Introduction

This chapter introduces the main concerns of this edited volume. Starting from a general examination of the causes underlying liberal democracies’ current instabilities, it elaborates on the extent to which the analysis of the psychology of political communicators contributes to a better understanding. Embedded in a shared cultural context, politicians and the media closely interact with each other, while pursuing different goals. Taking on different perspectives, it is the main aim of the empirical studies compiled in this volume to shed new light on these interactions, their evolvement, causes, and consequences. In the second part of this chapter, the structure of the book, with short overviews of the contributions, is presented.