How do some political leaders capture popular support? What is the appeal of belonging to a nation? Can democracy thrive? The Psychology of Politics explores how the emotions which underpin everyday life are also vital in what happens on the political stage. It draws on psychoanalytic ideas to show how fear and passion shape the political sphere in our changing societies and cultures, and examines topical social issues and events including Brexit, the changing nature of democracy, activism, and Trump in America. In a changing global political climate, The Psychology of Politics shows us how we can make sense of what drives human conduct in relation to political ideas and action.

A political leader's decisions can determine the fate of a nation, but what determines how and why that leader makes certain choices? William H. Chafe, a distinguished historian of twentieth century America, examines eight of the most significant political leaders of the modern era in order to explore the relationship between their personal patterns of behavior and their political decision-making process. The result is a fascinating look at how personal lives and political fortunes have intersected to shape America over the past fifty years. One might expect our leaders to be healthy, wealthy, genteel, and happy. In fact, most of these individuals--from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Martin Luther King, Jr., from John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton--came from dysfunctional families, including three children of alcoholics; half grew up in poor or only marginally secure homes; most experienced discord in their marriages; and at least two displayed signs of mental instability. What links this extraordinarily diverse group is an intense ambition to succeed, and the drive to overcome adversity. Indeed, adversity offered a vehicle to develop the personal attributes that would define their careers and shape the way they exercised power. Chafe probes the influences that forged these men's lives, and profiles the distinctive personalities that molded their exercise of power in times of danger and strife. The history of the United States from the Depression into the new century cannot be understood without exploring the dynamic and critical relationship between personal history and political leadership that these eight life stories so poignantly reveal.

This book is about how individuals make political decisions and form impressions of politicians and policies, with a strong emphasis on the role of the mass media in those processes.

The Psychology of Liberty is a visionary journey explaining a novel political system of freedom and justice named Self-Governing Capitalism. Objectivity and logic are utilized to discover truth both psychologically and politically. The book paints an inspiring picture of a world in which objective values of individuals are held supreme. The Psychology of Liberty is essentially a psychologically-based analysis of a completely free market economics, arising from an individual rights-based politics. It portrays the type of society that humanity will eventually embrace--hopefully in our lifetime--if we are to live benevolently, peacefully, and happily. By formulating a noncontradictory integration of the disciplines of philosophy and psychology, the book (unlike most philosophical books) is comprehensible. To anyone interested in profound ideas and who is searching for answers to life’s questions, comprehensibility is a very welcome friend. The book first explains who our species once was, has been, and now is, in evolutionary and biological terms, and then expounds on the philosophical and psychological implications of this--for individuals and society. Being based on logical and objective principles, much of human nature described reflects the ingenious ideas of the late novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Additionally, many of the psychological interpretations are in agreement with those of psychologist and psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden. Self-concept and self-esteem are the core issues of Branden’s work. (He was also a teacher of Objectivism, Ayn Rand’s philosophy.) The book incorporates and unifies these views of philosophy and psychology to appropriately explain the nature of reality and ourselves. As noted in the preface, this book is the result of studying the works of both authors. However, it outlines a politics that is somewhat different than what Objectivism has traditionally proposed, rectifying a basic contradiction by applying logic fully to this fourth branch of philosophy. This application proves important because it has many societal and psychological ramifications. The Psychology of Liberty espouses Self-Governing Capitalism, which is the only completely free market system. Self-Governing Capitalism is identical in political description to Anarcho-Capitalism (or what is called in certain circles a “polycentric constitutional order” or “polycentric legal order”). Yet for reasons mentioned in the book, Self-Governing is a more accurate and effective term to represent this type of political, economic, and social system. The book has eight chapters with various sections in each. The first four chapters lay the foundation for the last four, hence making it somewhat of a two-part book. The first part of the book (chapters 1-4) describes who our species has been from biological, evolutionary, historical, psychological, and philosophical perspectives. This necessarily entails describing distinguishing characteristics of our species (e.g., reason, volition, emotions) coupled with inspecting personal and societal conditions that have endured for centuries--namely, collectivistic thinking, irrationality, emotional unawareness and repression, and authoritarian rule over others. The dominant themes of individual psychological processes and the social influences on these processes are addressed and clarified. We see what causes individuals to surrender independent thought and judgment to others, and what influences them to disrespect themselves and not understand their mental world. All this is blended with the introduction and explanation of the properties, function, and use of logical reasoning (the process of noncontradictory identification), so as to facilitate discovery of the fundamental truths about ourselves and our political situation. Logic is explained as the method by which we find both personal and societal enlightenment. Once we

Debate on public issues--and where candidates stand on them-- have traditionally represented the focal point of presidential campaigns. In recent decades, however, rather than asking where candidates stand on the issues, the public increasingly wants to know who they are. The issue of character has thus come to dominate presidential elections. While there is increasing public awareness that the psychology, judgment, and leadership qualities of presidential candidates count, the basis on which these judgments should made remains unclear. Does it matter that Gary Hart changed his name or had an affair? Should Ed Muskie's loss of composure while defending his wife during a campaign speech, or Thomas Eagleton's hospitalization for depression, have counted against them? Looking back over the past 25 years, Stanley Renshon, a political scientist and psychoanalyst, provides the first comprehensive accounting of how character has become an increasingly important issue in a presidential campaign. He traces two related but distinctive approaches to the issue of presidential character and psychology. The first concerns the mental health of our candidates and presidents. Are they emotionally and personally stable? Is their temperament suitable for the presidency? The second concerns character. Is the candidate honest? Does he possess the necessary judgment and motivation to deal with the tremendous responsibilities and pressures of the office? Drawing on his clinical and political science training, Renshon has devised a theory which will allow the public to better evaluate presidential candidates. Why are honesty, integrity, and personal ideals so important in judging candidates? Is personal and political ambition necessarily a bad trait? Do extra-marital affairs really matter? Finally, and most importantly, how can the public tell whether a candidate's leadership will be enhanced or impeded by aspects of his personality?With this sweeping volume, Stanley Renshon has provided us with the most comprehensive account to date of how the public judges, and should judge, our future presidents.