''Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President'' is a 2004 book by

psychoanalyst PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a bo ...

Justin A. Frank. The central premise of Frank's book is that

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

displays signs of poor mental health which makes him ill-suited to rule the United States. Frank suggests Bush suffers from

megalomania Megalomania is an obsession with power and wealth, and a passion for grand schemes. Megalomania or megalomaniac may also refer to: Psychology * Narcissistic personality disorder * Grandiose delusions * Omnipotence (psychoanalysis), a stage of ...

, that he is probably incapable of true compassion and shows signs of

sadism Sadism may refer to: * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation * Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...

, and that as an untreated

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

, is in constant danger of a relapse. Further, in Frank's opinion, Bush manifests the symptoms of a "dry drunk", principally irritability,

judgmentalism A value judgment (or value judgement) is a judgment of the right (ethics), rightness or wrongness of something or someone, or of the usefulness of something or someone, based on a comparison or other relativity. As a generalization, a value judgmen ...

and a rigid, inflexible world view. Frank also analyses, among other things, Bush's tendency to mix up his metaphors and concludes Bush has substantial problems with abstract, flexible thinking. An updated version of the book was released in October 2007, including a new introduction and a new afterword.

Critical analysis of the book

''Bush on the Couch'' has received endorsements from such distinguished professors of

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

as Irvin Yalom of

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

and James Grotstein (

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

), who calls it a "remarkable – and frightening – piece of careful scholarship." Frank's book also has its detractors. Writing for the conservative magazine ''

The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "red ...

'', Irwin Savodnik, a psychiatrist who teaches at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, described Frank's book as a "

psychoanalytic PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might be ...

hatchet job" and said that "there is not an ounce of psychoanalytic material in the entire book." The code of the

American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 37,000 members are involve ...

, of which Frank is not a current member, states that "it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement." Although Frank had in the past written for

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

, the online magazine reviewed the book unfavorably, arguing that it included "dubious theories" and that Frank had failed in his avowed intention to distinguish his partisan opinions from his psychoanalytic evaluation of Bush's character. However, in interviews Frank freely admits his partisan affiliation, but claims his book is in a tradition of psychological assessments of leaders frequently undertaken, for example, by the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

. Frank also claims that some of his readers have reacted to his book by gaining increased sympathy for Bush; for example,

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

admitted this to Frank.

Reviews

History News Network Review

Shrinking the President: A mind is a dangerous thing to psychoanalyze
''

'', September 19, 2004
The inner W

, June 16, 2004 *

Impact

Frank's book ''Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President'' was extensively quoted from by Fidel Castro in his annual speech in 2004.Castro 2004

References

;Notes ;Bibliography
''World Internet News'': Interview with Dr. Justin Frank, April 2006.
*Bush, George W., ''A Charge to Keep'', William Morrow, New York 1999. * *Frank, Justin, ''Bush on the Couch'', Regan Books, New York 2004 *Gould, Lewis L. (editor), ''American First Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy'', Garland Publishing, New York and London, 1996 *Lardner, George Jr. and Romano, Lois, July 26, 1999. "Tragedy Created Mother-Son Bond", ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. *Minutaglio, Bill, ''First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty'', Crown Books, New York 1999 {{refend 2004 books On the Couch Psychological studies of heads of state

Critical analysis of the book

Reviews

Impact

See also

References