Psychology Commons^™

The President's Brain (No, Not Karl Rove):‎ How Bush’S Psyche Shaped His Decision-Making, Richard Redding

Richard E. Redding

We summarize the most systematic work on George W. Bush's psyche. SAT scores and other available measures indicate that Bush has ‎sufficient intelligence to serve as president. Yet the best studies, in which raters evaluate ‎statements without being aware of their source, suggest that Bush lacks integrative complexity ‎and thus views issues without nuance. The leading personality ‎theory (the “5-Factor Model”), as measured by the NEO Personality Inventory, suggests that ‎Bush is highly extroverted but not very agreeable or conscientious. He also scores low on ‎‎“Openness to Experience." Similarly, using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria, Bush fits the “Outgoing,” …