Bush on the Couch

A must read!

Absolutely fascinating, not only for what it reveals about Bush but also for what it reveals about ourselves. Thorough and thoughtful. You may not agree with Frank's conclusions (though I found them very compelling), but you should at least consider his theories. Even if only half of what he says is true, we should all be very concerned.

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A reviewer

Justin Frank, a psychiatrist, gives us a rare and vital opportunity to follow child and adult development sequences to their culmination in omnipotence, megalomania, and sadism, the most basic roots in the making of a 'War President.' Frank makes a strong case for the influence of nurture in giving rise to Bush's adult behavior. Frank's explanations make eminent sense, and they provide a theoretical framework for how Bush came to be how and what he is. Frank's poignant characterizations of Bush family dysfunctionalism--fantasy and denial of reality--vividly illustrate how Bush became what he is. In convincing and well documented detail, Frank traces Bush's early history in a family where a cold and distant mother was the disciplinarian and the father was an absentee. The Bush family operated in a persistent state of psychological denial. It is no wonder that as an adult Bush adopted the same means for dealing with emotional issues. Frank's book is a must read for those interested in history, child development or Neocon politics. It is also a must read by anyone who cares about their future.

There Are Better Ways To Defeat Bush This Year

I am a committed liberal, a registered Democrat, and a practicing psychologist (Psy.D). To write that Dr. Frank's book is misguided in the extreme is an understatement indeed. It is another example of a highly intelligent person (such as David Ray Griffin of Claremont) setting aside her or his professional training and intellectual honesty and engaging in data manipulation (at best) and outright fraud (at worst) in order to promote a partisan political point of view. We can hardly call the extreme right-wing to account for their unseemly willingness to engage in such practices on a number of important issues if we on the left are willing to lower ourselves to this level. There is an overwhelming case to be made against Bush's reelection as president; we do not need to include the arguments contained in this book among it.

A Powerful Commonsense Mix of Observation, Interpretation and Acknowledged Bias

Dr. Frank's provides much reason to feel compassion for our leader. Beyond that he offers even more for considering imperfections in our process for screening elected (and appointed) candidates. It is alarming to realize in the face of current circumstances that the most powerful role in our world can be won without full disclosure and analysis of the individual. Though our government makes full use of tools to profile others, it typically exempts itself and prospective members from meticulous scrutiny. Dr. Frank's leaves us with a host of frightening possibilities in these extremely uncertain times. Excellent read!

A Must read by all voters

This is a riveting expose of the President by a physican of stature. It is hard to put down and walkaway once you begin to read. Leads me to ask how we elected him in the first place, and, yes he needs to be sent back to Texas.

BUSH ON THE COUCH

VERY GOOD OBSERVATION AND MOST INTERESTING MOST OF US HAS SAID THAT FROM THE START OF 2000 EVEN BEFORE YOUR EITHER WITH US OR AGAINST US IS LIKE PARNOID OR A STALAN ADAFACT

It just makes sense!

From early childhood to how he gathers support for seemingly untenable positions, George W is revealed. The psychological insights of this book are amazing. It just makes sense and explains some of the odd behavior and discrepancies apparent to anyone watching the news and the actions of W. This book is easy to read and hard to put down. I had read about a fourth of it before getting out of the store.

Psycho- Prez

Our behavior is determined by our past experiences whether we are aware of this or not. Dr Frank does an excellent job of looking back over GWB's life and outlining past experiences and current behaviors. This is the same kind of study that profilers due for the police, CIA etc. One begins to see that there are patterns for the President's behavior that were eveident many years ago and may well predict future behavior. While somewhat compassionate in his feelings toward GWB DR Frank makes it clear that in his opinion this is not the psyche that is sutied to be running the most powerful country in the world. Although not a truly unbiased obserever the author makes a strong case for removing GWB from office. Taken at it's face value, it's down right frightening.

Based on assumptions

As a graduate student in psychology I read this book with interest. However I found the conclusions reached were not supported by facts and the author only used TV statements to reach a diagnosis! Real psychologists can only diagnosis a condition upon interviewing the patient. Don't bother with this one.

The man has issues

It is obvious to anyone who hasn't closed his eyes and mind to the obvious that the current president has some mental issues. Dr. Frank very convincingly and accurately describes exactly what those issues are. For those people who say this cannot be done without having seen the subject personally (Brian), maybe they missed the first chapter of the book. Here's what Dr. Frank has to say about that: 'President Bush is not my patient, of course, but the discipline of applied psychoanalysis gives us a way to make as much sense of his psyche as he is likely ever to allow. At its simplest level, applied psychoanalysis means the application of psychoanalytic principles to anybody outside one's own consulting room. The tradition of psychoanalyzing public figures dates back almost as far as psychoanalysis itself; Freud based some of his most important theories on his observations of individuals he could never get onto his couch, Moses and Leonardo da Vinci most notable among them. Indeed, if Freud were alive in the second half of the twentieth century, he might well have been recruited to offer his genius in the service of the U.S. intelligence effort. Somewhere in the bowels of the George H. W. Bush Center for Central Intelligence in Langley, Virginia, psychoanalysts are currently reviewing audio recordings, videotapes, and biographical information on dozens of contemporary world leaders, using the principles of applied psychoanalysis to develop detailed profiles for use by the CIA and the U.S. government and military. According to political psychiatrist Jerrold M. Post, M.D., who has chronicled the history of 'at-a-distance leader personality assessment in support of policy,' the marriage of psychoanalysis and U.S. intelligence dates back to the early 1940s, when the Office of Strategic Services commissioned two studies of Adolf Hitler. The effort was regarded as enough of a success that it was institutionalized in the 1960s, Post writes, first under the aegis of the Psychiatric Staff of the CIA's Office of Medical Services, which 'led to the establishment of the Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior' (CAPPB), which Post founded within the Directorate of Intelligence.'

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