Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies
In this paper I address the usefulness of the psychoanalytic framework in studying U.S. presidents and by implication political leaders more generally.1 I ask why such a framework is important for studying political leaders before I proceed to how it might be done—or at least how I have found it use...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
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Center for Public Leadership
2010
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55926 |
| _version_ | 1826193408488636416 |
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| author | Renshon, Stanley A. |
| author_facet | Renshon, Stanley A. |
| author_sort | Renshon, Stanley A. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | In this paper I address the usefulness of the psychoanalytic framework in studying U.S. presidents and by implication political leaders more generally.1 I ask why such a framework is important for studying political leaders before I proceed to how it might be done—or at least how I have found it useful to do it.2 This paper is not meant to provide a finished analysis of either William J. Clinton or George W. Bush. Rather, its purpose is to provide a sense of how psychologically framed analyses unfold and, more specifically, the kinds of questions that such an analysis asks. That task is central since in scholarship, as in psychoanalytic work, the most important and useful tool to have at your disposal is the question. The analysis that follows is divided into four parts. The first examines the nature of psychoanalytic theory, focusing on what all such theories have in common and why they are necessary parts of any full analysis of a president’s behavior. The second section focuses on alternatives to psychoanalytic frameworks and why they are helpful, but not fully so. The third section takes up the issue of how such analyses unfold, using illustrations from two contemporary presidents, William J. Clinton and George W. Bush. The fourth and final section considers a very basic issue in undertaking such analyses: the analyst’s stance toward his subject. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:38:35Z |
| format | Working Paper |
| id | mit-1721.1/55926 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:38:35Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | Center for Public Leadership |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/559262019-04-12T23:53:37Z Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies Renshon, Stanley A. hks leadership cpl kennedy school clinton bush president psychoanalysis In this paper I address the usefulness of the psychoanalytic framework in studying U.S. presidents and by implication political leaders more generally.1 I ask why such a framework is important for studying political leaders before I proceed to how it might be done—or at least how I have found it useful to do it.2 This paper is not meant to provide a finished analysis of either William J. Clinton or George W. Bush. Rather, its purpose is to provide a sense of how psychologically framed analyses unfold and, more specifically, the kinds of questions that such an analysis asks. That task is central since in scholarship, as in psychoanalytic work, the most important and useful tool to have at your disposal is the question. The analysis that follows is divided into four parts. The first examines the nature of psychoanalytic theory, focusing on what all such theories have in common and why they are necessary parts of any full analysis of a president’s behavior. The second section focuses on alternatives to psychoanalytic frameworks and why they are helpful, but not fully so. The third section takes up the issue of how such analyses unfold, using illustrations from two contemporary presidents, William J. Clinton and George W. Bush. The fourth and final section considers a very basic issue in undertaking such analyses: the analyst’s stance toward his subject. 2010-06-17T14:33:36Z 2010-06-17T14:33:36Z 2004-01-04 Working Paper http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55926 Center for Public Leadership Working Paper Series;04-04 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ application/pdf Center for Public Leadership |
| spellingShingle | hks leadership cpl kennedy school clinton bush president psychoanalysis Renshon, Stanley A. Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies |
| title | Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies |
| title_full | Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies |
| title_fullStr | Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies |
| title_short | Psychoanalyzing Presidents Without a Couch: Lessons from the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies |
| title_sort | psychoanalyzing presidents without a couch lessons from the william j clinton and george w bush presidencies |
| topic | hks leadership cpl kennedy school clinton bush president psychoanalysis |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55926 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT renshonstanleya psychoanalyzingpresidentswithoutacouchlessonsfromthewilliamjclintonandgeorgewbushpresidencies |