The Psychology of Political Communicators: How Politicians, Culture, and the Media Construct and Shape Public Discourse

252 Pages·2018·3.452 MB·English

by  Ofer Feldman, Sonja Zmerli

‘The Psychology of Political Communicators provides a timely and strong
set of comparative research studies that analyze how rhetorical political
appeals to reason and emotion are challenging liberal democratic soci-
eties. The contributors seek to explain a variety of current topics
including the rise of populism, Donald Trump’s victory, gender dis-
crimination in media, media ownership and trust. Tackling these con-
troversial political and social trends, the volume is organized around
three elements of political communication: political discourse and its
cultural contexts, politicians in their roles as communicators, and the
changing media environment. The chapters help us to understand the
crucial and dynamic role of political communicators in shaping prefer-
ences and making meaning of the disruptive political world.’
—Ann Crigler, University of Southern California

The Psychology of PoliTical
communicaTors
In this timely study, Ofer Feldman, Sonja Zmerli, and their team of experts shed
light on the multiple ways communication affects political behavior and attitudes.
Written for students and scholars alike, The Psychology of Political Communicators uses
examples from the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to examine the nature,
characteristics, content, and reception of communication in three major areas of
discourse:
• The style and nature of language used by political actors in the national and
international arenas
• The discourse used in nationalist populist movements and during negative
campaigns
• The rhetoric of the media as it tries to frame politics, political events, and polit-
ical actors
Collectively, the chapters form a solid foundation on which to understand the
different roles language plays in the conduct of politics, the way in which these roles
are performed in various situations in different societies and cultures, and the polit-
ical outcomes of verbal behavior. This book will be of interest to scholars and stu-
dents of political psychology and communication studies.
Ofer Feldman is Professor of Political Psychology and Behavior at the Faculty of
Policy Studies, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. He is the author of more than 90
journal articles and book chapters, and more than 100 encyclopedia items, in the
fields of political psychology/behavior, communication studies, and Japanese pol-
itics, and the sole author, sole editor, and co-e ditor of 15 books and monographs,
including Talking Politics in Japan Today (2004), Seiji shinrigaku [Political Psychology]
(in Japanese, 2006), and the Politische Psychologie: Handbuch für Studium und Wissen-
schaft [Political Psychology: Handbook for Study and Science] (in German, 2015, with
Sonja Zmerli).
Sonja Zmerli is Professor of Political Science at the Institut d’Études Politiques de
Grenoble, France. Her research interests revolve around social capital, civil society,
political support, income inequality, and welfare regimes. Her articles have appeared
in Public Opinion Quarterly, European Political Science Review, American Behavioral
Scientist, and Social Science Research. Most recently, she has co-edited the Handbook on
Political Trust (2017, with Tom van der Meer).
Routledge Studies in Political Psychology
Edited by Howard Lavine
University of Minnesota
Advisory Board
Ted Brader, University of Michigan; Eugene Borgida, University of Minnesota; Marc
Ross, Bryn Mawr College, and Linda Skitka, University of Illinois, Chicago
Routledge Studies in Political Psychology was developed to publish books representing
the widest range of theoretical, methodological and epistemological approaches in
political psychology. The series is intended to expand awareness of the creative
application of psychological theory within the domain of politics and foster deeper
appreciation of the psychological roots of political behavior.
1 The Many Faces of Tolerance
Attitudes towards Diversity in Poland
Ewa A. Golebiowska
2 Emotions in Conflict
Inhibitors and Facilitators of Peace Making
Eran Halperin
3 Fox News and American Politics
How Television News Shapes Political Views and Behaviors
Dan Cassino
4 The Political Psychology of Women in U.S. Politics
Edited by Angela L. Bos and Monica C. Schneider
5 The Feeling, Thinking Citizen
Essays in Honor of Milton Lodge
Edited by Howard Lavine and Charles S. Taber
6 The Psychology of Political Communicators
How Politicians, Culture, and the Media Construct and Shape Public
Discourse
Edited by Ofer Feldman and Sonja Zmerli
The Psychology
of PoliTical
communicaTors
