Presidential Temperament: Definitive Edition

The American presidential elections: they are never more than a few years away. For really intelligent voters, it is not enough to understand the issues and the debates—you also need to know how the personal temperament of a presidential candidate will shape his or her choices. And to learn about both Temperament Theory and American politics, you need this book.

Originally published in 1992, this landmark work of Keirsey Temperament Theory begins with the ideas and classification system that best-selling author Dr. David Keirsey developed over the course of his life as a therapist, teacher, and writer. Then, through the exploration of forty-one biographical sketches of the American presidents—from George Washington to Bill Clinton—it paints a vibrant picture of the personalities that have occupied the Oval Office. In the process, it teaches us the fundamental ways that people can differ from one another, along with the ways that those differences have shaped the country’s policies, economy, wars, and future.

This all-new 2015 Definitive Edition has been extensively re-edited and corrected for electronic publication. The original text did not include the chapter on Bill Clinton and contained many typos and small errors of fact, of which as many as possible have been corrected. Whether you are already familiar with this book or not, this new edition is essential for those interested in Dr. Keirsey’s work.

Learn both history and Temperament Theory, and let them illuminate each other. Understand the personal details that have changed America. Discover how your own personality would have responded to the trials of leadership.

With Dr. Keirsey’s system, you can come to your own, nuanced conclusions about more recent presidents, presidential candidates, or even yourself. Is George W. Bush a Guardian like his father, or an Artisan who doesn’t play by the normal rules? Is Barack Obama our first Idealist president, or just a normal politician with a campaign based on hope? To those who want to ask the important questions, Presidential Temperament is the key to the real answers.