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Dan P. McAdams
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The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning

by Dan P. McAdams (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 137 ratings
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The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump provides a coherent and nuanced psychological portrait of Donald Trump, drawing upon biographical events in the subject's life and contemporary scientific research and theory in personality, developmental, and social psychology.

Dan P. McAdams, renowned psychologist who pioneered the study of lives, examines the central personality traits, personal values and motives, and the interpersonal and cultural factors that together have shaped Trump's psychological makeup, with an emphasis on the strangeness of the case--that is, how Trump again and again defies psychological expectations regarding what it means to be a human being. The book's central thesis is that Donald Trump is the episodic man. The chapters, structured as stand-alone essays each riffing on a single psychological theme, build on each other to present a portrait of a person who compulsively lives in the moment, without an internal story to integrate his life in time. With an emphasis on scientific personality research, rather than political rhetoric, McAdams shows that Trump's utter lack of an inner life story is truly exceptional. This book is a remarkable case study which should be of as much interest to psychologists as it is to readers trying to reckon with the often confounding behavior and temperament of the 45th President of the United States.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0197507441
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0197507445
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 16, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.3 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
  7. Print length
    320 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Interest in Trump is sure to persist, regardless of whether he serves another term as president or not, and this monograph will remain a monumental gift, helpful for shaping thoughtful discussion and reflection on a conspicuous public figure." -- Choice

"This book is profound, insightful, and evidence-based. It's the summation of the academic research on personality that McAdams has done over his entire lifetime. I feel entirely comfortable recommending it to readers of all stripes. Strongly recommended." -- Richard Penaskovic, Informed Comment

"Dan McAdams' analysis of the personality of Donald Trump is nothing short of a tour de force. Drawing on decades of research, McAdams offers fresh and startling insights into the development-more importantly, the lack of development-of Trump's personality. Reading McAdams' highly engaging account, I finally understood why so many of Trump's actions are so disconnected from 'truth' and 'reality,' and so bafflingly unpredictable." -- Lee Anna Clark, William J. and Dorothy K. O'Neill Professor of Psychology, University of Notre Dame

"Here is brilliant and original insight into the strangeness of Donald Trump. 'He is one primal thing,' writes McAdams, and it explains both him and us. This book will enlighten and terrify you." -- Michael D'Antonio, author of The Truth About Trump

"An engaging and provocative book, written by one of the world's leading experts on the science of personality. Instead of politicizing or pathologizing Trump, McAdams draws on contemporary scientific research to illuminate one of the most controversial characters of our era. Even those who think they know what makes Trump tick will gain deeper insight into his unique personality, and McAdams adeptness as a storyteller makes the book appealing to both laypeople and scientists alike." -- Richard W. Robins, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Davis

"Dan McAdams is one of the world's top experts on the psychology of personality, and in this extraordinary book he applies his talents to the most complicated and consequential personality in American life. McAdams offers no psychiatric diagnosis, just a series of stunning insights that will reduce the confusion so many people around the world have felt since 2016. McAdams' analysis of Donald Trump's lack of any "narrative arc" tying together his never-ending succession of energizing deals and battles is haunting and enlightening. There may be no more important book to read in 2020." -- Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, New York University Stern School of Business, and author of The Righteous Mind and The Coddling of the American Min

About the Author

Dan P. McAdams is the Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology, and Professor of Education and Social Policy, at Northwestern University. He is the author of nearly 300 scientific articles and chapters and seven books on personality development and psychological biography. He is a recipient of the Jack Block Award for career contributions to personality psychology, the Henry A. Murray Award for excellence in the study of lives, and the William James Award for his book, The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By (Oxford University Press, 2006). He is the author most recently of The Art and Science of Personality Development (Guilford Press, 2015). His work has been featured in many media outlets, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, as well as CNN, NPR, and other television and radio venues. Prologue
Story
Deal
Reward
Venom
Truth
Love
Me
Goldwater
Us
Primate
Redemption
Acknowledgments
Notes

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (March 16, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0197507441
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0197507445
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.26 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 137 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
137 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely interesting and insightful
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
Not only insightful with respect to Trump but also for supporters in various categories. I feel that I learned quite a bit in areas of personality, psychology, history in terms of human personality evolution and development. Extremely well-researched. Strongly recommend to especially Trump supporters if you are open to some honest appraisals of what makes Trump thick.
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Engineer
5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Comfortable Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2020
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That's right, folks. This is NOT a comfortable read. It shows a very accurate view of Donald Trump and why he is the way he is. There's nothing wrong with Donald, BTW. If you're looking for a book that degrades him, insults him or just makes you feel good about your hatred for the man, This book will be disappointing.

