Description
A Psychoanalytic Study of Political Leadership in the United States and Russia: Searching for Truth provides psychoanalytic insight into the motives of this complex and contradictory figure.
The contributors, from different professional and academic backgrounds, use a range of methods including quantitative research and literary analysis to shed light on Putin’s background, outlook and current actions. Reflecting a range of perspectives on how Putin’s background may have informed his beliefs and his actions, particularly with respect to the invasion of Ukraine, the book brings together diverse viewpoints.
A Psychoanalytic Study of Political Leadership in the United States and Russia will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and to readers seeking to understand the complex dynamics of populist leadership.
Table of Contents
PART 1: Looking Within
1.Why the Truth is Essential in a Democracy: Pivoting Toward Evidence
Karyne E. Messina
2.Observations, Knowledge, and Speculation: What We Know and Don’t
Know About Vladimir Putin
Karyne E. Messina
PART 2: Understanding Vladimir Putin from an Eastern European Perspective
3.Interpreting Vladimir Putin from Afar Leads to Over-Simplification of Very Complex Relationships
Harry Gill
PART 3: Investigating Vladimir Putin’s Personality: How Trauma Affected His Development
4. Zeitenwende: Vladimir Putin’s Effort to Reestablish the Russian/Post-Soviet Empire
Peter W. Petschauer
5. Invasion of Ukraine: Observations On Leader-Follower Relationships
Vamik Volkan and Jana Javakhishvili
PART 4: Quantitative Research Conducted by a Preeminent Researcher
6. Measuring the Mental Functioning of Putin, Trump, and Zelensky
Robert Gordon
PART 5: A Scholar Looks at Vladimir Putin through the Lens of Russian Literature
7. Dear Vladimir Putin: If you’ve Read Dostoyevsky, You’ve Tragically Misunderstood Him—Austin Ratner on Russian Imperialism and Misreading The Brothers Karamazov
Austin Ratner
Conclusion
