Political Psychology and the Study of International Politics

Outlining the mental life of foreign policy decision makers is fraught with challenges. In this article, it is argued that studies of political psychology may supplement foreign policy analysis by revealing undetected causal variables and by giving available interpretations improved micro-level accuracy. The methodological viability of the presented arguments is illustrated through a confined examination of how the psychological mechanism of conformism contributed to deficient sharing of views among members of the Bush-administration in the wake of 9/11. The illustration is backed by principal arguments.