What we have here is an objective analysis of Donald with no blaming, no judgemental nonsense, and no condemnation. The facts are presented. The analysis is proposed. The conclusions are YOURS.

What you will gain from this book is an understanding of what Trump represents and how he thinks and acts to survive. We all do what we believe we must do to survive.
18 people found this helpful
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Aunt Mary
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on understanding Trump
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020
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This is the book I've been waiting for. After reading The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump, I now have a much better understanding of the man as well as why he garners so much adulation. McAdams breaks down aspects of personality to give a fuller picture of this man as well as his cohorts and supporters. McAdams sheds light on how Donald Trump made it to the White House and why even after days of lies, tweets and cruel insults, Trump's base still loves him, many believing he was sent by God. Referencing studies of primate behavior, McAdams shows how the primitive aspects of our nature can be energized to override the tools of wisdom and judgement we'e learned over the centuries.. Here's hoping that in November, morality, humanity and common sense prevail.
32 people found this helpful
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Nana E
5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting and thorough explanation.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
Of the myriad of books currently on the market to discuss our current chief executive,this one provides a cogent explanation of why he acts the way he does. There is also a good chronological presentation of the man’s life and experiences. The author provides the best explanations to date for the seemingly endless need this man has for personal preening, bullying and how what he says one day and then totally contradicts the next is never problematic for him and not seen as lying or dissembling. The author dies not excuse these behaviors, but provides some comfort that there are rational explanations, although intensely unusual! Highly recommended!
9 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The best serious book on Trump's personality
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2020
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“Written by a world-renowned professor of personality, this is the best book for serious students of Donald Trump’s psychology. It will be around years from now when people want to know what made Trump tick. Unlike authors who simply relate Trump’s history and behind the scenes actions, McAdams covers those events and then places them within the context of modern developmental personality theory. While this may sound dull, the book is, instead, simultaneously a page turner about Trump and an education in the science of personality.” –Arthur Nielsen, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and faculty, The Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis
13 people found this helpful
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Kim Keinath
5.0 out of 5 stars Devolution of the presidency
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2021
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Very good psychological portrait of Mr. Trump. The author provides a fair, scientific, and relatively dispassionate analysis of the 45th president. Although at times a bit long winded, the chapter about primate dominance is worth its weight in glittery glitzy gold leaf.
3 people found this helpful
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perry smith
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read between now and November
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
A deeply experienced researcher has given us all important insights about our current president. Some of these insights are quite fresh. As a close observer of the work of Hervey Cleckley and Robert Hare, who works have helped me understand people with traits of subclinical psychopaths, I find McAdams research has broadened and deepened my understanding of the most controversial president of my lifetime.
22 people found this helpful
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Gina
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book gave me insight into a person I thought couldn’t be described. Dan nailed it! His commentary was gripping and insightful. At no time did he take a political side, he justly stated his observations and applied psychological interpretations. It was fascinating.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Karen Hume
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but Repetitive
Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
I’m glad I bought it, glad I read it, but this book would have been better suited as a long essay. The thesis is that Trump is the ultimate episodic man, lurching from one win or loss to the next without any sense of past or future. The examples McAdam provides are compelling and his overall thesis is fascinating. My complaint is just that it got quite repetitive.
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Pat Barnett
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating but flawed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Darryl ZanAck? If Trump liked him so much, the name should be spelled correctly. No apologist for Trump whom I loathe as the author does but regarding the mother Mary who may ‘only’ have spent two weeks in hospital for her hysterectomy and other operations after Robert’s birth', would have had a very long convalescence afterwards and I don’t imagine any of her children – regardless of age- would have been allowed to see much o her during this time let alone bounce on her bed. The woman would have been in pain, exhausted and very, very weak. And annoying sloppy proof-reading : for ‘common hoards’, read ‘hordes’ and for ‘boarders’, read ‘borders’
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Linda F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in Australia on August 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
I found this book interesting, well written, and easy to read. It was knowledge expanding and very insightful, without the ‘black and white’ judgements that many tend to paint on such a provocative figure.
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