The Roving Psychologist

Investigating the minds of people who run our world

John D. Gartner, Ph.D. is the author of In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography. See full bio

August 10, 2009

The Peacemaker

Former president Clinton, whose visit to North Korea won the freedom of two captured American journalists, may be the most prolific peacemaker of all time. His unique ability in this area is rooted in his psychology. Because he played the role of peacemaker in his troubled alcoholic family, it is a role he is driven to perform. Read More

August 4, 2009

The Amazing Emanuel Brothers

Three brothers: a natural experiment in the nature and nurture of success. Read More

February 24, 2009

America's undiplomatic top diplomat

“Hillary Rodham Clinton's blunt and unadorned style of diplomacy has been evident throughout her first trip as secretary of state the past week in Asia. Read More

December 3, 2008

What to do with Bill?

It's stunning how fast Bill Clinton's stock plummeted - faster, it seemed, than the Dow Jones industrial average after the fall of Lehman Brothers. When Hillary Clinton launched her bid for the presidency, the question was: How would she deploy "the greatest politician in our generation"? Read More

November 11, 2008

How Will Obama Lead?

This historic election is over, and now the question becomes how will Barack Obama lead? Read More

October 12, 2008

Palin is the one pallin' with extremists

"Our opponent is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country," said Sarah Palin, referring to Obama's glancing association with William Ayers a reformed 1960s radical who served with Obama on a charity board. That hardly makes them pals. Ironically, Palin is the one who pals with people who think that America is imperfect enough that they feel compelled to stockpile arms, just in case they need to shoot it out with the United States government. Read More

October 3, 2008

Palin is more like Bush than Bush himself, Part I: Lack of curiosity

Palin has energized the bases, both of them. On the right, she has been greeted as a rock star, while on the left she has been described as reason to move to Canada, if she wins. But how much do we know about Palin and how she thinks? Read More

September 26, 2008

Why Does Bill Clinton Keep Saying Nice Things About John McCain?

During this week Bill Clinton has appeared on a series of national television shows talking about the presidential campaign. On The View, he addressed the fact that people have criticized him for saying nice things about John McCain. "I've made everyone mad during this election because I genuinely like both candidates. I genuinely admire both candidates. Read More

Books by John D. Gartner, Ph.D.

The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America

In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography

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From the ever-expanding Googleverse to the snarky payoff of celebrity gossip, life is splintered and refracted in a million ways by contemporary communication tools. This media has a profound impact on how we perceive ourselves and our world.

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Books by John D. Gartner, Ph.D.

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