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The Political Brain The Role Of Emotion In Deciding The Fate Of The Nation Paperback – 6 May 2008

by Drew Westen (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 241 ratings
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The Political Brain is a groundbreaking investigation into the role of emotion in determining the political life of the nation. For two decades Drew Westen, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Emory University, has explored a theory of the mind that differs substantially from the more "dispassionate" notions held by most cognitive psychologists, political scientists, and economists—and Democratic campaign strategists. The idea of the mind as a cool calculator that makes decisions by weighing the evidence bears no relation to how the brain actually works. When political candidates assume voters dispassionately make decisions based on "the issues," they lose. That's why only one Democrat has been re-elected to the presidency since Franklin Roosevelt—and only one Republican has failed in that quest.

In politics, when reason and emotion collide, emotion invariably wins. Elections are decided in the marketplace of emotions, a marketplace filled with values, images, analogies, moral sentiments, and moving oratory, in which logic plays only a supporting role. Westen shows, through a whistle-stop journey through the evolution of the passionate brain and a bravura tour through fifty years of American presidential and national elections, why campaigns succeed and fail. The evidence is overwhelming that three things determine how people vote, in this order: their feelings toward the parties and their principles, their feelings toward the candidates, and, if they haven't decided by then, their feelings toward the candidates' policy positions.

Westen turns conventional political analyses on their head, suggesting that the question for Democratic politics isn't so much about moving to the right or the left but about moving the electorate.

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  1. Print length
    496 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    PublicAffairs
  4. Publication date
    6 May 2008
  5. Dimensions
    13.97 x 3.15 x 20.96 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1586485733
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1586485733
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Review

The most interesting, informative book on politics I've read in many years --Bill Clinton

May prove to be one of the most important studies of political campaigning of recent times. -- Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian

About the Author

Drew Westen received his B.A. at Harvard, an M.A. in Social and Political Thought at the University of Sussex (England), and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan, where he subsequently taught for six years. For several years he was Chief Psychologist at Cambridge Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. He is a commentator on NPR's "All Things Considered" and lives in Atlanta.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 6 May 2008
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1586485733
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1586485733
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 kg
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 3.15 x 20.96 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 69,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 241 ratings

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Drew Westen

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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Customers find the book readable and appreciate its relevance to politics. One customer describes it as a fascinating introduction to the psychology of political success, while another notes its applicability to all political campaigning.

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ReadabilityRelevance to politics
3 customers mention ‘Readability’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable.

"...It's a dense but highly rewarding read for anyone interested in the political process." Read more

"Fantastic book, well worth a read" Read more

"Really interesting read..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Relevance to politics’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book relevant to politics, with one customer noting it provides a fascinating introduction to the psychology of political success, while another mentions it offers theories applicable to all political campaigning.

"...This book is a must read for political campaigners, whatever their political allegiance...." Read more

"Fascinating introduction to the psychology of political success, or otherwise." Read more

"...and had a host of other information which will be helpful for his future political aspirations...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • M. McManus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Important insights and theories applicable to all political campaigning
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2007
    Verified Purchase
    The book is written by a Democrat party strategist and qualified experimental psychologist, who believes that style often wins over substance in political campaigns. The central claim of the book is that voters react more to emotional appeals and rousing speeches than they do to reason, logic and statistics. The author argues that even if a candidate is superior in logic and reason, he will still lose if he faces a charismatic opponent who knows how to work an audience and make powerful emotional appeals.

    One useful feature of the book is how the author provides transcripts of US Presidential debates, and pin points the moment at which the debate "turned", usually as the result of a witty put down, or rousing response. He then suggests how this could have been counter attacked by the candidate, providing examples that are truly fiendish in their ability to have trounced the opponent had they been employed by the actual candidate. He also deconstructs famous TV commercials and party political broadcasts and shows the psychological and emotional persuasion that was being employed, often subliminally.

    The author also describes how certain emotional appeals will be more effective in some demographic populations than others, and suggests how a candidate can often win in areas his party would not be expected to do well in by adopting a message that plays on the emotions and passions of the target voters, thus by passing their usual psychological defences against a party/candidate they may have a reflexive initial dislike of.

    The book does have one or two weaknesses. Perhaps the biggest potential weakness for the UK reader is the fact the book deals solely with US politics, and there may be some issues that are either irrelevant and/or not of interests to British political strategists. This US bias also means that there are a few instances where he quotes events that the UK reader would not know the cultural and media background to, whereas this would be common knowledge to the US reader.

    This book is a must read for political campaigners, whatever their political allegiance. It will be interesting to see if the tactics and philosophy in this book are employed during the 2008 Presidential election.
    25 people found this helpful
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  • ben
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really interesting read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 November 2023
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    Fascinating introduction to the psychology of political success, or otherwise.
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  • K. Petersen
    4.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Politics Explained
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The sub-title of this book is, 'The role of emotion in deciding the fate of the nation' and, this perhaps sums up the main point of this work better than the actual title.

    It is, of course, a very valid point that politicians need to engage their emotions in an election. Whilst the public will say that facts are the main requirement, the truth is that we lead busy lives and the general public do not have the time, or frankly the inclination, to study all the issues. If something is having a direct effect, at the moment, then one is in tune, otherwise, the politician needs to convince us that he/she is 'one of us'. In Great Britain, this has been done by Nigel Farage, and in the US by Mr Trump. It takes very little study to realise that both are the ultimate establishment figures and yet, our desire to believe otherwise has seen them through.

