Abstract

This paper will explain a new “life cycle” theory of biographical analysis for the lives of politicians. Understanding that many political figures serve in office at many different points in their lives and for varying periods of time, this theory takes as its launching point that all human beings evolve over time, much like the seasons of nature, and their actions as well as behavior in office change as a result of the links between their private and public lives. Renowned social psychologists Erik Erikson and Daniel Levinson developed this theory of “life cycle” analysis, based on the periods of crisis and stability in a human being’s life, and organized into the seasons of a person’s life. By importing the theories of this psychology field into the fields of biography, government and history, this paper argues that this intellectual approach can be used to explain past behavior in political office as well as to predict future behavior. This paper will use as its case study the evolution of the life and presidency of George W. Bush.