/. Measuring the Motives of
Political Actors at a Distance
David G. WinterPolitical leaders deal in power, but they act out of many different
motives. Some seek power for its own sake, of course, but many do
not. Recall the farmer Cincinnatus, who in the early years of the
Roman Republic was twice given dictatorial powers during an emer-
gency. When the emergency was over, each time he gladly returned
to his farm. President Harry Truman found the renunciation of
power at the end of his presidential years in the "White Prison" (his
term) a welcome experience (Miller 1974). Other leaders may be
seeking assurance that they are loved or trying to bolster their self-
esteem through accomplishments and public acclaim. Motives sup-
ply direction and energy for action. (In contrast, traits reflect style.)
Motives influence how leaders construe the leadership role; they sen-
sitize perceptions of opportunity and danger; they affect the accessi-
bility of different styles and skills; and they determine sources of
leadership satisfaction, stress, frustration, and vulnerability. Thus
assessing a leader's motives is an important part of profiling a leader's
personality. Yet it is by no means easy to know a political leader's
motives. Motives cannot necessarily be inferred directly from actions
or outcomes. They wax and wane (often outside of conscious aware-
ness) in response to external incentives and internal dynamics.
Finally, they are subject to distortion, deception (including self-
deception), and rationalization. For these reasons, motives are often
measured indirectly, through content analysis of people's imagina-
tive verbal behavior. Such an assessment technique readily lends
itself to measuring the motives of political leaders at a distance.
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