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Woodrow Wilson: A Psychological Study
This volume originated when William C. Bullitt began working on a book of studies of the principle personalities surrounding the Treaty of Versailles. In discussing this project with Sigmund Freud, the idea arose of a collaborative work on Woodrow Wilson. They worked on the book for ten years, reading all of Wilson's published books and speeches as well as volumes written about Wilson. After perusing this material, Bullitt and Freud realized that they could not write an analysis of Wilson's character unless they deepened their understanding of his nature with private, unpublished information from his intimates. They then set out to collect diaries, letters, records, and memoranda from various associates of Wilson.
Freud writes in his introduction that he did not begin this study with an objective view of Wilson, but rather held an unsympathetic view of him. But he goes on to say that while reading through materials about Wilson, his strong emotions underwent a thorough subjugation. He describes Wilson as a person for whom mere facts held no significance; he esteemed highly nothing but human motives and opinions. As a result, writes Freud, it was natural for him in his thinking to ignore the facts of the real outer world, even to deny they existed if they conflicted with his hopes and wishes. This habit of thought is visible in his contacts with others. Freud also notes that there was an intimate connection between Wilson's alienation from the world of reality and his religious convictions.
The book opens with a thirty-page biography of Wilson written by Bullitt. The collaborative psychological study that makes up the bulk of the volume then follows. Woodrow Wilson provides readers with a more intimate knowledge of the man, which in turn leads to a more exact estimate of his achievements. This intriguing psychoanalytic study will be of continuing interest to historians, political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists.
Freud writes in his introduction that he did not begin this study with an objective view of Wilson, but rather held an unsympathetic view of him. But he goes on to say that while reading through materials about Wilson, his strong emotions underwent a thorough subjugation. He describes Wilson as a person for whom mere facts held no significance; he esteemed highly nothing but human motives and opinions. As a result, writes Freud, it was natural for him in his thinking to ignore the facts of the real outer world, even to deny they existed if they conflicted with his hopes and wishes. This habit of thought is visible in his contacts with others. Freud also notes that there was an intimate connection between Wilson's alienation from the world of reality and his religious convictions.
The book opens with a thirty-page biography of Wilson written by Bullitt. The collaborative psychological study that makes up the bulk of the volume then follows. Woodrow Wilson provides readers with a more intimate knowledge of the man, which in turn leads to a more exact estimate of his achievements. This intriguing psychoanalytic study will be of continuing interest to historians, political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists.
330 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
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About the author
Sigmund Freud
4,434 books8,483 followersDr. Sigismund Freud (later changed to Sigmund) was a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, who created an entirely new approach to the understanding of the human personality. He is regarded as one of the most influential—and controversial—minds of the 20th century.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 28, 2012
Certainly not Freud's best book. No one is sure, beyond Freud's introduction, Bullitt's foreword and digest, who wrote what in this book coauthored with diplomat William C. Bullitt. The only portion of it that is really consistently interesting is the aforementioned digest entitled "Digest of Data on the Childhood and Youth of Thomas Woodrow Wilson"--but, then, I didn't know much about Wilson beyond his period as president.
To pay him back in his own suit, I suspect Freud was interested in this project and in Wilson because of the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles, "a poor peace" which was leading, at the time of his participation, to Nazism in German Europe and which would lead to his exile in England and, eventually, war.
To pay him back in his own suit, I suspect Freud was interested in this project and in Wilson because of the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles, "a poor peace" which was leading, at the time of his participation, to Nazism in German Europe and which would lead to his exile in England and, eventually, war.
February 4, 2016
One of the dopiest books ever written by a great thinker.* Essentially, Freud didn't have any of what he needed to do a proper analysis†, so he just made shit up. I give the book its second star for the sheer entertainment value of the silly spectacle. I only wish he had psychoanalyzed Moses. Oh, wait. He did. Okay, Trump. Freud on Trump, including "Some additional thoughts on bad hairpieces."‡
*Okay, "co-written."
†Whatever that might mean.
‡"Ein paar Gedanken zur schlechten Haarteile."
*Okay, "co-written."
†Whatever that might mean.
‡"Ein paar Gedanken zur schlechten Haarteile."
October 8, 2008
Its a bad day when Sigmund Freud decides to write your life story.
