Personality and Political Leadership

Alexander and Juliette George have long been noted for their pathbreaking research concerning the impact of personality on political behavior and how U. S. presidents manage their political office. The Georges earlier book, Woodrow Wilson and Colonel House: A Personality Study, was widely acclaimed as a successful demonstration that careful biography of historical figures in the light of depth psychology can yield new insight into their political behavior. Drawing heavily on Wilson materials, early chapters of this book examine the relevance of psychoanalytic theory and the use of other psychodynamic approaches to case materials. Chapter 4 is the Georges replypublished here in full for the first timeto a critical review of their work by historian Arthur S. Link and two of his colleagues. A condensed version that appeared over a decade ago generated a continuing scholarly controversy in which historians, political scientists, psychiatrists, neurologists, and ophthalmologists have participated. Chapter 5 discusses methods of writing psychobiography and assessing presidential character, including the psychological suitability of candidates for the office. The concluding chapter analyzes the presidential management styles of FDR, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, JFK, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton.