The Psychology and Politics of Dysfunctional Democracy | Drew Westen | TEDxEmory

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For leaders in a democracy like ours to tackle the big problems we face today, they need three things: a coherent ideology or vision of what is and should be; an ability to move people with a compelling message; and clean, fair elections. Our democracy today has none of those things.

Professor Westen received his B.A. at Harvard University, an M.A. in Social and Political Thought at the University of Sussex (England), and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan, where he subsequently taught for six years. For several years he was Chief Psychologist at Cambridge Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. His major areas of research are personality disorders, adolescent psychopathology, political psychology, psychotherapy effectiveness, and the interface of psychodynamics and neuroscience. An active clinician, researcher, and political consultant, Dr. Westen is the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator for two grants from NIMH. His book, The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation, has had a wide influence on elections internationally. He has advised a wide range of candidates and organizations, from presidential campaigns to the U.S. House and Senate Caucuses, and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and a range of other publications.

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