Skip to content
Register Sign in Wishlist

Power, Politics, and Paranoia
Why People are Suspicious of their Leaders

Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Paul A. M. van Lange, Joris Lammers, Ilja van Beest, Eftychia Stamkou, Gerben van Kleef, Pamela K. Smith, Jennifer R. Overbeck, Kai Sassenberg, Naomi Ellemers, Daan Scheepers, Annika Scholl, Susan T. Fiske, Federica Durante, Fouad Bou Zeineddine, Felicia Pratto, John J. Haller, Michael A. Hogg, Antonio Chirumbolo, Luigi Leone, Rudy B. Andeweg, Roderick M. Kramer, Jennifer Schaffer, Viren Swami, Adrian Furnham, Robbie M. Sutton, Karen M. Douglas, Marc Wilson, Chelsea Rose, Daniel Sullivan, Mark J. Landau, Zachary K. Rothschild, Lucas A. Keefer
View all contributors
  • Date Published: September 2016
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9781316617922

Paperback

Add to wishlist

Other available formats:
Hardback, eBook


Looking for an inspection copy?

This title is not currently available on inspection

Description
Product filter button
Description
Contents
Resources
Courses
About the Authors
  • Powerful societal leaders - such as politicians and Chief Executives - are frequently met with substantial distrust by the public. But why are people so suspicious of their leaders? One possibility is that 'power corrupts', and therefore people are right in their reservations. Indeed, there are numerous examples of unethical leadership, even at the highest level, as the Watergate and Enron scandals clearly illustrate. Another possibility is that people are unjustifiably paranoid, as underscored by some of the rather far-fetched conspiracy theories that are endorsed by a surprisingly large portion of citizens. Are societal power holders more likely than the average citizen to display unethical behaviour? How do people generally think and feel about politicians? How do paranoia and conspiracy beliefs about societal power holders originate? In this book, prominent scholars address these intriguing questions and illuminate the many facets of the relations between power, politics and paranoia.

    • Examines why people are often suspicious about political and corporate leaders, covering topics such as power, trust, political psychology and leadership
    • Features contributions from a broad range of scientists and practitioners across the social sciences
    • Will appeal to those wishing to understand power and politics, and how people come to view these processes in society
    Read more

    Reviews & endorsements

    'Van Prooijen and van Lange have done an excellent job by bringing together a range of exciting chapters illustrating the dramatic influence that the behaviors and power of our leaders can have on our perceptions, beliefs and expectations.' David De Cremer, China Europe International Business School and London Business School

    'Thoughtful insights and eye-opening data fill this terrific volume … a must-read book for anyone interested in political leadership, the effects of power and how modern citizens should regard their politicians.' Roy F. Baumeister, Florida State University, author of Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength

    'Power, Politics, and Paranoia does the discipline a valuable service by bringing … these three research literatures together … This volume is an important illustration of how power and paranoia are not simple reflections of individuals' psychological characteristics, but are informed by their position within groups and their group's position within the larger society.' Heather J. Smith and Stephanie McKee, Social Justice Research

    See more reviews

    Customer reviews

    Not yet reviewed

    Be the first to review

    Review was not posted due to profanity

    ×

    , create a review

    (If you're not , sign out)

    Please enter the right captcha value
    Please enter a star rating.
    Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

    How do you rate this item?

    ×

    Product details

    • Date Published: September 2016
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9781316617922
    • length: 340 pages
    • dimensions: 228 x 152 x 18 mm
    • weight: 0.5kg
    • contains: 27 b/w illus. 8 tables
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    1. Power, politics, and paranoia: an introduction Jan-Willem van Prooijen and Paul A. M. van Lange
    Part I. Power:
    2. The effects of power on immorality Joris Lammers and Ilja van Beest
    3. Do we give power to the right people? When and how norm violators rise to the top Eftychia Stamkou and Gerben van Kleef
    4. The leaders' rosy halo: why do we give powerholders the benefit of the doubt? Pamela K. Smith and Jennifer R. Overbeck
    5. 'Power corrupts' revisited: the role of construal of power as opportunity or responsibility Kai Sassenberg, Naomi Ellemers, Daan Scheepers and Annika Scholl
    Part II. Politics:
    6. Never trust a politician? Collective distrust, relational accountability, and voter response Susan T. Fiske and Federica Durante
    7. Political distrust: the seed and fruit of popular empowerment Fouad Bou Zeineddine and Felicia Pratto
    8. All power to our great leader: political leadership under uncertainty John J. Haller and Michael A. Hogg
    9. Those who supported and voted for Berlusconi. A social-psychological profile of the willing followers of a controversial political leader Antonio Chirumbolo and Luigi Leone
    10. A growing confidence gap in politics? Data versus discourse Rudy B. Andeweg
    Part III. Paranoia:
    11. Misconnecting the dots: origins and dynamics of outgroup paranoia Roderick M. Kramer and Jennifer Schaffer
    12. Political paranoia and conspiracy theories Viren Swami and Adrian Furnham
    13. The social dimension of belief in conspiracy theories Jan-Willem van Prooijen and Paul A. M. van Lange
    14. Examining the monological nature of conspiracy theories Robbie M. Sutton and Karen M. Douglas
    15. The role of paranoia in a dual-process motivational model of conspiracy belief Marc Wilson and Chelsea Rose
    16. Searching for the root of all evil: an existential-sociological perspective on political enemyship and scapegoating Daniel Sullivan, Mark J. Landau, Zachary K. Rothschild and Lucas A. Keefer.

  • Editors

    Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
    Jan-Willem van Prooijen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology at VU University Amsterdam, and Senior Researcher, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR).

    Paul A. M. van Lange, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
    Paul A. M. van Lange is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology at VU University Amsterdam.

    Contributors

    Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Paul A. M. van Lange, Joris Lammers, Ilja van Beest, Eftychia Stamkou, Gerben van Kleef, Pamela K. Smith, Jennifer R. Overbeck, Kai Sassenberg, Naomi Ellemers, Daan Scheepers, Annika Scholl, Susan T. Fiske, Federica Durante, Fouad Bou Zeineddine, Felicia Pratto, John J. Haller, Michael A. Hogg, Antonio Chirumbolo, Luigi Leone, Rudy B. Andeweg, Roderick M. Kramer, Jennifer Schaffer, Viren Swami, Adrian Furnham, Robbie M. Sutton, Karen M. Douglas, Marc Wilson, Chelsea Rose, Daniel Sullivan, Mark J. Landau, Zachary K. Rothschild, Lucas A. Keefer

Related Books

also by this author

Sorry, this resource is locked

Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org

Register Sign in
Please note that this file is password protected. You will be asked to input your password on the next screen.

» Proceed

You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.

Continue ×

Continue ×

Continue ×
warning icon

Turn stock notifications on?

You must be signed in to your Cambridge account to turn product stock notifications on or off.

Sign in Create a Cambridge account arrow icon
×

Find content that relates to you

Join us online

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Read more Close

Are you sure you want to delete your account?

This cannot be undone.

Cancel

Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.

If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.

×
Please fill in the required fields in your feedback submission.
×