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2018 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

30. The Personality Attributes of Political Elites

Authors : Gian Vittorio Caprara, Jo Silvester

Published in: The Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK

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Abstract

This chapter reviews previous and current research on different psychological characteristics that can influence politicians’ success. Personality is defined as a self-regulatory system that mediates the relationship between a person and their environment, and accounts for features that distinguish individuals from one another in the domains of cognition, motivation, and behavior. An overview is provided of the major constructs that have been investigated in relation to politicians’ personality and the methods that have been used to study them. The use of self-report methods to investigate the traits, values, and self-beliefs of large samples of politicians, which enable comparisons between politicians and voters, within and across nations, is discussed. Findings suggest that personality attributes are important in helping explain the emergence and behavior of political elites but that much remains for future researchers to explore.

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Title: The Personality Attributes of Political Elites
Authors: Gian Vittorio Caprara
Jo Silvester
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK
Book: The Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51903-0

Electronic ISBN: 978-1-137-51904-7

Copyright Year: 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51904-7_30