| What is the
Personality of George W. Bush?
How Do People Evaluate Presidential Personality? Limited Studies. Before answering this question it is important to note that we are not familiar with any published research studies that have surveyed voters as to President Bush's MBTI preferences. Certainly many bloggers and "type watchers" have speculated about Bush's preferences, but no published empirical research appears to exist. We are familiar with only one study which has used a standardized personality instrument to evaluate presidential candidates (Bill Clinton and Bob Dole).1 This research used a questionnaire that measures what is referred to as the "Big-Five" dimensions of personality.2 What is George W. Bush's MBTI Type? Extraversion or Introversion? The picture that emerges over Bush's life is one of an extravert. As a child he is portrayed as something of the family clown or entertainer. In his school years he takes on extraverted roles such as cheerleader and fraternity president. He earns a playboy reputation and demonstrates a bias for action by flying for the Texas Air National Guard. His personality on the political campaign trail comes across as sociable, active, outgoing and energetic. In contrast, his Democratic opponents--Al Gore and John Kerry--both earned reputations as being too "stiff," "wooden," or "boring." Bush's tendency to spend significant time at his ranch in Crawford, Texas or at Camp David may at first consideration suggest a preference for Introversion. A closer look at Bush's behavior in these settings, however, further suggests a preference for Extraversion in that a key theme is sociability; in addition to the presence of presidential staff, Bush is known to engender long and actives days that often involve friends and family. Some have commented that Bush's extraverted behaviors may reflect his attempt to live up to parental expectations for achievement (not unusual for a first-born child) or an ongoing Oedipal rivalry with his father. Such perspectives pose interesting questions for political psychology, but do not directly aid a study of Bush's type preferences (unless one is willing to delve more deeply into the psychoanalysis of type development). Sensing or Intuition? Sensing and intuition refer to different ways of perceiving. People who prefer sensing generally are described as practical, realistic, and focused on living in the present. Sensing types are seen as emphasizing tradition and experience. People who prefer intuition generally are described as theoretical, imaginative, and oriented to the future. Intuitive types are seen as emphasizing possibilities, originality and the abstract. Given this brief overview, George Bush appears to be a sensing type. The picture of Bush as a sensing type seems clear if we consider the younger Bush--before he became a politician and thus subject to political spin and image building. In particular, the picture of Bush that emerges from his younger days is one of a person who thrives on living in the moment--whether it be playing sports or partying. Moreover, his college major--history--can be seen as attractive to sensing types in that history emphasizes tradition and experience in terms of concrete, specific people and events. Books that Bush reportedly have read during his presidency also seem oriented to historical materials that provide experiences and examples that serve to inform his policy process.3 Thinking or Feeling? Thinking and feeling refer to how people make decisions or come to conclusions. Thinking types emphasize impersonal and task related criteria whereas feeling types emphasize personal and interpersonal criteria. Thinking types tend to be questioning, critical, and concerned with fairness and equity when making decisions. Feeling types tend to be concerned with ensuring harmony and avoiding conflict with those involved in the process. Former White House speechwriter David Frum's comments about George Bush suggest Bush demonstrates the traits of a thinking type:
Some people may 'type' Bush as a feeling type given Bush's friendliness, sociability, and willingness to share his feelings with others. Moreover, Bush promotes himself as a compassionate (feeling) conservative. Our impression, however, is that Bush's friendliness, willingness to share feelings, and so on reflect his extraversion preferences more so than feeling preferences; moreover, his theme of compassionate conservatism reflects more his evangelical beliefs than his psychological type preferences. Judging or Perceiving? Judging and perceiving indicate different preferences for dealing with one's environment. Judging types prefer to plan, organize, and control their environment whether at work or at play. Judging types thus prefer an environment characterized by procedures, schedules, goals, and routines. Judging types like to get started early on a task, follow planned procedures, and then complete the task. Judging types are seen as decisive. Perceiving types, on the other hand, prefer an environment that allows for the freedom and spontaneity to let things emerge. Perceiving types thus feel constrained by routine and schedules preferring instead to experience the variety that spontaneous events bring to one's life.
