Laclau, The Populist Mind, and Competing Populists Elaborations on Cathexis and Alienation

Abstract

While acknowledging Laclau's invaluable contributions to understanding populism from a discursive perspective, I will illustrate that his framework holds a latent psycho-political dimension that this essay lifts out and elaborates. Guided by the simple question, what are the characteristics of a populist mind, I will assess this latent dimension via an elaboration of Laclau’s adaptation of cathexis (emotional investment) to the issue of identity formation. Moreover, I will refer to the case of competing populist discourses and leaders as a means of highlighting the importance of a psycho-political approach to populism. Through insights drawn from On Populist Reason (OPR) and The Rhetorical Foundations of Society (RFS), I will bring Laclau’s framework closer to the reality of competing populists by developing the latent psycho-political dimension of his theory on populism. I will illustrate that in the context of constitutive heterogeneity, the formation of a populist identity as the workings of a populist mind, is something affected by other psychological factors surrounding cathexis, the impact of pre-existing identities, and a person’s dis/alienation with political actors and objects. Overall, this study seeks to connect Laclau's framework with contemporary research on populist psychology, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of populism that links discourse, rhetoric, cognition, emotions, and behavior without rejecting constitutive heterogeneity and contingent hegemonic struggles.