Return to search

Pathos and policy: the power of emotions in shaping perceptions of international relations

Current approaches to foreign policy decision making and international conflict
have ignored the role of emotions as variables influencing foreign policy choices.
However, a growing area of political research suggests that emotions are of critical
importance to many aspects of political life. Predominant foreign policy decision making
models currently attend to either rational calculations or ‘cold’ cognitive processes and
heuristics. These models provide little theoretical space for propositions about how
enduring and intense emotions such as hatred and fear influence perceptions and
interpretations of interstate conflict. In this paper we propose a model which addresses
this deficiency in foreign policy decision making research. A theory of emotions is
introduced and integrated into the existing research on foreign policy decision making.
Hypotheses pertaining to the influence of negative emotions on information processing
and choice in international relations are derived from the model and tested in a multimethod
setting. Findings are reported and discussed within the framework of existing
empirical research on process-oriented models of foreign policy decision making.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/4209
Date30 October 2006
CreatorsSkorick, J Mark
ContributorsHermann, Charles F.
PublisherTexas A&M University
Source SetsTexas A and M University
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeBook, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text
Format723272 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital

Page generated in 0.0021 seconds