Leadership Perception in Complex Political Decision-Making and Media Environments - sponsored by IPSA

Abstract

IPSA Panel: Leadership Perception in Complex Political Decision making and Media Environments. Especially the political psychology discipline that emerged in the US since the seventies made obvious the vast effects of psychological features on many different aspects of national and international political decision-making. National and international affairs largely depend on interpersonal relations, but as least as much on public perception of leaders that are active in negotiations and prominently present in new and traditional media. Especially in an environment of complex political decision making (several levels of decision-making) and complex media environments (electronic media and social networks, television) the power of perception in public opinion of the personality and image of political leaders became more influential than ever. Content and public opinion analysis in various forms was applied to such processes of public opinion formation and perception of political leaders. This study may allow to forecast undesirable developments and outcomes in international relations and at the national policy level of decision making as well. The idea is that monitoring of public speech may inform us about political developments that risk evolving into crisis. This holds for the use of psychological methods aimed at assessing both personality in politics and public perception of political leaders. Psychological profiling of political leaders and assessment of their policy and public image may contribute to more insight in their success and failure, or sometimes allow to anticipate future events and crises (Dyson & ‘t Hart, 2013). This panel consists of case studies dealing with UK, Germany and EU, and Russia, all of which are relevant at the international policy level. Russian cases focus on the perception of president Putin in public opinion (Shestopal, Pishcheva), on his personality profile and leadership style, and on the psychological profile of what may be his most important opponent, Alexej Navalny (Diedkova and De Landtsheer). European cases deal with the perception analysis of British politicians in micro-situations that include interviews in mass media and with the psychological profile and leadership style of the German federal chancellor Angela Merkel (Middelhoff et al.).

Title	Details
Transformation of Putin’s Perception in Russian Society (2000-2016)	View Paper Details
Personality Profiles of the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Opposition Leader Alexej Navalny	View Paper Details
The Perception of Political Personality and Complex Decision Making: The Psychological Profile and Leadership Style of Angela Merkel, the World’s Most Powerful Woman	View Paper Details
'I Don’t Claim to be a Perfect Leader': Discursive Constructions of Leadership in Political Discourse	View Paper Details