The Psychology of Political Action Part 2:
Getting Rid of Dictators and Stopping Climate Change: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Permanent Social Change
The world is in crisis! A war rages in Ukraine. International tensions between countries are rising. Fascist leaders get many votes or get elected. Climate is changing rapidly, and large-scale ecological collapse seems inevitable. The COVID-19 pandemic has unequally hit groups in society, making some individuals very rich and others very poor. Social mobility is slowing down. Almost one in three individuals report psychological stress and mental health problems due to these societal problems. What can we do? Is there anything we can do to stop these crises? Or should be crumble down in despair?
We can stop these crises. It may take time, effort, and knowledge, but change can happen. Countless empirical studies on social movements and social change show this. This lecture will share evidence-based knowledge about how to create social change. As examples, the lecture will focus on how to get rid of dictators, and how to stop climate change. The session will start by giving an overview of empirical research on how social movements can be build and how change can be created. A key focus will be the use of psychological techniques to motivate people to change. The last part of the lecture will give step by step guides to creating change. This lecture is relevant for citizens who care: anyhow who wants to hope that change is possible, and who may want to make a difference in their personal life, their direct environment, and society in general. This lecture is particularly relevant for anyone involved, or wanting to get involved, in social movements or political campaign groups about any topics. The general conditions and mechanisms of social change can be applied in any fields.
Course Content
Presenter
Dr Joel Vos PhD MSc MA CPsychol FHEA is a psychologist, philosopher, author, researcher, lecturer, and existential therapist. He works as Senior Researcher and Senior Lecturer at the Metanoia Institute in London, United Kingdom. His research focuses on topics around meaning in life, social justice, social movements, social and political change, and the effectiveness of humanistic and existential therapies. He is director of the IMEC International Meaning Events & Community which organises annual conferences, workshops, training, and cultural events (meaning.org.uk). He has over 100 publications, including the books ‘Meaning in Life: an evidence-based handbook for practitioners’ (MacMillan, 2017), ‘Mental health in crisis’ (Sage, 2019), ‘The economics of meaning in life’ (University Professors Press, 2020), and ‘The psychology of COVID-19’ (Sage, 2020).
