The clash of the titans: a psychopolitical cartography of Belgian politics 2007-2010

In The Clash of the Titans, the authors systematically examine for the first time the role that personality plays in Belgian politics. They also describe the history of research into the political psychology of leadership, which has been practiced for decades, especially in the United States, including in CIA circles.

Three years of Belgian political theatre, between the federal elections of 10 June 2007 and those of 13 June 2010, form the fascinating case of this book. The comedy/tragedy consists of government negotiations in which political protagonists and extras constantly clash with each other, with as the icing on the cake a Guinness World Record for Belgium as the country with the longest government formation.

The thesis of this book is that it is difficult to separate political developments from the figure or personality of the political leaders. Political circumstances limit the role of personality or even increase it. In The Clash of the Titans, twenty prominent Flemish and Walloon politicians pass by the 'divan'. For their personality research, the authors use the tried and tested profiling method of the American psychologist Aubrey Immelman, who uses material from old and new media, biographies and archives.

This 'political cartography' of a country in deep crisis will provide the reader with original and valuable insights into the personality of our political leaders and into the possible future of political formations and the situation of the Flemish and Walloons.

Christ'l De Landtsheer is a professor of communication sciences at the University of Antwerp. Her research areas are political communication, political psychology, political language and political socialization.

Pascal de Sutter holds a PhD in psychology and is a professor at the Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve. His research and teaching are in the fields of clinical psychology, sexology and political psychology.