Have you ever wondered why your elders in your family have a strong belief in a particular political view all these years? Why do some individuals engage in certain forms of political activism more frequently than others? How do politicians plan the perfect election manifesto, perfect enough to be interpretable by GenZ voters, who are indecisive over a selfie filter? Political psychology is the answer. From selflessly working for the people to fearlessly talking in front of a huge mass, politicians are definitely the ‘panel of sharks’ of our nation . No professional degree can train you to become one, only the power of the mind to adapt, persuade and take risks can create one. POLITICS + PSYCHOLOGY Psychologists study the way the human mind works, helping us to understand why people behave the way they do. They are not mind readers. They are mind interpreters. In the same field, Political scientists use the insights of psychology to analyse a president's or a voter's behaviour. They can explain why some people are more prone to support certain ideologies by using socio-political and psychological perspectives. The relationship between psychology and politics is considered to be bidirectional wherein psychology is used as a lens to understand politics. Politics is used as a lens to understand human behaviour and psychology. Political psychology not only looks into psychology as a discipline; rather, it brings in inputs from economics, international relations, sociology, history, anthropology and much more. In essence political psychologists study the foundations, dynamics, and outcomes of political behaviour using cognitive and social explanations. PERSONALITY TRAITS OF POLITICIANS Psychologists measure personality by asking questions about one's approach to life. The measures are known as the 'Big Five': openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. People who score high in openness and low in conscientiousness are more likely to be left wing ( socialists and communists) where openness equates with the willingness to try new things. And that includes new policies. These may not be the only personality traits which shape politics, There is also the 'Dark Triad': Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. The most important one of these for political behaviour is narcissism. This is not just about admiring one’s reflection and attention seeking, but exhibits a sense of importance and entitlement which is associated more with the right-wing. And narcissists are also generally more likely to get involved in politics as It's a way of getting attention and making themselves appear better than other people. PSYCHOLOGY OF VOTING BEHAVIOUR Role played by emotions is the key attribute to form connections with the voters to get one’s votes. The power to influence through political socialisation, tolerance of diversity and media, extent of one’s knowledge about political activities and degree to which voting decisions are affected by internal processing systems such as knowing the workings of building framework, using rhetorical tactics to persuade others and support from powerful actors and other external influences, alters the quality of making true democratic decisions and casting votes. PSYCHOLOGY OF DECISION MAKING Successful decision making is governed by structure, stability, popularity and ability of a political group as a whole. This involves the psychological notion of conformity. the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours to group norms, politics or being like-minded.
Irrational decisions are usually made during emotional periods. For instance, an unpopular political party may receive more votes during a period of actual or perceived economic or political instability. PSYCHOLOGY OF POLITICAL CONFLICTS Political conflicts are a consequence of ethnic disparity and ethnocentrism ( Meaning - evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.) Evolution psychology explains conflicts in politics and international society. Developed through natural selection, the human brain functions to react appropriately to environmental challenges of coalitional conflict using psychological mechanisms and modifications. Furthermore , one's own biases formed as a result of listening to only the groups he belongs to will dictate the decisions he makes. As a result one easily falls into the trap of peer pressured or peer influenced thinking that might only help with the identity and acceptance of one with their respective groups. LET’S WRAP UP These politicial-psychology theories and approaches have been instilled to demonstrate leadership and communicative skills, making of domestic and foreign policies wherein based on nationalities ideologies vary, war and genocide, voting attitude of the common people, political extremists, understanding racial behaviour, journalists and media’s role and group dynamics and conflicts. Learning about political psychology helps us to understand why political leaders think and behave in a certain way. It also helps us to appreciate the voter's behaviour. These perspectives and conclusions enriches our ability to understand politics from different roots. From holocausts to genocides to drafting policies understanding the dynamics of importance of real-world phenomena yields use of practical, valuable and ideological information will enhance our cognitive and social relations which ultimately helps us to understand why political events unfold as they do. BIBLIOGRAPHY https://jspp.psychopen.eu/index.php/jspp https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pops.12650 https://ispp.org/ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2021.737790/full https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/political-psychology
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