George W. Bush: Presidential or Pathological?

[Kadie]

George W. Bush: Presidential or Pathological?

By Arianna Huffington

July 13, 2004


That is the highly provocative question being asked in “Bush on the Couch,” a new book in which psychoanalyst and George Washington University professor Dr. Justin Frank uses the president’s public pronouncements and behavior, along with biographical data, to craft a comprehensive psychological profile of Bush 43.

It’s not a pretty picture, but it goes a long way in explaining how exactly our country got itself into the mess we are in: an intractable war, the loss of allies and international goodwill, a half-trillion-dollar deficit.

Poking around in the presidential psyche, Frank uncovers a man suffering from megalomania, paranoia, a false sense of omnipotence, an inability to manage his emotions, a lifelong need to defy authority, an unresolved love-hate relationship with his father, and the repercussions of a history of untreated alcohol abuse.

Other than that, George Bush is the picture of psychological health.

more... http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/column.php?id=722

[hlthe2b]

1. Ariana does a nice job of adding to Frank's analysis:

I especially like her inclusion of Freudian Projection:
Raised in a family steeped in privilege and secrecy, and prone to the intense aversion to introspection and denial of responsibility that are the hallmarks of a so-called dry drunk — one who has kicked the bottle without dealing with the root causes of the addiction — Bush has become a master of the psychological jiu-jitsu known as Freudian Projection.

For those of you who bailed on Psych 101, Freudian Projection is, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a defense mechanism in which “the individual deals with emotional conflict or internal or external stressors by falsely attributing to another his or her own unacceptable feelings, impulses or thoughts.”
In layman’s terms, it’s the soot-stained pot calling the kettle “black.”

[Submariner]

2. Give Arianna a time slot at our convention

and let her read this article about the "flip-flops." I can hear the roars now.

[myopic4141]

3. It did not take a psychologist to notice.

Even before G. W. Bush got into office, I have said to anyone who would listen that Bush just traded a less acceptable crutch (drinking) for a more acceptable crutch (religion) without ever addressing the core problem that plagued him what ever that problem was (I have an idea on the subject; but, think I will save that for another time). A byproduct of whatever ails him is "tunnel vision". Many confuse tunnel vision with myopia; however, the two are very different afflictions. Myopia is a distance related malady whereas tunnel vision is a peripheral related malady. The former is limited forward vision and the latter is limited side vision. Bush demonstrates the latter rather than the former and he seems to have surrounded himself with the same limited vision afflicted individuals (Dr Rice with her "no one could conceive of using commercial aircraft as missiles" as an example). I do not know how Bush's lack of intellectual curiosity originated (I suspect from drinking); but, through this lack Bush has made himself a self castrated intellectual eunuch. A tunnel vision individual of limited intellect. Obviously a very scary person to have as the leader of this nation.