Introduction

Abstract

The chapter presents some results of the various empirical surveys on populism that make up the volume. In this way, an overview is offered of the contribution that political psychology can provide by applying the constructs of social psychology to populism for the understanding of a diversified and contradictory phenomenon that animates many contemporary democracies. Particular attention is paid to the three pillars supporting the birth of political psychology and social psychology, which continue to operate in the contemporary psychology of populism, although differently from the past: crowd psychology, the psychology of the public, and the psychology of nation and race. Reflections related to political science, political philosophy, and sociology are addressed, helping to interpret the populist phenomenon. Together with this literature, there are cited the psychosocial aspects that distinguish left-wing and right-wing populism, the characterization of the populist mentality, the motivational constructs that precede populism, the conspiracy theories that accompany it, the possible redefinition of populist ideology, its interaction with the issues of uncertainty linked to the pandemic and war, communication on social media and the depiction of populist right-wing women politicians in their communication in the blogosphere. These aspects are addressed in the empirical surveys that make up the different chapters, which are briefly mentioned, underlining that they use both mainstream and critical methodologies in an ideal dialogue that enriches the study of populism. The conclusion is an appeal to political psychologists to be aware that, as stated by Michael Billig, doing political psychology is ‘doing politics’.