The Psychological Roots of Populism

“Populism is not an inevitable natural disaster but the result of political choices made by identifiable individuals who ultimately can be held accountable for these choices” (Lewandowsky, Why is populism popular? A psychologist explains. The conversation, 21st June 2016. https://theconversation.com/why-is-populism-popular-a-psychologist-explains-61319 , 2016). I start quoting Lewandowsky, to emphasize some elements that I will deal with in this chapter. Populism is the result of political choices, that is, behaviors acted by identified individuals. It implies an accountability, both political and personal. Populism does not generate from itself; populism is cultivated. To cultivate it, it is necessary to prepare the ground, spread the seeds of diversity and suspicion, and sink the roots in the deepest needs of the human being: identity, recognition, safety, and belongingness. Populism is built by relying on universal psychic dynamics well known in the social sciences. Specifically, it responds to specific universal needs and performs functions that are important to people. Hence, counteracting it is not possible without considering its underlying factors. Alternatives to populism are more likely to succeed if they address more effectively the needs of people and communities. Populism is a mass phenomenon or, at least, one that aspires to be such. However, populism is not driven by the mass; it is carried forward through the mass. I will start from here – the indistinct mass to which one must give form and direction – to analyze the rise of populism from a social psychological perspective. Populism is not only a mass phenomenon, and the movement of the masses is not the prerogative of populist parties. However, the psychology of the masses helps to understand some aspects of the origin and development of populism, as well as its neutralization. Two main levels exist from which to observe the phenomenon: the group level, concerning the masses and complex social processes, and the individual level that involves needs, personality characteristics, motivations, and attitudes. Distinguished for the sake of exposition, the two levels are intertwined and welded in populism, which contributes to the complexity of the phenomenon and shatters its apparent banality.