An American Democrat
A Reevaluation of the Personality of Harry S. Truman
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10372522 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alonzo L Hamby (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1991 |
| Volume | 106 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 33-55 |
| Publication date | 1991-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Science Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3195 • E-ISSN: 1538-165X |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2152173 |
| OpenAlex | W2314875151 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
Biographers must not simply recount what their subjects did but must also explain character and motivation. Inevitably, their analyses must be more speculative than empirical, more intuitive than definitive; but the goal of understanding a personality whose decisions affected millions of lives can be rejected only at the cost of ignoring a crucial aspect of the historical process. No approach to human personality can be dismissed entirely, but it appears fair to conclude that the most successful interpretations have been eclectic rather than rigidly Freudian. I One may draw on a few widely understood propositions. Most scholars would agree that numerous childhood experiences -especially those involving relationships with parents, peers, and the opposite gender -play crucial roles in personality formation. Personality development, however, does not stop after the onset of puberty. Surely an adult subject's mesh with the dominant culture has a powerful impact, as do rhythms of success and failure. Attitudes and behavioral patterns
Political science · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · American Political and Social Dynamics · Race, History, and American Society
| Citations per year | 0.07 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1999 - 2024 (26) |
| Highly cited | No |