The Psychology of Dictatorship

256 Pages·2013·2.339 MB·English

by  Fathali M. Moghaddam

The
Psychology
of
D ictatorship
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The
Psycholog y
of
D ictatorship
Fathali M. MoghaddaM
A M E R I C A N P S Y C H O L O G I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N
WA S H I N G T O N, D C
Copyright © 2013 by the American Psychological Association. All rights reserved. Except
as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication
may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to,
the process of scanning and digitization, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
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The opinions and statements published are the responsibility of the authors, and such
opinions and statements do not necessarily represent the policies of the American
Psychological Association.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moghaddam, Fathali M., author.
The psychology of dictatorship / Fathali M. Moghaddam.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4338-1298-9
ISBN-10: 1-4338-1298-3
1. Dictatorship. 2. Psychology. I. Title.
JC495.M583 2013
321.901'9—dc23
2012039115
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record is available from the British Library.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/14138-000
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To the memory of my mother and father, and to the countless other women
and men forced to live in dictatorships but who in their hearts keep alive
and pass on the torch of freedom.
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................... ix
Introduction ................................................................................................. 3
Chapter 1. P sychology and Dictatorship: The Historic
and Contemporary Challenge ........................................ 11
I. Psychology and the Springboard Model of Dictatorship .................. 35
Chapter 2. E xplaining Dictatorship: What Kind
of Psychological Science Is Needed? .............................. 37
Chapter 3. The Springboard Model of Dictatorship ........................ 53
II. Psychological Processes in Dictatorship: The Historical Context ...... 85
Chapter 4. S acred Carriers and Narratives: The Puzzle
of Continuity in Dictatorships ....................................... 87
Chapter 5. D ictatorship, Displacement of Aggression,
and Group Cohesion .................................................... 105
vii
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Chapter 6. C onformity, Obedience, and Behavior Regulation ......... 123
Chapter 7. F rom Torture to Cognitive Dissonance: Varieties
of Coercion in Dictatorship ......................................... 141
Chapter 8. Leadership and Dictatorship ........................................ 159
Chapter 9. Cognition and Action Supportive of Dictatorship ......... 183
Chapter 10. The Future of Dictatorship and Democracy................. 197
References ................................................................................................ 217
Index ........................................................................................................ 243
About the Author .................................................................................... 255
viii contents
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, I want to acknowledge my deep debt to Rom Harré
in his role as friend, colleague, mentor; Chaucer, who knew Rom personally,
wrote a timeless description of him as the Clerk of Oxford: “And gladly wolde
he lerne, and gladly teche.”
Over the years a number of friends and colleagues have, often unwit-
tingly and perhaps even unwillingly, helped me move this project forward
by talking to me about, or demonstrating for me, the dangers of dictatorship
and the merits of the open society. These helpers include Don Taylor, Bill
Bryson, Jim Lamiell, Steve Sabat, Jim Breckenridge, John Lavelle, and Phil
Zimbardo.
I am very grateful to a number of people at the American Psychological
Association, particularly Maureen Adams for her patient guidance and support
throughout the publication process as well as Tyler Aune and Peter Pavilionis,
who provided invaluable feedback in the final shaping of this book. A number
of anonymous reviewers have also influenced and improved this book from the
book proposal stage to the final version, and I hope they get to read this and
accept my sincere thanks.
ix
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