Political Psychology in International Relations

Political Psychology in International Relations

Political Psychology in International Relations Rose McDermott THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS Ann Arbor

Copyright by the University of Michigan 2004 All rights reserved Published in the United States of America by The University of Michigan Press Manufactured in the United States of America c Printed on acid-free paper 2007 2006 2005 2004 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McDermott, Rose, 1962 Political psychology in international relations / Rose McDermott. p. cm. (Analytical perspectives on politics) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-472-09701-6 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 0-472-06701-X (paper : alk. paper) 1. Political psychology. 2. International relations. I. Title. II. Series. JA74.5.M4 2004 327.1'01'9 dc22 2003026180

For Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and my mother, Kathleen McDermott, for their unwavering faith and support

Contents Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 1 2. Forms of Methodology in Political Psychology 21 3. Theoretical Concepts in Political Psychology 45 4. Cognitions and Attitudes: What We Think We Know and Why 77 5. Behavior: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words? 119 6. Emotion: Why Do We Love to Hate? 153 7. Psychobiography 189 8. Leadership 215 9. Group Processes 239 10. Conclusions 261 References 275 Index 299 ix

Acknowledgments The original idea for this book came from my adviser and mentor, Philip Zimbardo. Having been an editor for a series in psychology, he thought it might be a good idea for me to write a comprehensive and cohesive book on political psychology and international relations. I thank him now for the inspiration, among many other gifts. I thought about it for a while, but it was not until I mentioned this idea to another mentor, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, that the project began to come to fruition. Bueno de Mesquita is one of the editors for the Analytical Perspectives on Politics series published by the University of Michigan Press. He went far out of his way to solicit, encourage, and support this project from the very beginning right up until the end. I am extremely grateful to him for his help and encouragement. I would never have started this project without his assistance. In addition, I owe several large intellectual debts to those who trained me in psychology and in international relations. It goes without saying that my work would never have been possible without the work and example of Robert Jervis. As my dissertation adviser and beyond, through teaching and modeling, I have learned a great deal not only about content and substance but also about process and form. My appreciation for his skills, integrity, and support continues to grow year by year. I also owe a great debt to the late Amos Tversky, who not only taught me a great deal about psychology but also served as a consistent example of working hard to get things right. I would also like to thank Peter Katzenstein and Richard Wrangham, other mentors who have provided guidance and support along my intellectual path over the past few years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the various editors at the University of Michigan Press that have worked with me. I thank Chuck Myers for his initial interest and faith in me and the book. I thank Jeremy Shine for shepherding the manuscript through the review process. And I am especially thankful to Jim Reische for his critical help during the nal stages.

x Acknowledgments Obviously, there are many others whose support goes beyond speci c intellectual training, and I would like to acknowledge some of those people here brie y. For friendship above and beyond the call of duty time and time again, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and affection for Lisa Butler, Steve Fish, Katie Greeno, Johanna Putnoi, Margaret Sullivan, and Kurt Weyland in particular. They have helped me to survive in more ways than they might know over the past few years, and I am very grateful. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their help, support, and indulgence while I was working on this book. I thank the cats Sweetie Pie and Blueberry, and especially our dog Demian for consistent and undemanding companionship and comfort. I thank my husband Jonathan Cowden for his unending encouragement of this project, and of me, and his patience with all the time that it took to complete. And I would like to thank my mother, who has always shown unwavering faith in me, even when I have lost it myself, and provided endless material and emotional support. I could never have completed this project without her love.