How Politicians, Culture, and
the Media Construct and Shape
Public Discourse
Edited by
Ofer Feldman and Sonja Zmerli
First published 2019
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Taylor & Francis
The right of Ofer Feldman and Sonja Zmerli to be identified as the
authors of the editorial matter, and of the authors for their individual
chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Names: Feldman, Ofer, 1954– editor. | Zmerli, Sonja, 1966– editor.
Title: The psychology of political communicators : how politicians,
culture, and the media construct and shape public discourse / edited by
Ofer Feldman and Sonja Zmerli.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, [2018] | Series: Routledge
studies in political psychology ; 6 | Includes bibliographical references
and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018026204 | ISBN 9781138596184 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781138596191 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780429947292 (epub) | ISBN
9780429947285 (mobipocket/kindle)
Subjects: LCSH: Communication in politics. | Mass media–Political
aspects. | Political psychology.
Classification: LCC JA85 .P79 2018 | DDC 320.01/4–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018026204
ISBN: 978-1-138-59618-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-59619-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-48789-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
conTenTs
List of Figures ix
List of Tables x
Notes on Contributors xii
1 Introduction: Liberal Democracies and the Study of
Political Communicators 1
Ofer Feldman and Sonja Zmerli
ParT i
Political leaders’ Discourse 11
2 The New American Electoral Politics: How Invited
Behavior and Reality TV Explain Donald Trump’s Victory 13
Michael Alan Krasner
3 Political Communicators and Control in Political
Interviews in Japanese Television: A Comparative Study
and the Effect of Culture 31
Ofer Feldman and Ken Kinoshita
4 Comparing Japanese and US Leaders’ Communication:
The Construction of Meaning in Addresses to the United
Nations General Assembly 56
Sarah Tanke
viii Contents
ParT ii
Populist communication and negative campaigning 77
5 They Caused our Crisis! The Contents and Effects of
Populist Communication: Evidence from the Netherlands 79
Michael Hameleers
6 Populism in Self- Directed and Mediated
Communication: The Case of the Five Star Movement
in the 2013 Italian Electoral Campaign 99
Cristina Cremonesi
7 Fighting With Fire: Negative Campaigning in the 2015
UK General Election Campaign as Reported by the
Print Media 123
Annemarie Walter
ParT iii
media Discourse 143
8 Representations of Televised Debates in the Press and
Their Influence on Political Candidates: The Cases of
Spain, the UK, and the US 145
Laura Pérez Rastrilla
9 Non- Systemic Factors Underlying Rapid Change in
Gender- Biased Media Framing of Female Politicians:
2009 and 2013 Israeli Newspaper Election Coverage 165
Gilad Greenwald and Sam Lehman- Wilzig
10 Old Traps and New Prospects: Gendered Media Images
of Leading Female Politicians in Germany as Evidence
for a Contested Modernization of Gender Knowledge 185
Dorothee Beck
11 “Men Prefer Redheads”: Media Framing of Polls and its
Effect on Trust in Media 204
Pazit Ben- Nun Bloom and Marie Courtemanche
12 Media Ownership: Propositions for an Extended
Research Agenda 225
Sonja Zmerli
Index 234
figures
3.1 Proportions of direct replies to questions by politicians from
different groups 49
5.1 The presence of populist ideas in Dutch media outlets 85
5.2 Comparing the presence of populist ideas in the media across
outlets and journalistic routines 86
5.3 The direct effects of populist blame exposure on blame perceptions 92
5.4 The crucial role of source support in the effects of populist
communication 93
5.5 Marginal effect plots for interaction attitudinal congruence and
populist blame attribution in forced and selective exposure
conditions 94
7.1 Use of negative campaigning in the 2015 UK general election
campaign in print media 132
7.2 Use of negative and positive campaigning per party in the 2015
UK general election campaign in the print media 133
7.3 Overall pattern of attack behavior in the 2015 UK parliamentary
election campaign in the print media 134
7.4 Party origin of attacks on parties in the 2015 UK parliamentary
election campaign in the print media 135
7.5 Reported attack behavior per newspaper 136
9.1 Cartoon by Eran Wolkovsky, January 2, 2009 174
9.2 Cartoon by Amos Biderman, January 10, 2013 175
9.3 Percentage of total reports with gender coverage: Livni (2009)
compared to Livni and Yachimovich (2013) – Yedioth Ahronoth
and Haaretz 178
11.1 Article placement by meta-f rame 215
11.2 Article size by meta- frame 217