The Political Psyche
What makes politicians behave the way they do?
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's prostitute problem is just the latest reminder: there's a troubling question about politicians that never quite seems to go away. When it comes to mental health, emotional stability and social adjustment, are they, well, a little crazier than the rest of us, a little saner—or not much different from the average person at all?
Over the past century this has been more than a topic for dinner table conversation. It's a question that several generations of social scientists, using a whole range of theories and methods, have made an attempt to answer. But the answers have been all over the place.
In the 1930s, borrowing heavily from Sigmund Freud, the political scientist Harold Lasswell expressed the view that most people who run for office have serious ego deficiencies that drive them into public life in a quest for approval and vindication. In other words, they're emotionally needier than the people who vote for them.
Two decades later, at a time when social science in general was more optimistic and even Freud was being reinterpreted more positively, another political scientist, Robert Lane, decided to investigate Lasswell's ideas by seeking out politicians and ordinary citizens, questioning them and testing them. When he was done he had come to the exact opposite conclusion from Lasswell. As Lane saw it, the majority of elected officials have stronger, more resilient egos than the average person. If they didn't they wouldn't be able to stand up to the constant criticism and strain.
I first heard about this conundrum in the 1970s, when I was starting out as a reporter covering Congress. After a few years in the press gallery I became convinced that neither Lasswell nor Lane really had it right. From my unscientific perspective it seemed clear that there were as many and as varied personality types in Congress as there would be in a random sample of any 535 American adults. Some were paranoid; some were paragons of stability and mental health. Most were somewhere in between. You couldn't generalize very effectively.
I didn't give much more thought to the subject, and in truth it seemed to be fading away as a topic of intense debate, but there continued to be a small cohort of scholars who remained fascinated with the question and developed a specialty in it. In 1974, for example, the political scientist and psychoanalyst Stanley Renshon published a book called "Psychological Needs and Political Behavior" in which he asserted that political careers are built on an oversize need for personal control. He has modified his view slightly since then, but he still sees politicians as motivated largely by personal ambition—some of it benign, some of it highly dangerous.
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Member Comments
Posted By: JohnPolitico @ 04/16/2008 9:13:26 PM
Comment: Not that anybody cares or should care ... but I have a confession to make as a lifelong Republican:
I'M BITTER!
What the heck's WRONG with being a little bitter about the way our corrupt politicians treat us?! What's wrong with speaking up about it?! How else are we suppose to address various tough and/or sensitive issues that face this country today?
What? Are we all suppose to say or believe that everything's hunky-dory (e.g., economy, Iraq occupation, real estate bust, credit crunch, outrageous gas prices, general inflation, etc)?
How 'bout no! Let's face it ... things kinda do stink right now. But I really hope that people across the nation are really doing something to change things in their communities---RATHER THAN JUST TALKING OR BLOGGING ABOUT IT!
We can't just talk a great game. You gotta take action!
At the very least ... write or call your local senators and congressmen/women often to let them know exactly how you feel. What's important to you! Otherwise, how do you expect them to keep a FINGER ON THE PULSE OF AMERICA? Last time I checked, not one politician owns a magic crystal ball---they can't read minds!
They need to hear from us on a continuous basis. If you really and truly LOVE THIS COUNTRY ... it's your duty and obligation to speak up when you think things are going sour. Don't let the "POLITICAL ELITIST" (e.g. the Klintoonies) and/or MEDIA control your minds. Don't let these elitist that like to throw around words and labels such as "BITTER" discourage you from speaking up.
That's just a ploy to shut you up! Make you feel bad about having an opinion. Sorry folks! But I love this country way too much to bury my head in the sand! If anybody should be bitter it's ALL US REPUBLICANS that have seen our PARTY get HIJACKED BY THE NEOCONS for the past 7 long years!
TALK ABOUT BEING DISENFRANCHISED!
Trust me! Dems aren't the only people that are bitter! Respectfully ...
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
John McCain 2008!
Endnote; I shouldn't paint all politicians with a broad brush ... that's unfair. I would have to say that most politicians are good-hearted people. But all it takes is a FEW BAD APPLES IN HIGH PLACES to spoil the whole darn tree. To all the GOOD POLITICIANS OUT THERE ... please weed out the BAD ONES! Thank you!!!!
Posted By: Illinois Voter @ 04/16/2008 7:00:17 PM
Comment: This year, Equal Pay Day -- the day every year on which women???s wages catch up to men???s wages for the prior year ??? falls on April 22. Although it has been more than 40 years since the Equal Pay Act became law, full-time working women make just .77 cents for every dollar a man makes. And it's even worse for women of color.
The wage gap makes a real difference to families, who lose out on money that could be used to help feed children, put a down payment on a home, and pay for health care.
Hillary Clinton has been a champion for equal pay for women. Her legislation, the Paycheck Fairness Act, would help close the wage gap for women across the country, ultimately putting more money in the pockets of America???s families. Hillary has also worked in the Senate not only to ensure women earn the same amount as men for equal work but also to expand the earned income tax credit, provide healthcare for children, raise the minimum wage, and stand up for female-owned small businesses.
As President, Hillary Clinton would bring to the White House a long record of fighting for women and children -- and holding our government to a higher standard for improving the lives for all families.
Posted By: powin @ 04/16/2008 5:44:48 PM
Comment: OlderBudWeiser wrote, "Should the administration make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party?. . . 'Screw 'em,' she told her husband. 'You don't owe them a thing, Bill.'"
Bud,
I hope that HRC wouldn't be so obtuse and crass to say that on her campaign trail. It's shameful if what you said is verifiable and true.
Po