The Social Psychology of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election: An Introduction.

This essay introduces Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy's collection of papers on the social psychology of the 2012 election, framing it in terms of two prior collections. The papers are described as reflecting four themes: President or Barack Obama's path from outsider to incumbent, the nation's shift toward increasingly racialized politics, contemporary perceptions of 'Americanness,' and the role of moral values in political engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]