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

Abstract:     
‎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 extraverted 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,” “Dominant (Controlling),” and “Dauntless” personality ‎patterns, which together constitute a style given to lack of reflection, superficiality, and ‎impulsivity. When compared to other presidents, Bush most closely resembles Jackson, Reagan, ‎and Harding, but is very unlike his father, George H.W. Bush. ‎

We apply these findings to discussions of President Bush's decision-making in the ‎cases of his most notable success, education reform, and his most notable failure, the Iraq war. ‎We argue that Bush's psychological predispositions were particularly noteworthy in the latter, in ‎part because greater presidential power in foreign policy magnifies the impacts of leader personality.‎

Keywords: Bush, presidential greatness, presidential leadership, Iraq war, No Child Left Behind Act

Working Paper Series