Brief Summary And Analysis Of The Presidential Character, By James D. Barber

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James D. Barber, a political scientist, wrote a book called The Presidential Character based on his studies that looked at four different personality types. These personalities describe a president's performance and likelihood of being successful.They are referred to as; active-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, and passive-negative. From his studies he found that the most successful presidents were active-positive. Active-positive president’s approach their duties with enjoyment and the strive to achieve goals set by himself. President’s that are thought to have had this type personality are Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt. However, Barbers main goal in writing this book was to help voters look at more important criteria when choosing a president. Things to focus on consist of their: style, worldviews, and character. On the subject of a president’s style, which is not referring to their fashion sense, but referring to the way in which he performs his presidential roles. From the way he talks to different groups of people in different environments, to the way that he copes with the demands of being a president. The president also has to learn balance. Along with all of the speeches he must give and all the people he must talk to, he has to do his own research on issues that stack upon his desk. He must research these issues on his own …show more content…

Like us, the president goes through life and gathers thoughts and ideas of how the world works. These thoughts and ideas help him to further understand the world and find a way to cope with the madness it can bring. How our leader grew up can affect the way in which he see’s the world and what he feels is an issue. No one person lives the same life, everyone develops their own outlooks on the world. These experiences shape us into the people we are today, and often form our