Critical perspectives in political psychology

This chapter explores some of the most important links between critical psychology and political psychology. In view of the range of work that now exists on critical psychology, it is impossible to provide a comprehensive account of academic critical perspectives in political psychology in a single chapter. We begin by discussing the particular background of critical psychology within the discipline of psychology. We then turn to a discussion of some of the most significant features of critical perspectives in political psychology by highlighting the importance of historical awareness and critique, and the pursuit of social justice. In the remainder of the chapter we focus specifically on the ways in which the discursive turn in psychology has advanced our understanding of two key topics of interest to political psychologists: prejudice, and political discourse. We close the chapter with a discussion of how alternative ways of advancing intellectual critique can drive new political psychology projects on the most pressing social problems of our age.