Customer Reviews

The Clintons Meet Freud

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An objective and well-researched psychoanalysis of Bill Clinton. I appreciated Lowinger's clear explanations of psychoanalytical jargon, which made the book accessible and lively.
While experts may not agree with all of Lowinger's conclusions, I think he presents well-reasoned, believable arguments about Bill Clinton's psyche based on publicly available information and his own expertise as a psychoanalyst.
I assume author and subject have never met and that Lowinger has made some assumptions that cannot be proved. But I think he makes this clear throughout, often using words like "may" and "points to" rather than flat assertions.
In this enjoyable and fascinating portrayal, Clinton comes across as an Everyman who still struggles to overcome the deficits of his early life, yet one who has achieved a great deal in spite of his difficulties and demons.

Paul Lowinger is a physician, author, teacher and an extraordinary psychiatrist. (He taught me all that I know about psychiatry). His training is a rare combination of psychoanalysis with an eclectic and humane focus. In this book, Dr. Lowinger examines in great detail the events in the lives of the three Clintons - Chelsea, Hillary and Bill, and interprets these in the light of psychoanalytic principles - a sort of 'psychopathology of everyday life'. The result is a richly erudite psychohistory of this important family, flavored with gentle touches of humor. I like the book very much because it bustles with objectivity, relieving the reader of any tendency to allow preconceived biases to color their reading enjoyment.

Dr. Paul Lowinger is a distinguished psychoanalyst. Here he follows in the footsteps of Sigmund Freud who did
"psychohistories" of Moses and daVinci. He tackles the Clintons. The book will be of special interest to anyone interested in psychoanalysis and/or the sex lives of the Clintons. Not all analysts will agree with Dr. Lowinger's surmises. However,now that he has done his treatment it's unlikely anyone else will focus on the Clintons again soon. But now that they have been done, can a psychohistory of the Bush clan be far behind? Will we learn that we invaded Iraq because of W's unconscious oedipal urges? At least when Clinton lied, no one died. Readers interested in a modern, non-Freudian view of the psychological issues of love and power may wish to see "A General Theory of Love," by Drs. Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon.