Foreword: Meanings of “Psychology as Politics” (original) (raw)

2001, Political Psychology

The theme of this special issue, Psychology as Politics, signals an important new line of thinking in political psychology that has until now rarely been explored in this journal. This is not to say that psychologists or philosophers have not written about this theme in the past; they have. Some contributors to this issue have written extensively on the subject, but on the whole, political psychology and the established discipline of psychology have neglected this theme. This is somewhat peculiar, because first, it clearly falls within the scope of these disciplines' interest. Second, it seems to me that this theme must inevitably have preoccupied many psychologists, including political psychologists. It constitutes the "backbone" of the discipline and can be related to various issues that each psychologist, including political psychologists, must have had to consider in his or her career. I assume that in fact many of us were concerned with the theme at least in passing, because it touches the foundations of our being as academic professionals. It raises basic questions about the roots and foundations of political psychology, about our identity as political psychologists, about the state of our discipline, about the professional organization, about the relationship between the society we live in and our discipline and personal contribution, and about the criteria for success in our profession. Nonetheless, some aspects of psychology as politics have never received wide legitimacy as themes for study. In my opinion, this is a reflection of the difficulties in contemplating these problems, writing about them, and publishing work about them in established psychological journals (see below). It is therefore a significant advance that Colin Wayne Leach and Ken Gergen have attempted to open the closet for us, to peek inside and explore the theme, through this special issue of Political Psychology. The theme Psychology as Politics is not a clearly circumscribed or easily recognized area. It indicates the state of affairs in psychology, or rather the states, as there are various meanings of psychology as politics, each highlighting a different aspect or state of affairs. Because psychology is a discipline whose