Friday Presidential Plenary Panel Session

Friday, 29 May 2026, 19:00 – 20:00 (7:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

The Fall of Civilizations

Businesses, communities, and entire civilizations eventually collapse. What are the factors that can destabilize large groups? Are we seeing early signs of this in the west now? What can we as psychological scientists do about it?

Moderator: Jamie Pennebaker, APS President, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

Speakers: 

The Long Historical View of Cultural Failure

Ian Morris, Stanford University, USA

Abstract forthcoming 

How the Dynamics of Minds, Cultures, and Institutions Shapes Collective (In)action

Mirta Galesic, The Complexity Science Hub, Vienna, Austria

Societies sometimes find themselves on trajectories that have historically led to violent collapse. What role might individual and collective agency play in averting such collapse and revising these trajectories toward more stable and sustainable states? In this talk, Galesic will outline how the joint dynamics of beliefs and norms, social networks, and institutions shape the set of collective responses that people perceive as possible. She will also provide examples of modeling approaches and empirical evidence that can help understand this complex, dynamic social system. The aim is to stimulate more interdisciplinary research, with psychologists in a prominent role, on how these factors together shape collective action and the societal capacity for peaceful, broadly beneficial change. 

Note: We regret that Mirta Galesic is unable to present as planned. We’re pleased to announce that Alex Bentley will be presenting in their place.

Title and Abstract forthcoming

Alex Bentley, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

Linguistic Markers of Democratic Backsliding and Autocratization

Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Bristol, United Kingdom

We live in an era of democratic backsliding and autocratization that is largely unparalleled during the period after World War II. Even leading democracies, such as the U.S., are subject to unprecedented autocratic measures by the current administration. Actions that used to be considered unthinkable have become commonplace. What are the drivers of these trends and are there warning signals or countermeasures? In this session, Lewandowsky will focus on the role of misinformation and populist rhetoric as key drivers of democratic backsliding. He will also report several analyses of political speech, both on social media and in parliaments in several countries, which show that when political rhetoric drifts from evidence-based reasoning—rooted in ascertainable facts and data—to intuitive language that is driven by feelings and subjective interpretations, democracy is in peril. Lewandowsky will also highlight recent studies that suggest that people become less tolerant of democratic norm violations when they are encouraged to consider factual accuracy as an important aspect of honesty.