Selfish or Caring? America's Choice: Social Character, Leadership, and the Presidential Elections

How did the U.S. get into a war over non-existent "weapons of mass destruction"? How did we allow our civil rights to be hijacked and our environment raped? How did we manage to let our personal savings be plundered? How did we get into an exploding financial depression?

The greed of Wall Street and many CEOs is linked to the poor parenting of some conservatives, who learned to value success and personal gain more than caring for others. The character disorders of a Bernie Madoff, many investment bankers, sub-prime realtors, past U.S. presidents, and bellicose leaders such as Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin may spring from early childhood trauma, especially from men's conflicts with their fathers.

A series of losses abetted by rapid social change and life in an increasingly complex society instead of close-knit communities has accelerated the move to the Right over the past thirty years. It even brought us to the brink of dictatorship. These losses-of identity, self-esteem, love and affection, social supports, and control over life events-are still threatening. Add to the mix poor parenting and you have a perfect recipe for the intense longing for authority, religion, and a homogeneous community life that preceded Hitler's Germany. With luck, President Obama and his team can save us from this authoritarian tide.

Thomas S. Langner, Ph.D. received a B.A. from Harvard College and a doctorate in sociology from Columbia University. He did anthropological research in Colorado and Mexico, and authored Life Stress and Mental Health and Choices for Living. He lives in New York City with his wife and the youngest of his six children.