November 27, 2023
I can save you two days’ reading, if you were thinking of trying Thomas Woodrow Wilson: A Psychological Study.
William C. Bullitt’s (and Sigmund Freud’s) analysis may be summarized as follows: Thomas W[oodrow] Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, was raised by a father, a Presbyterian preacher, whom he worshipped and a mother whom he adored. Throughout his life he tried to measure up to and please his father, whose ideals he carried in his head until he died at 67. At the same time, because of the Oedipus complex, he simultaneously resented his father and felt aggressive, combative impulses toward him. Wilson had a younger brother whom he loved and also resented (see a pattern here?) His ambivalence explains his first loving younger men (people being bisexual in nature, if not in physical action) and then bitterly turning on them. His vacillation as Princeton University president, governor of New Jersey, and U. S. President can be explained by this ambivalence.
His two loving wives, and one girlfriend who rejected him, were mother substitutes.
His intense identification with his father combined with his fervent Presbyterianism led him to come to see himself, subconsciously, as both God the father and Jesus Christ, the savior of mankind. These unacknowledged subconscious identifications lie behind his preference for words over action, his career ambitions, and, most consequentially, his dream of establishing world peace through the League of Nations. These ambitions were doomed, of course, to failure. Bullitt, and perhaps his co-author, iterate, reiterate, and repeat this idea—ad nauseam starting somewhere around the middle of the 300 pages of this book.
At first it is a comical, appalling, and sad spectacle; then it becomes irritating and cloying. If the account were 50 pages, might have been sharp and affecting. At 100 some of the details, especially about peace negotiations in 1918 and 1919, might have seemed fresh, substantive, and sharp-sighted. However, the book is just too long. One gets the feeling that Bullitt, who was on Wilson’s staff, is retailing his experiences more for personal glory than because he has anything fresh to contribute to the main argument.
William C. Bullitt’s (and Sigmund Freud’s) analysis may be summarized as follows: Thomas W[oodrow] Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, was raised by a father, a Presbyterian preacher, whom he worshipped and a mother whom he adored. Throughout his life he tried to measure up to and please his father, whose ideals he carried in his head until he died at 67. At the same time, because of the Oedipus complex, he simultaneously resented his father and felt aggressive, combative impulses toward him. Wilson had a younger brother whom he loved and also resented (see a pattern here?) His ambivalence explains his first loving younger men (people being bisexual in nature, if not in physical action) and then bitterly turning on them. His vacillation as Princeton University president, governor of New Jersey, and U. S. President can be explained by this ambivalence.
His two loving wives, and one girlfriend who rejected him, were mother substitutes.
His intense identification with his father combined with his fervent Presbyterianism led him to come to see himself, subconsciously, as both God the father and Jesus Christ, the savior of mankind. These unacknowledged subconscious identifications lie behind his preference for words over action, his career ambitions, and, most consequentially, his dream of establishing world peace through the League of Nations. These ambitions were doomed, of course, to failure. Bullitt, and perhaps his co-author, iterate, reiterate, and repeat this idea—ad nauseam starting somewhere around the middle of the 300 pages of this book.
At first it is a comical, appalling, and sad spectacle; then it becomes irritating and cloying. If the account were 50 pages, might have been sharp and affecting. At 100 some of the details, especially about peace negotiations in 1918 and 1919, might have seemed fresh, substantive, and sharp-sighted. However, the book is just too long. One gets the feeling that Bullitt, who was on Wilson’s staff, is retailing his experiences more for personal glory than because he has anything fresh to contribute to the main argument.
