Political Plasticity
Political plasticity refers to limitations on how fast, how much, and in what ways political behavior does (or does not) change. In a number of important areas of behavior, such as leader-follower relations, ethnicity, religion, and the rich-poor divide, there has been long-term continuity of human behavior. These continuities are little impacted by factors assumed to bring about change such as electronic technologies, major wars, globalization, and revolutions. In addition to such areas of low political plasticity, areas of high political plasticity are considered. For example, women in education is discussed to illustrate how rapid societal change can be achieved. This book explains the psychological and social mechanisms that limit political plasticity, and shape the possibility of changes in both democratic and dictatorial countries. Students, teachers, and anyone interested in political behavior and social psychology will benefit from this volume.
- Introduces and applies the concept of political plasticity as a tool for understanding change
- Provides examples of low and high political plasticity, promoting understanding of how slow or fast behavioral change occurs
- Explains how researchers have ignored long-term behavioral continuities and provides a more accurate picture
Product details
January 2023Paperback
9781009277167
192 pages
229 × 152 × 12 mm
0.34kg
Available
Table of Contents
- List of Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1. Political plasticity, the key to understanding the future of democracy and dictatorship
- 2. Hard-wiring inside and outside people
- Part I. Political Plasticity and Behavioral Continuity:
- 3. Why do leaders still exist? Leadership and followership
- 4. Rich and poor – still just as different
- 5. Ethnicity is forever
- 6. Religion, eternally present but with a thousand faces
- 7. The built environment and behavioral continuity
- Part II. Change Agents, in Theory and Practice:
- 8. Revolutions and political plasticity
- 9. War as transformative
- 10. Technology forces change
- 11. Globalization and deglobalization
- Part III. Looking Ahead:
- 12. The eternal dictator and political plasticity
- Afterword. Lessons learned: The example of women in education
- Notes
- References
- Index.