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the
presidential power paradigm
the
pendulum of power
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The
Historical Presidency
The
historical approach to the presidency explores the
development of the presidency and presidential powers over time.
Most scholars concentrate on the
development of the
relationship between the President and the Congress.
This relationship may be viewed from the
perspective of a
pendulum of power which moves back and forth
between a stronger presidency and a stronger Congress.
This view of the historical development
of the presidency reinforces
the power equation approach by emphasizing that presidential power
waxes and wanes as president's try to take advantage of opportunities
to expand their power and when successful, presidential
power expands, and when unsuccessful, Congress pulls
the pendulum of power closer to it.
The historical view of the presidency
thus encourages us
to ask the question, what type of president can
take advantage of (or create) the opportunities to expand
their power And conversely, what types of presidents fail?
The
Psychological Presidency
In the 1950s and 60s political science
(indeed all of the social sciences)
were influenced by the behavioral movement (Chicago school).
James David Barber
was influenced by McClelland and decided to bring
this "psychological" approach to the study of the Presidency.
While many have criticized Barber, his book (The
Presidential Character:
Predicting Performance in the White House) is still considered a
"classic"
and generates many good discussions.
| Personality |
| Personality: the relatively
enduring qualities observed in the behavior of individuals which
are believed to play a major role in determining that behavior (Allport) |
According to McClelland, there are 3
psychological motives or drives:
1) the need for achievement
2) the need for
power
3) the need for
affiliation
Presidential personality
is patterned---character, style and
world view fit together in a package:
a) style---habitual way of
performing three political roles:
1) rhetoric
2) personal relations
3) homework
b) world view----primary
politically relevant beliefs,
conceptions of social causality, human nature,
and the central moral conflicts of the time
c) character---how he orients
himself toward life; self-esteem
Thus, personality
interacts with the power situation and the climate of expectations
The keys to understanding presidential character are:
1) how much energy the person put
into their work (active/ passive)
2) how much they enjoy their work
(positive/ negative)
From these to variables, a four-fold typology
is developed:
| ACTIVE
POSITIVE (productive) |
PASSIVE
POSITIVE (affection) |
| ACTIVE
NEGATIVE (personal ambition) |
PASSIVE
NEGATIVE (perform duty) |
Active-Positives:
much activity and
enjoyment of it, flexible,
high self-esteem,
success in relating to the environment
Passive-Positives:
receptive, compliant, and
other directed characters whose life is a search
for "love" (being agreeable and cooperative
rather than assertive)
P assive-Negatives:
politics is seen as a
duty--
l ack of experience
and flexibility to perform effectively as a
political leader;
they withdraw to
escape from conflict;
they emphasize vague
principles
Active-Negatives:
relatively intense effort
without much emotional reward for it;
have problems in
managing aggressive feelings---
life is a hard struggle to
achieve and hold power;
they are hampered by
the condemnations of a perfectionist conscience
| Active/
Positives:
F. D. Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy,
Ford, Carter, Bush, Clinton
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Passive/
Positives:
Taft, T. Roosevelt, Harding, Reagan
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| Active/
Negatives:
Wilson, Johnson, Nixon
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Passive/
Negatives:
Eisenhower
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To explore more about these
"characters", click: here
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