Democracy in danger – a special feature

Announcing the UK General Election, Prime Minister Theresa May accused her opponents of ‘political gameplaying’ and said that she was ‘reluctantly’ calling the vote in an attempt to ‘guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead’. For some, this didn’t sound like the language of democratic debate: under the headline ‘This is no general election, it’s a coup’, one journalist wrote ‘Theresa May has turned democracy against itself.’ Our June edition collection of articles and cover, planned before the announcement, perhaps remains apt. 

The pieces deal with democracy, how we assess information and argument, and the need for psychologists to take social or political action. 
I know not all of you agree with Albert Camus’ view that ‘Psychology is action’ (see p.50), but if there was ever a time to engage – on both the national and the international stages – that time is surely now.

Dr Jon Sutton
Managing Editor @psychmag

Democracy in danger 
How can psychology help? asks Roger Paxton

Building democracy
Ashley Weinberg considers how psychology can inform the design and restoration of the physical spaces in which our political processes take place

'Psychology is action, not thinking about oneself'
Peter Kinderman's Presidential Address

Reclaiming the truth
Karen Douglas, Chee Siang Ang and Farzin Deravi on conspiracy theories and fake news on social media

A lens onto fake news
Simon Knight with an online exclusive considering epistemic cognition

Are we really living in an information bubble?
We meet Michal Kosinski

Why should we care about the mental health of politicians?
A report from the Society's Annual Conference

Revisit our 2015 election special, including the vital search for answers to voter apathy and a piece on the transition to the role of MP.

What makes a good politician? 
We speak to Jo Silvester in 2010

5 minutes with Dr Lisa Cameron from the SNP

An interview with the Rt Hon Lord Owen

That joke isn't funny anymore
Sophie Scott on whether we should stop laughing at politicians

With some politicians framing the election as being all about Brexit, it's worth revisiting our 'Brexit poll' - parts one and two. See also 'the rhetoric of taking back control'.

Over on our Research Digest blog, there's a huge amount of archive material relevant to politics and politicians. For example, see the special on the psychology of voting, and this recent study showing liberals are just as biased as conservatives (of which more here, from Jonathan Haidt). 

You'll find lots more related to politics, politicians and political issues in our archive. Also, consider supporting the call for a Political Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society.