Psychology and Constructivism in International Relations

by Shannon, Vaughn P.; Kowert, Paul A.

• ISBN13: 9780472117994
• ISBN10: 0472117998
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-11-17
• Publisher: Univ of Michigan Pr

Summary

Constructivist IR scholars study the ways in which international norms, culture, and identities--all intersubjective phenomena--inform foreign policy and affect the reaction to and outcomes of international events. Political psychologists similarly investigate divergent national self-conceptions as well as the individual cognitive and emotional propensities that shape ideology and policy. Given their mutual interest in human subjectivity and identity politics, a dialogue and synthesis between constructivism and political psychology is long overdue. The contributors to this volume discuss both theoretical and empirical issues of complementarity and critique, with an emphasis on the potential for integrating the viewpoints within a progressive ideational paradigm. Moreover, they make a self-conscious effort to interrogate, rather than gloss over, their differences in the hope that such disagreements will prove particularly rich sources of analytical and empirical insight."This is a worthwhile and engaging volume. Political psychology is gaining ground as an essential perspective to consider when analyzing international relations, and the book's focus on constructivism provides key insights into the relationship between identity, norms, and behavior--bedrock concepts in understanding the social underpinnings of global politics." --Mira Sucharov, Carleton University

Table of Contents

Introduction: Ideational Allies Psychology, Constructivism, and International Relations	p. 1
Completing the Ideational Triangle: Identity, Choice, and Obligation in International Relations	p. 30
Identity And The Construction Of Agents
How Identities Form and Change: Supplementing Constructivism with Social Psychology	p. 57
Norms and the Management of Identities: The Case for Engagement between Constructivism and the Social Identity Approach	p. 76
Identity and Decision Making: Toward a Collaborative Approach to State Action	p. 92
Beliefs And The Construcntion Of Choices
Re-Constructing Development Assistance: Analogies, Ideas, and Norms at the Dawn of the New Millennium	p. 119
Agent-Level and Social Constructivism: The Case of the Iran Hostage Crisis
Determinants of Security and Insecurity in International Relations: A Cross-National Experimental Analysis of Symbolic and Material Gains and Losses	p. 170
Reflection, Synthesis, And Assessment
Psychology and Constructivism: Uneasy Bedfellows?	p. 197
Conclusion: Context and Contributions of the Ideational Alliance	p. 215
References	p. 239
Contributors	p. 271
Index	p. 275
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