Political science and psychology are very closely related, the relationship between the two is known as 'political psychology'. Some of the reasons they can be so closely entwined include:
- The main purpose behind this relationship is for psychologists to try to find the roots and consequences of politicians' behavior and actions.
- When looking at the actions of politicians, psychologists will consider theories that have their origins in cognitive and social psychology.
- The study helps people understand how and why political events often end up starting and developing in certain ways. It helps put more understanding and reasoning into why politicians do what they do.
- This strand of psychology tries to use theories and facts to understand and describe political problems.
- Another aspect of it is looking at how political behavior will affect the individual in the long term. This is because actions of politicians affect the lives of millions of people so making decisions in this sphere is not a straightforward process.
- The intentions of the politician and things they are trying to achieve including how this will benefit the rest of society are also analyzed.