Political Psychology Flashcards
Différence with RC
Humans are NOT rationals
Focus on structure and évents
Researches abt policy-makers subject to structures, continuité in policy and socialisation
In PP: indiv matter, difficult to prove
Leadership trait analysis + leaders have values and beliefs+ are political elites really différent?
What is thé major inventive to devlp PP
Understand HB, violence, deshumanising others… After WW2
When is thé New attention abt PP
Post 2000’ with terrorism…: to explain behaviour that are not rational
Diff btwn IR méthodology and PP
IR: understanding thé structures ( ex eco système) vS
PP: understanding Human Behaviour
Focus points over thé Time of PP
40-50’: psycho-analysis (personnalité traits of leaders and masses, with ex experiments)
60-70’: behaviouralism (public opinion and voting behaviour, with ex survey)
80-90’: cognitive approaches ( decision-making, info processing, focus on political elites)
2000 onwards (émotions:’ hot cognitions and neurobiology, focus on mass public)
What is PP ( more positivist or interpretivist) and why?
Mostly positivist:
. SC method: hypothesis, data…
. Borrows method from psychology: exp, survey
.but also a bit interpretivism: small case study, understand rather than explain behaviour
What do PP try to understand in a mass public level
Domestic level aspects: ideology, voting behaviour, perceptions
Ex: citizen’s moral view regarding FP, impact of médias on our political perceptions…
What is thé HB based on
A. Personnalité
B. Cognitive processes
C. Attitude, value and id
Explain experiment of Theodor Adorno
Theodor Adorno and Authoritarian Personality Theory
Certain Personality traits made individuals more likely to bé drawing to authoritarianism:
.obédience to authority: strong, almost blind willingness to follow established authority figures
. Hostility towards ‘lower status groups’: a tendency to show aggression or disdain toward those pervieved as socially inferior
.rigid, traditional values: commitment to maintaining established social norms and a résistance to change
Critics:
.other experiments After found mixed or contradictory résults, challenging the universality his findings
.sélective sample: sample that may have not rep thé broader pop, so résults biaised and not generalisable
Explain Milgram experiment
By Stanley Milgram
Experiment: to understand if ordinary people would follow ordres that could harm, so rôle of obedience beyond mere Personality traits
-> participants were instructed to administrer electric shocks to a “learner”( actors) whenerver an incorrect answere was given, with shocks more and more intense
Findings: everyone did it, even 65% continued til the end: show that many ppl are willing to follow orders from an authoritary figure, even against their moral beliefs
SO capacity for obedience is Linked to situational pressures and influence of authority ( and not personal traits)
‘argentif shift’: psychological process in which indiv pervieve themselves as agents executing another’s order, shifting thé respo for their action to another figure: moral respo on others
Critics:
psy harm( causes stress and emotional distress to participants, feeling of guilt…so qu abt ethical treatment of participants)
Real-world application (critics abt thé controlled labortatory setting, artificiel nature of thé task..)
Explain experiment of Stanford prison
By Philip Zimbardo
Experiment: sée how people will réact when given authority or powerlesness
Participants with either “guards” or “prisoners” roles
People could exhibit violence not only when ordered to but also by initiating themselves: guards enforced Authoritarian mesures and abusive behaviour toward thé prisoners without explicit ordres
‘role internalisation’: indiv Can deeply adopt thé behaviour and attitudes associated with a tôle they are assigned
Critics: set-up and validité (suspicion that guards were influenced by Zimbardo to action harshiy), psychological harm for prisoners: stress, humiliation …
Importance despite critics: shows how social rôles and power dynamics Can influence behaviour
Explain Solomon asch
Informal conformity from Solomon Asch
Participants are Ask to match Lines with lengs on cards while seated with a group who deliberatly chose incorrect answere ( same exp as red pochette in uni)
Many participants conformes to thé group’s incorrect answere despite knowing they were wrong
SO align behaviour with a group to avoir social isolation or opposition
Normative conformity (closely related to informational conformity): where indiv conforme to group behaviour to bé likes or accepted even if they internally disagree
Explain concept of desindividuation and author
Leon Festinger
Fact that indiv behave diff in groups: they don’t see themselves as indiv ( groups so they don’t have thé repo, snm else does)
May trigger anti-social behaviour( but also social ex if thé group help ppl in the street, you will help):
.increased sense of excitement
.anonimity
.reduced sense of respo
Neurobiology nas evolutionary psychology
Effect of traumas, intergenerational change of DNA ( ex conflict cab have long terme impact, change ur DNA)
Possible explanations for irrationality
PP study no only mass level but also élite level, what are thé concernés fields of IR
.FP
.crisis situation
Rôle of leadership
Relation btwn states
-> more interpretivism
