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Every new president raises many questions. Because Barack Obama is a relative newcomer to the national political scene, he possibly raises more than most. Will he be a pragmatic centrist or will his politics of hope ultimately flounder on the rocky shoals of America’s deep political divisions? What of his leadership style? How will the uncommonly calm character demonstrated on the campaign trail take shape in Obama’s political style as commander-in-chief? Obama takes office with extraordinarily high expectations and a palpable hunger in the American psyche for a new national direction. Inflated expectations, however, are often a recipe for disappointment.

Based on extensive biographical, psychological, and political research and analysis, noted political psychologist Stanley Renshon follows Obama’s presidency through the first year. He digs into the question of who is the real Obama and assesses the advantages and limitations that he brings to the presidency. These questions cannot be answered without recourse to psychological analysis. And they cannot be answered without psychological knowledge of presidential leadership and the presidency itself. Renshon explains that Obama’s ambition has an undercurrent in its developmental history of the fear of failure that has enormous consequences for his choices as president of an America that remains politically divided.