ii. William Jefferson Clinton's Psychology
Stanley A. RenshonEmphasizing the organizing concept of character, as presented in
chapter 5, this profile focuses on three key elements: ambition, char-
acter integrity, and relatedness. The relationship between William
Jefferson Clinton's psychology (his character and related psychologi-
cal characteristics) and his performance in the domains of leadership
and judgment in decision making (the twin pillars of executive role
performance)—first as governor and then as president—is traced.
The Development of President Clinton's Psychology
Every person's psychology contains both dynamic and developmen-
tal elements. That is, individual elements of a person's psychology
are both related to each other, have coalesced through a series of
developmental experiences. A brief narrative of the developmental
experiences that seem most crucial in the development of President
Clinton's character elements (ambition, character integrity, and
relatedness) is presented, followed by a characterization of the
dynamic elements of Clinton's psychology.The Clinton Family: A Basic Annotated Chronology
William Jefferson Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe in
Hope, Arkansas, on August 19, 1946. His father, William Blythe, a
traveling salesman, was killed in an automobile accident three
months before his son was born.
His mother, Virginia Kelley, twenty-three years old at the time of
his birth, widowed and a single parent, lived with her parents in
Hope and worked as a nurse until the spring of 1947. In that period,277