Psychology Faculty Publications
Following is a partial catalogue of psychological assessments of U.S. presidents and presidential candidates, foreign leaders, and rogue or terrorist leaders conducted at the Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics.
U.S. Presidents and Presidential Candidates
The Personality Profile and Leadership Style of U.S. President Joe Biden. Paper presented by Anne Marie Griebie and Aubrey Immelman at the 44th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, July 11–13, 2021 (virtual conference). Abstract and link for full-text (27 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/132/
The Political Personality of 2020 Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris. Working paper by Anne Marie Griebie, Aubrey Immelman, and Yitao Zhang, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, September 2020. Abstract and link for full-text (26 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/131/
The Political Personality of 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden. Working paper by Anne Marie Griebie and Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, August 2020. Abstract and link for full-text (22 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/130/
The Personality Profile and Leadership Style of U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Office. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman and Anne Marie Griebie at the 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Berlin, Germany, July 14–16, 2020. Abstract and link for full-text (71 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/129/
The Political Personality of 2020 Democratic Presidential Contender Bernie Sanders. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, March 2020. Abstract and link for full-text (24 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/126/
The Political Personality of Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, December 2019. Abstract and link for full-text (21 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/122/
The Political Personality of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, May 2017. Abstract and link for full-text (19 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/118/
The Leadership Style of U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, January 2017. Abstract and link for full-text (14 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/107/
The Political Personality of 2016 Republican Presidential Nominee Donald J. Trump. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, October 2016 (Paper presented at the 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, San Antonio, TX, July 4–7, 2018). Abstract and link for full-text (31 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/103/
The Political Personality of 2016 Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, October 2016. Abstract and link for full-text (34 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/102/
Personality Profiles of the 2016 Republican Presidential Candidates. Forum lecture by Aubrey Immelman, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, November 5, 2015. Abstract and link for full-text (15 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/forum_lectures/136/
The Political Personality of 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 35th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Chicago, July 6–9, 2012. Abstract and link for full-text (35 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/98/
The Political Personality of 2008 Democratic Presidential Contender John Edwards. Brief research report by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, June 2011. Abstract and link for full-text (3 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/116/
The Political Personality of U.S. President Barack Obama. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, San Francisco, CA, July 7–10, 2010. Abstract and link for full-text (19 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/25/
The Political Personality of 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain. Research report by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, September 2008. Abstract and link for full-text (26 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/115/
The Political Personalities of 2008 Republican Presidential Contenders John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Portland, OR, July 4–7, 2007. Abstract and link for full-text (30 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/28/
The Political Personality of 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman and Adam Beatty at the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Toronto, Canada, July 3–6, 2005. Abstract and link for full-text (25 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/29/
The Political Personality of U.S. President George W. Bush. Book chapter by Aubrey Immelman in Linda O. Valenty & Ofer Feldman (Eds.), Political Leadership for the New Century: Personality and Behavior among American Leaders (pp. 81–103). Westport, CT: Praeger. Abstract and link for full-text (23 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/52/
The Political Personalities of 2000 U.S. Presidential Candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Seattle, WA, July 1–4, 2000. Abstract and link for full-text (49 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/35/
The Political Personality of U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Montréal, Québec, Canada, July 12–15, 1998. Abstract and link for full-text (28 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/37/
The Political Personalities of 1996 U.S. Presidential Candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. Article by Aubrey Immelman, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 3, Special Issue: Political Leadership, Fall 1998, pp. 335–366. Abstract and link for full-text (32 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/3/
Foreign Leaders
The Personality Profile and Leadership Style of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Paper presented by Juliana Khoury and Aubrey Immelman at the 44th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, July 11–13, 2021 (virtual conference). Abstract and link for full-text (33 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/133/
The Leadership Style of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, June 2018. Abstract and full text (17 pages; PDF) available for download at Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/120/
The Personality Profile of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, April 2018. Abstract and link for full-text (32 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/119/
The Political Personality of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin. Working paper by Aubrey Immelman and Joe Trenzeluk, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, January 2017. Abstract and link for full-text (36 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/104/
The Political Personality of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Paper presented by Pascal de Sutter and Aubrey Immelman at the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Paris, France, July 9–12, 2008. Abstract and link for full-text (24 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/26/
The Political Personality of 2007 French Presidential Candidate Ségolène Royal. Paper presented by Pascal de Sutter and Aubrey Immelman at the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Paris, France, July 9–12, 2008. Abstract and link for full-text (29 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/27/
The Political Personality of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman and Adam Beatty at the 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Boston, MA, July 6–9, 2003. Abstract and link for full-text (28 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/30/
South Africa in Transition: The Influence of the Political Personalities of Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 17th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, July 11–14, 1994. Abstract and link for full-text (39 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/41/
A Millon-Based Study of Political Personality: Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk — Part I: Method and Preliminary Results. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 16th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Cambridge, MA, July 6–11, 1993. Abstract and link for full-text (22 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/42/
A Millon-Based Study of Political Personality: Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk — Part II: Further Results and Implications. Unpublished manuscript by Aubrey Immelman, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, June 1994. Abstract and link for full-text (29 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/97/
Terrorist Leaders
The Personality Profile of al-Qaida Leader Osama bin Laden. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 25th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Berlin, Germany, July 16–19, 2002. Abstract and link for full-text (26 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/69/
“Bin Laden ’s Brainâ€: The Abrasively Negativistic Personality of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman and Kathryn Kuhlmann at the 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Boston, MA, July 6–9, 2003. Abstract and link for full-text (38 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/31/
The Personality Profile of September 11 Hijack Ringleader Mohamed Atta. Paper presented by Aubrey Immelman at the 25th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Berlin, Germany, July 16–19, 2002. Abstract and link for full-text (28 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/32/
The Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics (USPP) is a research program in the psychology of politics at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota, directed by Aubrey Immelman, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, who specializes in the psychological assessment of presidential candidates and world leaders.
The Unit is operated solely for research and educational purposes. It does not advocate support for or defeat of any candidate for political office. Political analysis published by the director or research associates of the USPP is the personal opinion of those individuals, based on empirical analysis of personality in politics and the influence of personality traits on high-level leadership.
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