Cognitive strain in Parliament

Baldwin, A; Pinto, C; Perriard-Abdoh, S; Weinberg, A

Abstract

Being an MP does not come with a formal job description, and the working realities of our elected politicians are complex.

We know from current psychological evidence that work plays a central role in our identity and meaningful activity in life is key to wellbeing.

This applies as much to politicians as it does to any other job.

While other high-stress professions have been studied from an occupational psychology perspective, this has not occurred to a large extent within parliamentarians.

This briefing asks, from a psychological perspective, what the role of an MP actually looks like in practice, and what are the psychological ramifications faced by our elected representatives once they enter parliament?

Citation

Baldwin, A., Pinto, C., Perriard-Abdoh, S., & Weinberg, A. (2020). Cognitive strain in Parliament

• Report Type: Project Report
• Online Publication Date: Sep 29, 2020
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Feb 4, 2021
• Publisher: The British Psychological Society
• Publisher URL: https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/cognitive-strain-parliament
• Related Public URLs: https://www.bps.org.uk/
• Additional Information: Access Information : A PDF of this report can be freely accessed by following the link above.