When international relations meet psychology: securitising threats to national identity

The article analyzes the concept of securitisation by the Copenhagen school of political thought, while defining its utility in studying issues of national identity. This research avenue is gaining traction within the constructivist approach as world politics has become more human. Yet, the author stresses that the methodology in question is limited. It does not explain why the securitising actor, which is an influential politician, chooses some certain behavioural model and a respective security scenario. It is also important that the audience, which they try to persuade that a threat exists, is highly overlooked within the analytical framework. However, this very audience is concerned about preserving national identity and influences decisions taken by the securitising actor. Given the interdisciplinary nature of identity, one way to fill the existing theoretical and conceptual vacuum is to turn to psychology. This would allow borrowing additional provisions that explain why fear emerges in the context of providing ontological security and what role it plays in tackling threats.