Five theories of voting action: strategy and structure of psychological explanation

Abstract

This dissertation is an exercise in political psychology and psychologically oriented political science. The approach it takes to the study of voting is inherently psychological, yet the choice and scope of psychological theories is bounded by the discussion of voting behavior as it appears from the political science literature. Digressions into psychological theory and history provide wider perspectives and foster searches for convergences, yet the terminus of these investigations invariably centers on issues from political science.