President's Personality Traits

President's Personality Traits

  • Submitted By: Rman
  • Date Submitted: 02/02/2009 5:13 PM
  • Category: Psychology
  • Words: 534
  • Page: 3
  • Views: 1698

President’s Personality Traits James David Barber, who was a political scientist, classified four different types of presidents. Per his description, there are four different personality types which dictate what type of president a person will be. One person’s idea of a great president might vastly differ from another’s, based on political views. However, there is a general consensus among historians and politicians of both sides about most successful presidents, and similarly, biggest failures. There are a multitude of challenges that will arise continuously throughout a person’s presidency. The success or failure of a president is based on how he approaches those challenges, which entirely depends on his personality type. The author states that the main components of a personality type are passive or active and positive or negative. Therefore, the combination of these components make up the four basic personalities of a president. Based on the author’s description of the four configurations, George W. Bush fits the passive-negative type. James Barber defines being a passive president as one who does not invest energy in his presidency. He writes, “Why is someone who does little in politics and enjoys it less there at all” (429)? Michael A. Fletcher of The Washington Postnoted in his article that George W. Bush’s 2005 presidential retreat in Crawford Texas was the longest of any president’s in more than three decades (Washington Post). The National Postcited in a 2005 article, “In total Bush has spent more than 330 days at the ranch, almost 20% of his presidency. By comparison, Ronald Regan spent 335 days in his Santa Barbara Ranch, but that was over eight years as president, not five” (National Post). The numerous vacation getaways during George W. Bush’s presidency showcase his joylessness in politics, which fits into Barber’s outline of a passive president. Barber writes, “Passive-negative types are in politics because they think they ought to be” (429)....

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