Power, Politics, and Paranoia

Why are people frequently suspicious of their political and corporate leaders? This book examines the psychological roots of political paranoia.

Why are people frequently suspicious of powerful societal leaders? Does power corrupt? Or are people just paranoid? This book offers novel insights into power, leadership, political psychology, and paranoid beliefs. It will appeal to scientists, students, and practitioners with an interest in the psychological roots of political paranoia.Powerful societal leaders - such as politicians and Chief Executives - are frequently met with substantial distrust by the public. But why are people so suspicious of their leaders? One possibility is that 'power corrupts', and therefore people are right in their reservations. Indeed, there are numerous examples of unethical leadership, even at the highest level, as the Watergate and Enron scandals clearly illustrate. Another possibility is that people are unjustifiably paranoid, as underscored by some of the rather far-fetched conspiracy theories that are endorsed by a surprisingly large portion of citizens. Are societal power holders more likely than the average citizen to display unethical behaviour? How do people generally think and feel about politicians? How do paranoia and conspiracy beliefs about societal power holders originate? In this book, prominent scholars address these intriguing questions and illuminate the many facets of the relations between power, politics and paranoia.