Political Psychology And Foreign Policy

First published in 1992. One of the issues of particular interest to political psychologists centers around how foreign policy decisions are made. The psychological phenomena that political psychologists examine have to do with how individuals perceive, interpret, feel about, an d react to their environment. The political factors have to do with the activities involved in governing or the making of public policy— that is, with how the material and human resources of a collectivity are allocated. The research presented in this volume addresses 6 key questions that link psychological and political processes, and the chapters are organized a round three conceptual clusters: perception studies, personality studies, and studies of group dynamics.

Foreword -- Perception Studies -- Perception and International Relations: An Overview -- The Cognitive Maps of British Leaders, 1938–1939: The Case of Chamberlain-in-Cabinet -- On Being More Rational Than the Rationality Assumption: Dramatic Requirements, Nuclear Deterrence, and the Agenda for Learning -- Personality Studies -- Personality and Foreign Policy: Historical Overview of Research -- Applying Personality Theory to Foreign Policy Behavior: Evaluating Three Methods of Assessment -- Birth Order and the Personal Characteristics of World Leaders -- Group Dynamics -- Decision-Making Groups -- Modeling Foreign Policy Advisory Processes -- Political Decision Making in Small Groups: The Cuban Missile Crisis Revisited—One More Time -- Conclusion: Political Psychology/Foreign Policy, the Cognitive Revolution, and International Relations

Eric Singer is assistant professor of political science and chair of the international relations program at Goucher College. Valerie Hudson is assistant professor of political science at Brigham Young University and editor of Artificial Intelligence and International Politics (Westview, 1991).