Obradović Sandra, Vincze Orsolya, Sammut Gordon
School of Psychology and Counselling, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
Br J Soc Psychol. 2025 Jan;64(1):e12851. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12851.
Critical voices within social psychology have, for some time, emphasized that context matters for understanding psychological phenomena and processes. This special issue examines what a social psychology of context, and in context, can contribute to understanding contemporary geopolitics. We argue that, in examining the interplay between social psychology and contemporary geopolitics, we can understand how geopolitical contexts shape psychological processes and how psychology, in turn, informs our understanding of geopolitical phenomena. There are two thematic strands of the special issue; first, how psychological mechanisms influence perceptions and actions within geopolitical contexts, and second, how geopolitics shapes psychology as a discipline, including its theoretical frameworks and power dynamics. Papers examine three dimensions within which psychology and geopolitics meet-the temporal, spatial and embodied-representing history, geography and social relations, while emphasizing their interconnectedness. Drawing on critical geopolitics and social psychology, this introduction underscores the constructed, contested and political nature of time and space. By interlinking historical and social meaning with spatialization, this issue offers a deeper understanding of how individuals, groups and nations create and contest the psychological and geopolitical landscapes that shape contemporary life. The contributions highlight both the opportunities and challenges for social psychology in engaging with these critical intersections.
一段时间以来，社会心理学界的批评声音一直强调，背景对于理解心理现象和过程至关重要。本期特刊探讨了情境中的社会心理学以及在情境中能为理解当代地缘政治做出哪些贡献。我们认为，在研究社会心理学与当代地缘政治之间的相互作用时，我们能够理解地缘政治背景如何塑造心理过程，以及心理学又如何反过来增进我们对地缘政治现象的理解。本期特刊有两条主题线索；其一，心理机制如何在地缘政治背景中影响认知和行动，其二，地缘政治如何塑造作为一门学科的心理学，包括其理论框架和权力动态。论文探讨了心理学与地缘政治交汇的三个维度——时间、空间和身体——分别代表历史、地理和社会关系，同时强调它们的相互联系。借鉴批判性地缘政治和社会心理学，本引言强调了时间和空间的建构性、争议性和政治性。通过将历史和社会意义与空间化联系起来，本期特刊能让我们更深入地理解个人、群体和国家如何创造并争夺塑造当代生活的心理和地缘政治景观。这些论文突出了社会心理学在参与这些关键交叉领域时面临的机遇和挑战。
