields of inquiry concerned with exploring the relationships between political and psychological processes. Members include psychologists, political scientists, psychiatrists, historians, sociologists, economists, anthropologists, as well as journalists, government officials and others.
Click Here To Visit The International Society of Political Psychology Website.
Political Psychology Training Program:
In July 2009 Stanford University will be hosting the Summer Institute in Political Psychology (SIPP). SIPP is a three-week intensive training program that introduces graduate students, faculty members, and professionals to the world of political psychology scholarship. The curriculum is designed to accomplish one preeminent goal: to produce skilled, creative, and effective scholarly researchers who will do more and better work in political psychology as the result of their attendance at SIPP.
Participants can look forward to attending lectures on core topics and recent research developments, delivered by world-renowned scholars, receiving instruction in the most important research methods used in political psychology, such as survey research, laboratory experimentation, and content analysis, and developing their own research ideas through personal interaction with peers and specialists.
Click Here For Full Details of The Summer Institute in Political Psychology.
Political Psychology 2.0
This part of the political psychology page is dedicated to the move towards what is known as web 2.0. Web 2.0 links people, it's a place where people contribute, share, collaborate and learn. To access some of the links below, you may have to register and/or login.
Political Psychology & Peace Psychology Resources:
Facebook group established to stimulate discussion about resources in Political Psychology and Peace Psychology, including literature, websites, professional associations and Graduate Programs.
What really rocks your vote? Three New York University scientists discuss research indicating that personality types and neurology may shape political attitudes and help determine why we vote the way we do.
You can listen to this fascinating podcast by Clicking Here
Political Psychology On YouTube:
Presentation by Jerrold Post for The Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University. Jerrold Post, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry, Political Psychology and International Affairs at George Washington University, where he also directs the Political Psychology Program.
Jerrold Post served 21 year with the Central Intelligence Agency where he founded and directed the Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior. It is from this extensive experience that he delivers this presentation entitled "Understanding The Mind of A Terrorist: When Hatred is Bred in The Bone.
Recommended Political Psychology Reading
Introduction to Political Psychology by Martha L. Cottam, Beth Dietz-Uhler, Elena Mastors & Thomas Preston
Book Description
The first comprehensive textbook on political psychology, this user-friendly volume explores the psychological origins of political behavior. Using psychological concepts to explain types of political behavior, the authors introduce a broad range of theories and cases of political activity to illustrate the behavior.
The book examines many patterns of political behaviors including leadership, group behavior, voting, race, ethnicity, nationalism, political extremism, terrorism, war, and genocide. Text boxes highlight current and historical events to help students see the connection between the world around them and the concepts they are learning. Examples highlight a variety of research methodologies used in the discipline such as experimentation and content analysis.
The "Political Being" is used throughout to remind the reader of the psychological theories and concepts to be explored in each chapter. Introduction to Political Psychology explores some of the most horrific things people do to one another for political purposes, as well as how to prevent and resolve conflict, and how to recover from it. The goal is to help the reader understand the enormous complexity of human behavior and the significant role political psychology can play in improving the human condition.