Psychology, Political Psychology and International Relations: What are we talking about?

Isabella Hermann

doi:10.22151/politikon.18.5

Authors

Isabella Hermann Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.18.5

Keywords:

international relations, political psychology, theory-building, interdisciplinarity, emotions

Abstract

Psychology and international relations theory (IR) share an ambivalent relationship. On the one side psychology is neglected within the theory building of IR, on the other side there exists a large history of psychological approaches within the discipline, as well as interdisciplinary research in the field of political psychology. However, leaving psychology out of IR is not understandable from a psychological point of view since the differentiation between “rationality” on the one side and “irrationality” as psychology on the other side is artificial and contra-empirical. Systematically and naturally incorporating psychology – as for example motives and emotions – in IR would mean to understand international phenomena more profoundly and closer to reality.

Author Biography

Isabella Hermann, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University

Isabella Hermann, 27, is a graduate who received her Magister Artium in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich in 2009. At the moment she is working on her dissertation at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, on the topic of “Disrespect within the US-Venezuelan-relationship”. For her dissertation she receives a research grant from the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation, Munich. Her research interests include security studies, constructivism, identities as well as psychological motives in International Relations.