What are Career Options With a Political Psychology Degree?

What Does Political Psychology Focus On?

Political psychology is a field that tries to understand politicians, politics and political behavior from a psychological viewpoint. It is an interdisciplinary field, which features facets of many other areas including economics, journalism, anthropology, business, international relations, sociology, media and history.

Political psychologists want to understand why political events happen in the way that they do. The role of a political psychologist involves analyzing the motives and behaviors of politicians through observation and diagnosis. Political psychologists may also study the ways in which people are influenced by factors including motivation, beliefs, socialization, learning strategies and perception.

Political psychology is useful to apply in areas such as foreign policy making; domestic policy making; understanding voting attitudes and patterns; the role of the media in voting; understanding ethnic violence and genocide; war; and political extremism.

In the current era of vast political change and political tension between nations, the role of a political psychologist in understanding national and international developments in politics is increasingly important. As such, the employment outlook may remain positive for the holder of a degree in political psychology. There are a number of career options open to the holder of a degree in political psychology.

Political Psychology Degree Career Options

Political Scientist

A political scientist is a professional whose main role is to study the government and various political issues and processes in a scientific manner. As well as focusing on the formal institutes of government and laws, a political scientist will also study politics with a focus on public opinion, economics and different political parties.

A political scientist may study topics such as political decision-making and ideology, and will give their conclusions based on fact and evidence. Analysis may also extend to the operation and structures of government. A political scientist may also be involved in conducting surveys of public opinion and analyzing the results of election polls and public documents.

Campaign Manager

A campaign manager is a key member of a political campaign team. Their role is to take charge of and co-ordinate the operations of a campaign for their political candidate. They are normally the most visible leader of the campaign and routinely interact with media outlets.

The role of a political campaign manager is to create and put in place the strategies needed to win an election. A campaign manager is normally in charge of a team of campaign staff and consultants, and also ensures that they are focused on conveying the same message to the public during the campaign. In large political campaigns, such as presidential elections, a campaign manager can be in charge of a team made up of hundreds of members of staff.

Lecturer

A lecturer in the field of political psychology instructs students and teach the curriculum necessary to achieve a degree in political psychology. Main duties may also involve the overseeing and moderation of student discussions on topics in the area of political psychology. Normally a lecturer is expected to grade exam papers, and create plans for each lesson.

Depending on the school, political psychology lecturers may also be required to supervise dissertation work of their students. Political psychology lecturers may also choose to carry out their own research and publish their findings in relevant journals.

Political Policy Maker

Political policy makers set out and implement policy plans for a government to follow. They focus on the big picture of a society as a whole, and create policies that have a wide-ranging effect on all citizens. Political policy makers may use their extensive knowledge of a society and a government’s political systems to create and put in place changes to the legal systems of a country. Their policies are intended to create a better world for all the members of society.

Their main focus will involve studying statistical data to spot and analyze behavior patterns and social habits. They then use this information to craft policies that will be most effective. Some of the key areas where a political policy maker will make decisions include in social, economic and foreign policy fields.

Career Options With a Degree in Political Psychology