Introduction to Political Psychology

INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY This comprehensive, user-friendly textbook on political psychology explores the psychological origins of political behavior. The authors introduce readers to a broad range of theories, concepts, and case studies of political activity. The book also examines patterns of political behavior in such areas as leadership, group behavior, voting, race, nationalism, terrorism, and war. It explores some of the most horrific things people do to each other, as well as how to prevent and resolve conflict—and how to recover from it. This volume contains numerous features to enhance understanding, including text boxes highlighting current and historical events to help students make connections between the world around them and the concepts they are learning. Different research methodologies used in the discipline are employed, such as experimentation and content analysis. This third edition of the book has two new chapters on media and social movements. This accessible and engaging textbook is suitable as a primary text for upper- level courses in political psychology, political behavior, and related fields, including policymaking. Martha L. Cottam (Ph.D., UCLA) is a Professor of Political Science at Washington State University. She specializes in political psychology, international politics, and intercommunal conflict. She has published books and articles on US foreign policy, decision making, nationalism, and Latin American politics. Elena Mastors (Ph.D., Washington State University) is Vice President and Dean of Applied Research at the American Public University System. Prior to that, she was an Associate Professor at the Naval War College and held senior intelligence and policy positions in the Department of Defense. She has published books, articles, and papers on the political psychology of conflict and armed groups. Thomas Preston (Ph.D., Ohio State University) is a Professor of Political Science at Washington State University. He specializes in political psychology, leadership analysis, and international politics. He has written books and articles on presidential leadership, weapons of mass destruction, and American foreign policy. Beth Dietz (Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh) is a Professor of Psychology at Miami University, where she teaches a variety of courses in psychology. Her research interests include social identity theory, computer-mediated com- munication, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She also has interests in online teaching and using technology to enhance student learning. This page intentionally left blank INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY 3RD EDITION MARTHA L. COTTAM ELENA MASTORS THOMAS PRESTON BETH DIETZ Third edition published 2016 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Taylor & Francis The right of Martha L. Cottam to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or repro- duced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photo- copying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. First edition published by Psychology Press 2004 Second edition published by Psychology Press 2010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cottam, Martha L. Introduction to political psychology / Martha L. Cottam, Elena Mastors, Thomas Preston, Beth Dietz.— 3rd Edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Political psychology. I. Title. JA74.5.C68 2016 320.01΄9—dc23 2014048185 ISBN: 978-1-84872-671-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-84872-672-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-67193-2 (ebk) Typeset in Warnock Pro by Apex CoVantage, LLC CONTENTS Preface vii Acknowledgments xi About the Authors xiii Chapter 1 Political Psychology: Introduction and Overview 1 Chapter 2 Personality and Politics 15 Chapter 3 Cognition, Social Identity, Emotions, and Attitudes in Political Psychology 46 Chapter 4 The Political sychologyP of Groups 79 Chapter 5 The Study of oliticalP Leaders 120 Chapter 6 The Political sychologyP of Mass Politics: How Do People Decide for Whom to Vote? 161 Chapter 7 The Political sychologyP of the Media in Politics 197 Chapter 8 The Political sychologyP of Race 214 Chapter 9 From Ethnic Conflict to Genocide 256 Chapter 10 The Political sychologyP of Nationalism 293 Chapter 11 The Political sychologyP of Social Movements 328 Chapter 12 The Political sychologyP of Terrorism 355 Chapter 13 The Political sychologyP of International Security and Conflict 390 Chapter 14 Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation 418 References 435 Glossary 501 Index 517 This page intentionally left blank PREFACE When colleagues from other disciplines ask us what we specialize in, they are often puzzled when we say political psychology. “What’s that?” or “I didn’t know there was such a thing” are frequently heard comments. That is pri- marily a result of the fact that political psychology is not a traditional field in the social sciences. First, it is interdisciplinary, using psychology to explain political behavior. The field is so interdisciplinary that calling it “political psychology” is misleading because it includes scholars from political science and psychology, but also from sociology, public administration, criminal justice, anthropology, and many other areas. Second, unlike many fields in the social sciences, political psychology uses multiple methodologies, from experiments to surveys to qualitative case studies and beyond. And, if our colleagues from other disciplines have not heard of political psychology, they will soon, because it is exploding. It is a burgeoning field because it is inherently interesting and because it is enormously important. Under- standing the psychological causes of political behavior is crucial if we are to affect patterns of behavior that are harmful to humanity and to promote patterns of behavior that are beneficial to humanity. Political psychology is an important domain of academic research; students find it fascinating and often troubling as they are exposed to some of the most shocking examples of political violence, and policy makers would undoubtedly benefit greatly from a better understanding of political psychology. As the field of political psychology has grown, so has the need for a comprehensive textbook that pulls many strands of research in political psychology together. This book is a result of the authors’ frustration produced by teaching courses in political psychology without such a book. Rather than having students purchase a textbook on psychology (of which they will read only a portion) and a number of books describing political behavior (without a psychological explanation of that behavior), we decided to produce a book that presents the psychology used in political psychology, and explains types of political behavior with political psychological concepts in a single book. We introduce readers to a broad range of theories of political psychology and sketch many cases of political activity to illustrate the behavior. Readers do not need a background in psychology or political science to understand the material in this book. However, knowing that an introduction will stimulate a desire for more, we also include suggested reading in viii Preface the details of the cases. Such readings are rich, nuanced studies of each of the political behaviors we introduce readers to in this book. Once we embarked upon this project, we quickly discovered that the field of political psychology is much broader than those of us who teach and do research in the area may realize. It ranges from voting behavior to nuclear deterrence, from the politics of race to the politics of genocide. In the pages that follow, many of the patterns of behavior researched by political psychologists are presented, including leadership, group behavior, voting, media effects, race, ethnicity, nationalism, political extremism, social movements, genocide, and war and deterrence. Because political psychology is so broad, many of those who teach the courses tend to stick to the portion of political psychology we are familiar with. Consequently, another goal of this book is to educate educators by making it easier to get a background in areas of political psychology they are unfamiliar with. Specialists in voting behavior, for example, may not know much about genocide, but both topics are covered here, and using this book as a primer will enable those who teach political psychology to expand the content of their courses. Students, in turn, will learn the interconnectedness of many patterns of behavior that at first glance seem quite distinct. They will learn, for example, that the same John or Jane Doe who exercises his or her political rights in a democracy could, under the right circumstances, support an authoritarian dictatorship that forbids political competition and tortures its opponents. Relatedly, we include examples of political behavior from around the world, so students will

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