The Personality Analyst

A researcher turns his gaze on personality in public life.

John D. Mayer is Professor of Psychology at the University of New Hampshire and the author of numerous scientific articles, books, and psychological tests. See full bio

The Personality Analyst

October 11, 2009

Libel in Fact: For All Its Flaws, Was the Poll of Psychiatrists a Good Idea?

Was there a good idea behind the Fact magazine poll of psychiatrists? Read More

October 4, 2009

The Fact Poll: Thoughtful Remarks from Respondents

Some responses from the psychiatrists on Senator Goldwater were far from defamatory. Read More

September 27, 2009

The Fact Poll: What Were the Psychiatrists Thinking?

Some psychiatrists tried to explain why they made the comments they did in response to the Fact poll about Barry Goldwater's personality. Read More

September 23, 2009

Why Emotional Intelligence Matters

Does emotional intelligence matter? Read More

September 21, 2009

What Emotional Intelligence Is and Is Not

Is emotional intelligence pop psychology or is there a scientific basis for it? Read More

September 20, 2009

Libel in Fact: Pol vs. Poll

A pollster critiques the Fact magazine survey on Senator Goldwater's suitability to be president. Read More

September 13, 2009

Libel in Fact: The Trial's Sexual Politics

Libel sometimes involves defaming people in regard to their sexual identity. The 1968 libel trial Goldwater v. Ginzburg provides an example. Read More

September 6, 2009

Libel in Fact: Did Senator Goldwater Suffer from a Nervous Breakdown?

Had Senator Goldwater suffered a nervous breakdown before his 1964 run for president? What is a nervous breakdown? Read More

August 31, 2009

Libel in Fact: The Trial Begins

Judgments of personality are bound by legal and ethical rules: Senator Goldwater's libel case against Fact magazine went to trial on May 6th, 1968. The Senator's lawyer, Mr. Roger Robb, intended to convince the jury that Mr. Goldwater had been inaccurately depicted by Fact, and that such misrepresentations of his client were reckless or even malicious. Read More

August 24, 2009

Libel, in Fact: Lawyering Up

In court, lawyers portray the character of the libeled individual, and the accuracy of the statements made by those accused of libel. Good lawyers will fashion the story as best they can to their purposes. The information about the allegedly-libeled person and about the defendants is filtered through the narratives that the legal teams assemble. Read More

Personality Basics

Questions of personality have vexed mankind from the dawn of personhood: can people change? How do others perceive me? What is the difference between normal and pathological behavior? One's personality is so pervasive and all-important that it presents a clinical paradox of sorts: it is hard to assess our own personality, impossible to overlook that of others.

Go to the Personality Basics page for more on Personality including:

Current Issue

Everyday Creativity

How to start living creatively and reap the benefits.

The Personality Analyst

Subscribe to The Personality Analyst

Personality Basics

Current Issue