About
Tereza Capelos studies the psychological processes, mechanisms, and dynamics that explain political behaviour. Her recent work focuses on grievance politics and particularly on resentful emotionality and reactionary orientations as determinants of anti-democratic and authoritarian political preferences. She also examines the role of uncertainty, anxiety, trust, and empathy as determinants of polarization vs. cooperation during crises and tensions. Tereza is co-Editor of the Palgrave Global Handbook in Political Psychology, and publishes articles in Political Psychology, Regulation and Governance, Politics and Governance, and other international peer review journals. Tereza Capelos is Standing Group co-Convener for the Political Psychology Standing Group of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) and Former President of the International Society of Political Psychology. She is also co-editor of the Palgrave Studies in Political Psychology. She is Co-PI in two Horizon Europe projects: PLEDGE (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101132560) and and PROTEMO (https://protemo.eu/; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101132433) which investigate the role of emotions and grievances in democratic governance.
Tereza welcomes media engagement and invitations to discuss grievance politics, emotions and their impact on public opinion, voting preferences, and political engagement, the political psychology of crises and conflicts, challenges for democratic engagement, prejudice, and tolerance.