Accounts of Bush's daily regimen as president suggest Judging preferences. For example, the following Associated Press description clearly reflects judging characteristics such as a preference for planned routines and schedules:
So regimented is Bush’s lifestyle that one can almost predict his conduct months in advance. Although the above quote suggests Bush prefers judging, there is the possibility that the demands of Bush's work situation as President require such a regimen. However, comparing Bush with his predecessor--Bill Clinton--suggests that a president's personality sets a 'tone' in the White House. In particular, the Clinton White House was rumored to be much less organized and more open to spontaneity and emergent events. Further evidence that Bush has a preference for judging is reflected in the following quote from Bush about a typical day at the Crawford ranch:
I'm going to have lunch with Secretary of State Rice, talk a little business; Mrs. Bush, talk a little business; we've got a friend from South Texas here, named Katharine Armstrong; take a little nap. I'm reading an Elmore Leonard book right now, knock off a little Elmore Leonard this afternoon; go fishing with my man, Barney; a light dinner and head to the ballgame. I get to bed about 9:30 p.m., wake up about 5 a.m. So it's a perfect day.7 This quote suggests Bush, even when on vacation at the Crawford ranch, prefers that his day be planned around a schedule thus reflecting a preference for judging. Further, the manner in which Bush seeks to separate work from play also suggest a preference for judging. ESTJ? The foregoing assessment suggests George Bush is an ESTJ type, often referred to as the Administrator or Supervisor type (and frequently found in administrative roles that focus on implementing rules, procedures, and laws that reflect tradition). The combination of sensing and thinking preferences (ST) combine to express an ideal work and leadership style that focuses on goals, efficiency, and decisiveness. The ideal organization for the ST is one that reflects the traditional hierarchy with a clear chain of command. The ST leader prefers that each person know her role on the team and to perform that role competently. The combination of sensing and judging (SJ) preferences reflect what is referred to in temperament theory as the Guardian temperament.8 Guardians are those who guard the tradition of their family, tribe, country, and so on. Characteristic of this personality is a strong sense of obligation to support not only tradition but the authority and offices associated with this tradition. Various descriptions of George Bush clearly suggest ESTJ preferences. He has possessed a sense of family tradition since his childhood and his approach to leadership is one that emphasizes the traditional hierarchy with an emphasis on order, punctuality, and 'talking-points' co-ordination. His sometimes critical nature is characteristic of thinking preferences and particularly dominant extraverted thinking. The Bush Administration's efforts to centralize more authority in the Office of the President are not uncharacteristic of the ESTJ value for centralization of authority. Criticial descriptions of Bush also reflect ESTJ preferences. For example, Bush has been characterized as slow to implement change (SJ) in a variety of areas ranging from staff composition to Iraq War policy. Characterstics such as being impatient and too quick to decide (EJ) also reflect ESTJ traits. Even the frequent characterization of Bush as 'distracted' could reflect an ESTJ reaction to prolonged interaction with others who prefer extraverted inuition (NPs); the characterization may simply reflect the ESTJ tendency to tune out others who appear to ramble on about too many theoretical possibilities. For different views of Bush's psychological type preferences, see the following indicated references: Caveat Please keep in mind the preceding assessment of George W. Bush's psychological type is based on our observations and readings about him and that other 'type watchers' have different perspectives. Moreover, we are not in a position to assess Bush's type development and thus have assumed normal type development and dynamics. Feel free to offer your observations by posting to the Discussion Board. |
References
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1Caprara, G., Barbaranelli, C. & Zimbardo, P., 1997. Politicians’ uniquely simple personalities. Nature, 385, 493. PDF file:http://www.psicopolis.com/psicopedia/capr.pdf 2http://www.centacs.com/quickstart.htm 3http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/10/bush.readinglist.tm/ 4 http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people4/Frum/frum-con3.html 5http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/interviews/frum.html 6http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5762240/ 7http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/082205I.shtml 8http://keirsey.com/personality/sj.html 9http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/teaching/490_psl/step_6.htm |