Research project Psychological defence in the 21st century: Distinguishing truth from threat

By studying the formation of Sweden’s new government agency for psychological defence, the project contributes new knowledge to research on how democratic states address hybrid and information warfare today, and how such strategies have evolved over time.

In light of a deteriorating geopolitical security environment, psychological defence has recently re-emerged as an organised state practice in Sweden. The purpose is to counter foreign disinformation campaigns, create resilience in the population, and foster a will to defend the country in case of war. However, when distinguishing “true” from “threatening” information, psychological defence practices might also risk creating boundaries for, and even infringe upon, freedom of expression. 

Our project approaches this conflict by studying the formation of Sweden’s new government agency for psychological defence. We analyse how the agency understands and carries out its mandate in today’s technologically advanced society, when every citizen can produce and circulate (dis)information, and compare it to psychological defence in the Cold War era. The aim is to contribute new knowledge about how democratic states respond to hybrid and information threats, as well as how such responses have emerged. 

Our first research track employs policy analysis and practitioner interviews to study how psychological defence constructs representations of the self and enemy others. Track two uses the same methods to observe how a particular form of psychological defence expertise and authority is constructed through everyday practices at the new agency. Track three conducts archival research on Cold War psychological defence to investigate genealogically how today’s practices emerged and was enabled.