Guest Lecture - What can flags tell us about pride, prejudice and polarisation?

Perceptions of polarisation are rising, and national symbols are part of why.

Join the Psychology Society for a guest lecture with Dr Emma Bridger exploring political psychology and the recent “flag wars” through a social psychological lens.

Using a recent UK case study, this session will unpack how flags and national symbols become flashpoints for conflict, and what this reveals about identity, hierarchy, and group dynamics.

We’ll explore:

• Why flags trigger such strong emotional reactions
• How “us vs them” thinking forms and escalates
• The people behind the flags, and links to Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)
• Evolutionary perspectives on hierarchical thinking
• What increasing polarisation means for society and the role of psychologists in responding to it

This topic is political in nature, but the session is not party-political. The focus will be evidence-informed, respectful, and grounded in psychological research.

Open to Everyone!