Political Psychology Perspectives on Populism

This book explores the different forms of populism in European countries. Starting from a theoretical point of view, the authors outline the various psychosocial precursors of populisms that have emerged from empirical investigations. Using both mainstream and critical perspectives, the book shows how the field has driven multiple research programmes and methodologies. The authors draw on questionnaires and political communication via social media to analyse the opinions, attitudes, and representations of laypeople and populist leaders. The volume is aimed at researchers, students, and readers with expertise on the subject. It collects contributions from scholars of social psychology, proposing an innovative reading of the social-cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes that can fuel populism.

Gilda Sensales is Associate Professor in Social and Political Psychology at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Her main research interests are the representations of populism, political communication between mainstream and new media, gender and sexism in politics, and critical history of social psychology.