The mental well-being of politicians is not a fashionable issue. However, the effective functioning and delivery of representative democracy rests heavily on the capacity for those elected to perform their job role and to do so effectively. Despite this, wider recognition of the importance of politicians’ mental health and systems that can support it tends to be missing from public and political discourse. Progress in tackling long-standing stigma surrounding the psychological well-being of politicians has been gradual, owing to a range of societal, personal and political perceptions, yet, as an occupational group, they tend to be little or no different from the wider working population in terms of experience of depression, anxiety and related challenges to their mental health. Reviewing research on this topic, and drawing on new insights from experiences shared by parliamentarians across three continents – including from the UK, Malawi and Australia – this chapter considers a framework of nine sources of pressure facing democratically elected national politicians, reflecting the macro-, meso- and micro-level considerations of the book. These stressors emanate from societal expectations and distrust, harsh realities of political institutions and their processes, as well as the crucial, yet under-considered, influences of job design that risk failing to support the effective functioning of those we elect. Without addressing these, politicians’ well-being is a topic of concern for electors and elected alike.

Democracy is under attack. Whether from those within its systems who seek to gain at the expense of others, or from without by rival forms of rule. Yet the crises we face as a species demand not only that we recognise the perils of a changing planet, but that we address them together. Democracy may imply an imperfect form of government, but its purported advantages lie in seeking to give voice to all people, political parties and perspectives, in hopes that the common good is served and citizens not only represented, but respected. The challenge of a pandemic, finding nations divided in their responses, underlines the pressing need for a genuine understanding of what democracy can and does deliver. This necessitates a clearer focus on our own roles as citizens – and thereby politicians in our daily lives – and on occupational politicians, as well as the political institutions and influences that shape our experiences of democracy. In opening ‘Psychology of Democracy: Of the people, by the people, for the people’, the editor points to the power of harnessing multidisciplinary and cutting-edge knowledge from psychology, political and allied social sciences. The opening chapter maps out the design and potential impact of the book, examining the psychology ‘of the people’ who are elected, the political institutions and processes created ‘by the people’ and the influences from broader societies that shape the context of democracy ‘for the people’. Its message is clear: the future is ours if we can better harness all human talents.