Political psychology matured through consolidated assumptions and methodological consensus

Evidence

The first reading we have selected, by William J.McGuire, provides an intellectual history of the symbiotic relationship between political science and psychology focusing on three separate eras during the late 20th century: the personality and culture era, the attitudes and voting behavior era, and the ideology era. This recent history of political psychology is most instructive because it represents the period in which basic assumptions were consolidated, the boundaries of the field were explicitly defined, consensus about methods emerged, and statistical advances improved measurement and analytical strategies. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 104

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines three eras of political psychology’s modern history.