October 2, 2025
Did you know Sigmund Freud wrote an entire book psychoanalyzing his least favorite president, Woodrow Wilson? Did you know that said book was also not very good? Freud and his co-author, William Bullitt, apparently thought that too, having some apprehension about its publication with Bullitt only publishing this in 1967; 43-years after Wilson’s death and 28-years after Freud’s death. This makes “Thomas Woodrow Wilson: A Psychological Study” an interesting curio in 20th century history which I was completely unaware about this book’s even existence until earlier this year. The psychological assessment is focused exclusively on a combination of facts and stories about Wilson’s childhood, his public statements and speeches, and personal stories from Bullitt, who served in Wilson’s administration. What’s most surprising here is the unremarkably of Freud’s conclusions. Freud asserts that Wilson had an Oedipus Complex and with his “weak libido” was drawn to women who emulated his mother while diving into career paths (namely politics) to supersede or “kill” his father. The sentence alone is jaw dropping for a number of reasons. Firstly, that this assertion seems like something a first year Freudian student would devise, not Freud himself. Secondly, the historical inaccuracy. The authors go to great lengths to admit they did not have access to Wilson’s correspondences, diaries, nor did they interview others who knew Wilson, and this lack of research on their subject matter shows. A particularly egregious example of this is Freud’s quick dismissal of Wilson growing up in Confederate Virginia and the Civil War’s impact on Wilson’s ideology. Today this would be grounds for historical malpractice. Instead, Freud puts an inordinate amount of attention on an anecdotal story about Wilson as a boy playing with his younger brother and feeling guilt for injuring him, which (somehow) led to Wilson not choosing his brother for a Cabinet position due to a subconscious desire to inflict pain as an adult onto his sibling that he couldn’t have done as a child. This is ultimately not a historically accurate book, not a psychologically rich analysis, and remains only somewhat readable because of its unintended comedic value.
February 10, 2018
Interesting bio of President Wilson that delves into his psychological profile going back to childhood by Sigmund Freud and Ambassador Bullitt. This book viewed Wilson through the eyes that everyone is bisexual and therefore the men who were close to Wilson were loved deeply (no, the book did not imply, hint or rumor of sexual daliances and stated that he went to bed with only 2 in his life-his two wives), that Wilson viewed himself as a Christ-like leader and that those who opposed him were all Judas. There were many who he came to feel as Judas and this led to his last few years of life without any long term friends.
An interesting book that went into the WWI Peace process and before that, his rise to the presidency, the governorship of New Jersey, the presidency of Princeton and more.
It went into great detail how sickly he was his entire life. We all know about his his stroke while president, but he had numerous nervous breakdowns and other ailments that, if he ran today, would block his being considered for the White House.
An interesting book that went into the WWI Peace process and before that, his rise to the presidency, the governorship of New Jersey, the presidency of Princeton and more.
It went into great detail how sickly he was his entire life. We all know about his his stroke while president, but he had numerous nervous breakdowns and other ailments that, if he ran today, would block his being considered for the White House.
February 17, 2022
Fascinating for its novelty; proof that Freud was allowed to write on anything. Essentially a biography told through tracing Wilson's libido. While there is lots of interesting archival work that brings to light serious facts about Wilson, the psychoanalytic framework is a bit much, and at times felt contrived -- almost pseudoscientific. Really a normal (short) biography with interesting stuff but told through the lens of rigid psychoanalytic labels and buzzwords that sometimes got in the way, forcing us to interpret Wilson's drives in one particular way.
June 20, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book. As much of it was written by Sigmund Freud, it sure was useful that I read 'Freud's Introduction to Psychoanalysis" nearly 60 years ago. Freud and Bullitt's finding confirm much work which I had read in various other historical tomes. Poor 'Little Tommy.'
August 28, 2008
There is much here that one finds only in little snippets elsewhere when reading about Wilson the president, the man, the husband. It is a scathing report on what the authors believe to be very deep faults in this president, and how these faults drove him unmercifully. Makes one wish that all potential presidents could be analyzed before being allowed into office ... or maybe not. A disturbing book by Sigmund Freud and a lesser-known co-author.
September 29, 2024
I find Freudian literary interpretations to be more comical than insightful. So I wouldn't say this book is worth your time. I read it because my wife had a copy and discussed it with me when I was reading the really weird and bizarrely told biography mentioned above by Edmund Morris. And I think Woodrow Wilson is a very overrated president. So just skip him entirely. Read another book about Washington, Lincoln or Grant. All far more interesting men with more fascinating lives
May 17, 2010
as nutty as Freud was, it literally amazes me that he was legally allowed to do psychological studies on anybody!
July 17, 2016
Claims that Woodrow Wilson had fourteen nervous breakdowns. A collaborative work of Sigmund Freud and William C. Bullitt.
December 20, 2015
Woodrow Wilson as a hero of this country? How did that delusion ever com to pass?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews