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Political Psychology

Hail to the Narcissist: POTUS And Personality

Wray Herbert | Posted 05.07.2013 | Science
Wray Herbert

Looking back on U.S. history, certain presidents clearly stand out as larger than life. Andrew Jackson, TR, LBJ -- these were flamboyant and domineering men, and also great leaders. Yet our greatest leaders often have dark sides as well.

TV Hosts: Shut Up and Let the Scientist Speak

Troy Campbell | Posted 05.01.2013 | Media
Troy Campbell

On modern TV shows, the expert guests can rarely get three sentences into a statement without the host derailing the conversation.

Let's Not Give Up on Reason in Politics: A Response to Jonathan Haidt's 'The Righteous Mind'

Michael Friedman, L.M.S.W. | Posted 01.28.2013 | Books
Michael Friedman, L.M.S.W.

Haidt maintains that when we confront a moral or political question, our first reaction is intuitive. We use reason to defend our intuitions rather than to form them.

Policy and Prowess: Did Ancient Humans Diss the 47%?

Wray Herbert | Posted 12.12.2012 | Science
Wray Herbert

We may debate civilly and settle our differences in the voting booth, but is it possible that physical prowess still shapes our positions on this fundamental social issue?

Extremist Politics: Debating the Nuts and Bolts

Wray Herbert | Posted 11.26.2012 | Science
Wray Herbert

Philip Fernbach and his colleagues wondered if forcing people to explain complex policies in detail might force them to confront their ignorance and thus weaken their extremist stands on issues. They ran a series of lab experiments to test this idea.

The Politics and Psychology of Time

Robert Klitzman, M.D. | Posted 11.10.2012 | Politics
Robert Klitzman, M.D.

"Time is relative," Einstein discovered. So, too, is political time. But these two facts together cause many problems, as reflected in current debates over the seemingly simple question, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"

The Hand That Rocks the White House

Mindy Utay | Posted 11.06.2012 | Politics
Mindy Utay

She protects. She soothes. She guides and encourages. She's a safe harbor in times of stress or duress. She's... Valerie Jarrett. In last Saturday's...

Paul Ryan and the Progressive Psyche

Christopher Newfield | Posted 10.16.2012 | Politics
Christopher Newfield

Americans are ambivalent and confused about many aspects of health care but not about preserving Medicare. But the whole country must take this bad idea seriously because the top of the Republican ticket advocates it.

Ego-Inflated Nation

Sofia Crutchfield | Posted 08.13.2012 | Teen
Sofia Crutchfield

Politicians are us: They are the symbols of America, the essence of our societal disposition. And they are polluted by egocentrism.

Red Mind, Blue Mind: Are There Really Any Independents?

Wray Herbert | Posted 07.25.2012 | Science
Wray Herbert

How do Independents manage to rise above party politics while the rest of the electorate is divided by ideology? Well, perhaps they don't. New evidence suggests that the label "Independent" may imply more objectivity and purity than these Independents deserve.

Shivering Liberals, Parched Conservatives

Wray Herbert | Posted 05.21.2012 | Science
Wray Herbert

Nobody thinks, "Democrats drink more water," or, "Republicans wear warmer clothes." Knowing someone's politics should not affect how cold or thirsty we think they are -- yet these results suggest that it does.

Conservatives vs. Liberals: More Than Politics

Thomas B. Edsall | Posted 04.09.2012 | Books
Thomas B. Edsall

The contest for power between Democrats and Republicans pits two antithetical value systems against each other; two conflicting concepts of freedom, liberty, fairness, right, and wrong; two mutually exclusive notions of the state, the individual, and the collective good.

A Presidential Candidate Openly Taking Meds? Don't Bet On It

Kaitlin Bell Barnett | Posted 03.19.2012 | Politics
Kaitlin Bell Barnett

Today, we know a lot more about mental illness than we did forty years ago. But given the grueling and brutal demands of modern campaigning, we would be extremely unlikely to embrace a presidential candidate who acknowledged taking drugs for a psychiatric condition.

Going With Your Gut in the Voting Booth

Sam Sommers | Posted 03.12.2012 | Politics
Sam Sommers

No, this is not another blog post about the benefits (or costs) to being beautiful, though attractiveness certainly is a characteristic that can impact an election. Just ask Richard Nixon. But I'm not talking about physical attractiveness per se.

Why Republicans Deny Science: The Quest for a Scientific Explanation

Chris Mooney | Posted 03.12.2012 | Science
Chris Mooney

An increasing body of science suggests that we disagree about politics not for intellectual or philosophical reasons, but because we have fundamentally different ways of responding to the basic information presented to us by the world.

At the Root of Hard-Hearted Politics

Judith Barr | Posted 12.04.2011 | Politics
Judith Barr

If we are going to resolve the closed-heartedness of our politics and our politicians, we need to find the root. And we need to really understand it so we can do something truly constructive with it and about it.

Fareed Zakaria Says That U.S. Politics Will Get Nastier -- He's Right, But...

Judith Barr | Posted 10.31.2011 | Politics
Judith Barr

In one of his recent blog posts, CNN's Fareed Zakaria explored his belief that U.S. politics will get nastier. While I agree that politics in the U....

Stephen Colbert Says 'Our Politicians Are Acting Like Children!'... And He's Right on the Mark.

Judith Barr | Posted 10.04.2011 | World
Judith Barr

Stephen Colbert says 'our politicians are acting like children.' They don't only act... they think, feel, and are children inside themselves. We've...

The Dark Side of the Political Personality Redux: Weiner, Schwarzenegger, and Edwards

Joel Weinberger | Posted 08.07.2011 | Politics
Joel Weinberger

Both Schwarzenegger and Weiner are attracted to risk or they would not have chosen the professions they did. Nor would they have engaged in the behaviors that are the subject of this column.

How Your Sense Of Taste May Shape Your Moral Judgments

Wray Herbert | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living
Wray Herbert

Conservative and liberal minds, it appears, may be fundamentally different psychologically, with conservatives much more sensitive to everyday triggers for physical disgust, and much more likely to commingle repulsion and moral judgment.

Gaddafi's Mind: A Political Psychology Perspective

Tijana Milosevic | Posted 05.25.2011 | World
Tijana Milosevic

Gaddafi's statements are not a mere propaganda attempt and he honestly believes in what he is saying.

Does A Physically Active Lifestyle Make Better Citizens?

Wray Herbert | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living
Wray Herbert

Is it possible that political engagement is just another form of movement and energy and physical activity? Could something as simple as an active lifestyle explain good and bad citizenship?

Stressed Out by Private Health Insurance? A Clinical Diagnosis

Dr. Quentin Young | Posted 05.25.2011 | Home
Dr. Quentin Young

Dr. Carol Paris, a distinguished psychiatrist and a valued colleague in the campaign for single-payer national health insurance, an improved Medicare ...

Are Policies That Serve the Common Good Un-American?

Douglas LaBier | Posted 05.25.2011 | Politics
Douglas LaBier

One likely spin-off from the recent election will be a creeping redefinition of programs and policies that serve the common good as "un-American." So...

The Psychology of Religion: Why Are Some of Us Attracted to It?

Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living
Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD

The psychology of religion is a much needed area of research and study. Why? And if we need it, why do some feel anxiously attached to it while others completely detach and avoid it?