    Drew Weston does not advocate these false sentiments, but suggests that true feelings are vital. There is much to be learned from this book but, one must remember that, under the archaic systems, of both countries, the colour of your money is a better indicator of success.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Politics from a different angle.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The book, published in 2007, deals with the way we make up our minds which way to vote. It has given me new insights. Neither its age nor its US focus detract from its relevance to a UK reader in 2016.
    It's a dense but highly rewarding read for anyone interested in the political process.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lisa
    3.0 out of 5 stars an important book , if you can keep awake
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 December 2010
    This book was well recommended, and I am sure is a very important book for the future of campaigning however it just didn't hold my attention despite trying to read it a few times. I found other peoples reviews more useful in explaining what the book is about.

    i would say it is better to send a friend with lots of time on their hands off to read it, then invite them around with a bottle of wine to explain all about it
    2 people found this helpful
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  • KAY
    5.0 out of 5 stars WORTH READING MORE THAN ONCE
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 September 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This was bought as a gift for a friend who is a candidate for a local election. He found it covered the points in which he was interested and had a host of other information which will be helpful for his future political aspirations. Is taking the book on holiday to read again so it must be good!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • steveh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2016
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    Fantastic book, well worth a read
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  • sanyata
    4.0 out of 5 stars chatty and blatantly democrat, wrong on economics, but still worthwhile
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2011
    author is a psychologist, slightly histrionic in temper and an unyielding democrat to boot.
    his thesis: when there is an election, democrats approach it as a job interview, republicans approach it as a date
    his main message is that the human brain is primitive and reachs to emotional input and physical similarites between candidaters and the population
    as such, a politician should not seek to present the facts to the voters, al gore style. a politician should charm the voters, ronald reagan style, thinks westen.
    to westen's mind, bill clinton was the ideal president. but why then, dear westen, did clinton turn out to be such a weak president?
    the answer, of course, is that winning an election and running a country are two completely different things.
    westen justifiably rams the bushes and injustifiably glorifies the new deal (he knows nothing about economics)
    in the end, he comes across as a man with a mission: a democrat with a clear message: democratic candidates turn down the dry learning and turn up the charm!
    he says nothing about whether this is a viable route for democracy. for that he makes no excuse. and nor does he make any excuse for the biggest weakness of this book: it is long-wineded and chatty, the good mains points being interspersed with personal, self-promiting and often irrelevant anecdotes.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • kiran krishna adapala
    5.0 out of 5 stars Analytical
    Reviewed in India on 3 December 2023
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    Great psychological analysis
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  • Jason
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hume vs Bentham
    Reviewed in Australia on 8 January 2022
    Verified Purchase
    My essential problem with this book is that the Left has used it to divide instead of include, to persecute instead of understand. Our politics needs to find ways that we can appeal to people's reason not passion. This is an argument for the opposite.
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  • Jan Strnad
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for Democratic campaign managers
    Reviewed in the United States on 10 September 2011
    Verified Purchase
    For decades it has frustrated me that, while most of the country shares Democratic beliefs over Republican ones, Democrats keep losing elections. Why?

    Because the very values Democrats hold dear...taking the higher road, trying to stay "above the fray", concentrating on issues over personalities...fail to speak to the emotional brain that makes most voters' electoral decisions. Whether it's the language they use while failing to understand its connotations, over-handling by committees that blunt the message, or simple refusal to debate some topics at all (abortion, gun control, race) thereby defaulting on them to the Republicans, Democrats systematically undermine their own campaigns.

    Westen's book is must reading for every Democrat who wants to hold public office! Thus, the five stars.

    On the other hand, Westen makes his point clearly and firmly in the first third of the book, and then beats us over the head with it, taking us point by point through campaigns, tweaking the information endlessly, and frankly, about halfway through I started skimming and eventually put it down. "I get it already!" I thought, and moved on.

    Also, this is horribly produced ebook. It's obviously scanned from a printed copy and poorly proofread, it at all. When Westen talks about the perception of the word "gull" and how it affects elections, you have to read a bit to understand that it's the word "gun" he's talking about! Words bizarrely split, words run together, bizarre punctuation and misspelling due to OCR errors are rife on every single page.

    Furthermore, the type looks like bad photocopying with the machine set on "light." Ugly, ugly, ugly. Yet the publisher (Hatchette) charges nearly as much for the ebook as for the print book, which I'm sure looks a lot better. It couldn't look any worse.

    If I could, I'd rate it "five stars" for the content, downgrade it to "three stars" for being redundant, and finally give it "one star" for being so terribly produced.

    That first third of the book, though, is so important for Democrats to understand (the Republicans already have a masterful grasp of it) that I went with the "five star" rating.
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  • Rick Perkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars as advertised
    Reviewed in Canada on 12 August 2020
    Verified Purchase
    great shape.
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  • tommaso badano
    5.0 out of 5 stars Saggio molto acuto e in parte inaspettato
    Reviewed in Italy on 13 December 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Un'analisi che approfondisce due fronti, ovvero quello della cultura politica statunitense e quello del pensiero dell'elettore medio. Sotto certi aspetti anche affiancabile alla filosofia del buon governo di rinascimentale memoria in tema gestione del potere e delle leggi di marketing per quanto riguarda la "manipolazione" della volontà dell'elettore. Personalmente mi ha ancor più convinto di quanto grandi siano ancora oggi i limiti della democrazia rappresentativa.
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