Psychology of Democracy: Paradoxes of democracy, social psychological preconditions for democracy, and current dilemmas

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081740%3A_____%2F16%3A00465848" target="_blank" >RIV/68081740:_____/16:00465848 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Psychology of Democracy: Paradoxes of democracy, social psychological preconditions for democracy, and current dilemmas

Original language description

Psychology of Democracy, its Paradoxes and Dilemmas. Democracy is generally recognized as an optimal political regime which best secures human rights, self-actualization of human beings, and economic prosperity. Most importantly, democracy serves as an institutionalized conflict resolution system (Pax democratica), i.e., democratic peace within and between democracies (not in the relationship to non-democracies). Paradoxically, at the same time, democracy itself is based on permanent conflict negotiations. The defining principles of democracy are equality and freedom. These principles, though, are in conflict and hardly compatible; the rights of majority, rights of minorities and rights of individuals also tend to clash. Additionally, human psyche tends to be selfish (note the fundamental attribution error, cognitive dissonance, and social traps). Therefore, benevolence, civility and decency are the primary preconditions for the existence of democracy. Democracies function best if citizens experience mutual closeness and trust. This closeness must be both horizontal (civility, civic closeness, ethnic closeness, patriotism) and vertical (anyone can run for office, nobody is above the law). Besides equality, democracy is defined by freedom. No substantial values should be unbearably frustrated. Citizens of democracies claim not only civil and political but also social rights. Psychology of Democracy faces many dilemmas involving theory, methodology, and application. These include science vs. ideology dilemma, dilemma of universality of human needs & rights, universality of the theory of democracy, dilemma to what degree countries need democracy, dilemma of assessment and comparisons of thin (minimal) vs. thick democracies, assessment of the quality of citizenship, question of how many democrats are needed for democracy to prevail, issues of measurement invariance, and last but not least, the use of psychological findings against humanity.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

AN - Psychology

OECD FORD branch

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Project

<a href="/en/project/GA15-11062S" target="_blank" >GA15-11062S: Psychosocial analysis of non-democratic character in a post-communist society: Empirical assessment of negative passivity and so called “bad mood”</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2016

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů