The psychological assessment of presidential candidates / Stanley A. Renshon ; with a foreword by Alexander L. George.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Renshon, Stanley Allen, author.

Contributor:

George, Alexander L., writer of foreword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Presidential candidates--United States--Psychology.

Presidential candidates.

United States.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (532 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York ; London : New York University Press, [1996]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Debate on public issues--and where candidates stand on them-- have traditionally represented the focal point of presidential campaigns. In recent decades, however, rather than asking where candidates stand on the issues, the public increasingly wants to know who they are. The issue of character has thus come to dominate presidential elections. While there is increasing public awareness that the psychology, judgment, and leadership qualities of presidential candidates count, the basis on which these judgments should made remains unclear. Does it matter that Gary Hart changed his name or had an affair? Should Ed Muskie's loss of composure while defending his wife during a campaign speech, or Thomas Eagleton's hospitalization for depression, have counted against them? Looking back over the past 25 years, Stanley Renshon, a political scientist and psychoanalyst, provides the first comprehensive accounting of how character has become an increasingly important issue in a presidential campaign. He traces two related but distinctive approaches to the issue of presidential character and psychology. The first concerns the mental health of our candidates and presidents. Are they emotionally and personally stable? Is their temperament suitable for the presidency? The second concerns character. Is the candidate honest? Does he possess the necessary judgment and motivation to deal with the tremendous responsibilities and pressures of the office? Drawing on his clinical and political science training, Renshon has devised a theory which will allow the public to better evaluate presidential candidates. Why are honesty, integrity, and personal ideals so important in judging candidates? Is personal and political ambition necessarily a bad trait? Do extra-marital affairs really matter? Finally, and most importantly, how can the public tell whether a candidate's leadership will be enhanced or impeded by aspects of his personality?With this sweeping volume, Stanley Renshon has provided us with the most comprehensive account to date of how the public judges, and should judge, our future presidents.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Forewo

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Introduction: Frameworks of Analysis

PART I The Concept of Psychological Suitability

ONE The Psychological Suitability of Presidents in an Era of Doubt

TWO Assessing the Psychological Suitability of Presidential Candidates: Ethical and Theoretical Dilemmas

PART II Assessing the Psychological Health of Presidential Candidates

THREE Psychological Health and Presidential Performance: A Foundation for the Assessment of Psychological Suitability

FOUR Is the Psychological Impairment of Presidents Still a Relevant Concern?

FIVE Assessment at a Distance: A Cautionary Case Study of the 1964 Presidential Campaign

SIX Psychological Health in the 19j2 Presidential Election: The Case of Thomas F. Eagleton

PART III Character and Presidential Performance: T h e o r y and Assessment

SEVEN Toward a Framework for Analyzing Presidential Performance: Some Observations on a Theory of Character

EIGHT Toward a Theory of Character and Presidential Performance

NINE Character and Judgment in the 1988 Presidential Campaign: A Case Study of Gary Hart

TEN Bill Clinton as a Presidential Candidate: What Did the Public Learn?

ELEVEN William J. Clinton as President: Some Implications of Character for Presidential Performance

PART IV Assessing Psychological Suitability: T h e R o l e of the Press and Presidential Campaigns

TWELVE The Private Lives of Public Officials: Observations, Dilemmas, and Guidelines

THIRTEEN Election Campaigns as a Tool for Assessing the Psychological Suitability of Presidential Candidates

PART V Assessing Psychological Suitability: Some Applications

FOURTEEN Asking the Right Questions of Presidential Candidates: Some Suggestions and Guidelines

FIFTEEN Conclusion: The Good Enough President

APPENDIX 1 Some Observations on Method: Cases, Data, and Analysis

APPENDIX 2 A Model of Character: Dynamics, Development, and Implications for Presidential Performance

APPENDIX 3 Preparing Political Leaders for Power: A Supplement to Assessing Psychological Suitability

Notes

Bibliography

Subject Index

Name Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

This eBook is made available Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780814776636

0814776639

OCLC:

906549559

Access Restriction:

Open Access Unrestricted online access