Publisher's Synopsis
In Bush on the Couch, Dr. Justin A. Frank, a Washington, D.C.?based psychoanalyst and professor of psychiatry, assembles a comprehensive psychological profile of President Bush. Using the principles of applied psychoanalysis - the discipline of psychoanalyzing public and historical figures pioneered by Freud -- Frank builds his case, reaching controversial conclusions. Through a close analysis of Bush's public statements and behaviour, as well as the historical record provided by journalists, biographers, and those who have known the president well, Frank traces the development of Bush's character from childhood to the present day. Examining closely the role of the president's parents, he finds in Bush's childhood the roots of a dramatic psychic split that remains a dominant influence on his adult worldview. Frank argues that this split has inevitably hampered Bush's ability to manage his emotions, charging his psyche with restless anxiety, and conditioning him to view the world in the black-and-white terms that have so evidently shaped his administration.
