“Voters Don’t Like Bush’s Iraq War or Kerry’s Personality”.

 

Whenever I see the word “personality” in a newspaper or magazine, I am immediately drawn to the article, paying particular attention to references to Carl Jung’s personality theory (upon which SST® is based). While the article following this headline (Knight Ridder Newspapers, August 29, 04) was more casual in the use of the word “personality”, it got me thinking about the last two presidential elections (1996 Clinton v. Dole & 2000 Bush v. Gore).

 

Back in 1996, Russ Brooks and I were teaching a SST class on the eve of the third presidential debate between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. One of the training exercises we do is called “Celebrity Type Watching” where we develop hypotheses about type preferences for a celebrity or two.

 

Clinton and Dole turned out to be both obvious and fascinating choices that day.  The Celebrity Type Watching exercise suggested they were perfect opposites: Clinton (ENFP) to Dole (ISTJ).

 

During the debate itself, they both behaved in fashions quite consistent with their hypothetical profiles. Clinton said things like: “I want to build a bridge to next century” (Big Picture and Future orientation of an Intuitive preference) while Dole cited the specific details of legislation (Facts and Details consistent with a Sensing preference). Famously, Clinton said to the audience “I feel your pain” (Feeling) while Dole sought to persuade by logic (Thinking).

 

We typed Clinton as the comfortable and charismatic Extraverted candidate who appeared to gain energy by interacting with the crowd assembled for the town meeting format. Bob Dole, on the other hand, appeared stiffer and more awkward with the format that did not allow him private time to think. Both are characteristics consistent with the Introverted orientation.

 

In the 2000 election, pitting Al Gore versus George Bush, Extraversion and Introversion again seemed to play a prominent role in how the candidates behaved and were perceived by the voters. Only this time, it was the Republican Bush who was the Extraverted candidate and Democrat Gore who was Introverted. While Bush seems comfortable and energized by people, you may recall that Gore was described as being “wooden”.

 

In both 1996 and 2000, the more Extraverted candidate won. What is worrisome about this is that Extraversion and Introversion, as Jung intended the terms, have nothing to do with competency as a president. Nor, we contend, do they relate to performance as a sales person (see “Introversion and Selling”, co-authored with partner Harry Koolen at http://tildensst.com/introverts_%20selling.htm).  But, Introversion and Extraversion may have to do with what the newspaper article calls “likeability”.

 

As we all know, 2004 is another presidential election year, this time with Bush squaring off against John Kerry. If you are a fan of politics and interested in personality type, it should be an interesting dynamic to observe as the campaign wears (and wars) on. We would be interested in hearing your observations and thoughts on the following questions.

 

Considering the following Behavioral Cues, what would your hypothesis be on whether they are Extraverted or Introverted?

 

 

 

 

EXTRAVERSION	INTROVERSION
Often enjoy meeting people.	Cautious about meeting new people.
Speak freely and comfortably	Choose words carefully.
"Do-Think-Do"	"Think-Do-Think"
Tend to think out loud	Tend to be reflective
Act quickly.	Act deliberately

 

 

Bush: (Extraverted or Introverted)

 

Kerry: (Extraverted or Introverted)

 

Do you think the electorate favors Extraverted candidates?

 

Yes                   No

 

 

Given that most of us are Extraverted (70%), do you think we have a bias against Introverted people in selling?

 

Yes                   No

 

Click here to send responses.

 

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What is brilliant about this book is the way he combines psychology with selling. It is a must for anyone who sells anything anywhere.

This book improved my communication skills better than any other training method I have tried. I now consistently meet my sales goal each and every month. The strategies which the author recommends are pertinent and highly applicable to many situations. I found that I was able to adopt these techniques and incorporate them into my own style in a seamless fashion. Best of all, the text was easy to follow and provided an abundance of examples and explanations. Thanks Dr. Tilden!