Why Irrational Politics Appeals: Understanding the Allure of Trump

by Mari Fitzduff (Editor)

Overview

The 2016 election has inspired millions of U.S. citizens-and struck panic in the hearts of millions more. This book explains the allure of Trump, examines how Trump's success ties into the hopes and fears of many Americans, and calls into question the limitations of our democratic system.

Across the United States and around the world, people are struggling to understand why so many turned to Donald Trump-an individual described as rude and insensitive at best, and as racist, hateful, and ignorant at worst-as their champion. Trump's nomination as the Republican presidential candidate, and his subsequent election to president of the United States, upended many long-held assumptions and beliefs about politics, such as the inevitable power of superfunding election syndicates and the need for presidential candidates to have governance experience and broad knowledge of domestic and foreign affairs.

Why Irrational Politics Appeals: Understanding the Allure of Trump takes a serious, scientific look at Trump and his politics against the backdrop of modern American society. It brings together experts from a variety of psychological and political science fields to answer the mystifying question of why people by the millions would follow a leader who to so many others seems unqualified, undiplomatic, and in opposition to previously established standards for a national leader.

Readers will gain an understanding of how little a role rationality plays in political choices, particularly-but not always-among citizens of certain socioeconomic backgrounds; and why Trump's apparently divisive attitudes and prejudices, his lack of "political correctness," and his hubris appeal to so many voters. The book also raises questions about our democratic processes, and our need for more thoughtful political cultures to ensure that citizens are adequately prepared to make important leadership decisions that will affect the future of our nation's economy, social norms, and global safety.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765119327
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/25/2024
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mari Fitzduff is the founding director of the international Master of Arts Programs in Conflict Resolution and Coexistence at the Heller School at Brandeis University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: All Too Human: The Allure of Donald Trump
Mari Fitzduff
Chapter 2 The Politics of Hope: Donald Trump as an Entrepreneur of Identity
Stephen Reicher and S. Alexander Haslam
Chapter 3 Unexamined Assumptions about Leadership: Why People Follow Trump
Mark R. Leary
Chapter 4 Leadership and Followership: Trump-An Adaptive Mismatch?
Micha Popper
Chapter 5 Power, Persuasion, and Bad Leadership
Ronald E. Riggio
Chapter 6 Nationalist Politics: The Role of Predispositions and Emotions
Michael C. Grillo
Chapter 7 Trump: An Antiestablishment Hero?
Gregg Henriques
Chapter 8 Intolerant and Afraid: Authoritarians Rise to Trump's Call
Matthew C. MacWilliams
Chapter 9 Death: The Trump Card
Florette Cohen, Sharlynn Thompson, Tom Pyszczynski, and Sheldon Solomon
Chapter 10 Insulter Trump: A Bonus for His Followers?
Karina V. Korostelina
Chapter 11 Tweeting Morals in the 2016 Election
J. P. Prims, Zachary J. Melton, and Matt Motyl
Chapter 12 Dramatic Rationalities: Electoral Theater in the Age of Trump
Mark Chou and Michael L. Ondaatje
Chapter 13 Mindfulness: A Tool for Thoughtful Politics
Christopher S. Reina
Afterword
Mari Fitzduff
Index
About the Editor and Contributors

What People are Saying About This

Dr. Chris Stout

"American politics has arguably been turned on its head with the controversial election of Donald Trump. How prescient Dr. Fitzduff’s book has thus become—comprised of a collection of chapters contributed by a wonderfully diverse group of international experts and academics—who examine in an unvarnished and frank exposition of how this can be, as well as what may result. This volume is a wonderful mix of politics and political science, sociology, psychology, history, ideology, business, media, society, and community, blended with a variety of perspectives. It is a must-read regardless of political orientation, for those seeking to gain a better understanding of the current weltbild of American politics, if not society."

Tom Woodhouse

"Mari Fitzduff is a pioneer in the challenge to deepen our knowledge and understanding of using neuroscience for peacebuilding. Recent developments in the USA and in Europe, with the rise of Trumpism, Brexit, and the possible fragmentation of the EU, show how important it is to engage creatively with the challenge. This groundbreaking collection is an invaluable and timely resource for all who wish to understand how to navigate the dangerous forces of irrationality which threaten global well-being."

Donelson R. Forsyth

"Rejecting easy explanations for an event that took most political pundits by surprise—the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president in 2016—Why Irrational Politics Appeals searches for and finds a compelling explanation for Trump’s success in the social science of leadership. Many were shocked by Mr. Trump’s victory, but not the experts who offer one prescient insight after another in an even-handed, but imminently well-informed, analysis of a political outcome that left so many others befuddled. Anyone who is bewildered—astounded, stunned, or even frightened—by Mr. Trump’s rise to political fame has much to learn from this book’s insights."

Editorial Reviews

Each essay plumbs the methods humans use to select leaders. This collection is heavy on the psychology of leadership selection. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.” —Choice

From the Publisher