Introduction
Elections are commonly regarded as a mechanism through which voters determine the direction of policies established for their region. They are also the moments when voters select political leaders who often demonstrate significant, even extreme, socially constructed disparities, based on gender, perceived abilities, and image, among other factors. Most candidates differ in their personality, and choosing leaders with a specific personality profile can have important political ramifications. It is likely to influence their policy success, relations with lawmakers, and the use of executive orders, among others.
Personality has been a major factor in why no woman has been elected to the presidency. It is conceivable for a woman to be president, as Hillary Clinton’s bid demonstrates. She may have gone close but failed since she symbolized the institutions that voters resented. Americans wanted more than change, perhaps some upheaval, which Donald Trump brought about.
Still, Clinton succeeded in creating an easier path for other women. However, America’s political culture portrays politics as a man’s job, preventing women from breaking through the patriarchy of the glass ceiling, whatever their expertise, leadership, or personality style. This analysis examines the role of personality in political decision-making by tracing the timeline of the women’s suffrage movement and focusing on three notable individuals.
Personality Style
Motivation dictates where people direct their efforts and whether they find satisfaction. It is based on fundamental psychological demands known as motives, which are consistent preferences for specific experiences or actions. Power and affiliation are the two most important elements of human social behavior. Power refers to the desire to gain or preserve the ability to control people.
Affiliation is the desire to form or maintain warm, pleasant ties with others. The self-component refers to a person’s drive to grow and develop. Achievement stems from variations in people’s strengths, but the desire to succeed can also be influenced by culture or psychological needs. Motives, for example, influence which goals people set, which are likely to shape their daily conduct.
Different management models that broadly describe the tactics taken by different presidents have been established. An organized policymaking framework with well-defined steps, formal lines of interaction, and an ordered staff system distinguishes the formalistic approach. The competitive model boosts competition among the president’s advisors and ministerial heads by assigning persons overlapping roles and responsibilities on an ad hoc basis.
The collegial style promotes a collaborative advisory approach that values discussion and compromise, as people can voice opposing viewpoints. The styles have a major impact, since, depending on their perspective, a President can define how roles are assigned. For example, Obama used a collegial approach emphasizing cooperation, negotiation, and consensus-building.
There is also a lengthy tradition of attempting to characterize, quantify, and define individual personality traits. Personality color divides people into distinct categories based on behavioral inclinations, communication methods, and preferences. Red denotes aggressiveness and action-oriented behavior; blue reflects analytical thinking and detailed orientation; green compassion and harmony-seeking; and yellow inventiveness and enthusiasm. These colors serve as broad categories to help individuals identify their strengths, communication methods, and areas for personal development in relationship building and team dynamics.
Woman’s Suffrage
The Women’s Suffrage Movement arose from the desire for women to have the same voting rights as men. The 1848 Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, which Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped organize, is often credited with launching the movement. The struggle gained momentum during Reconstruction as the country sought to shape its future under Elizabeth’s leadership.
As a leader, she cherished a formal management style that allowed her to outsource certain responsibilities. For example, she worked closely with Susan B. Anthony to demand universal suffrage. Elizabeth had a sharp intellect and a deeply analytical mind, typical of a blue personality. Her motive was achievement, which kept her focused on ensuring they succeeded in fighting for women’s rights.
Lucy Stone was another key figure in the movement, though she opposed Elizabeth’s strategy and tactics. Her academic rigor, eloquence, and strong conviction place her firmly in the blue group. Stone’s motivation was strongly rooted in affiliation, driven by a strong desire for social justice and a conviction in the intrinsic dignity and equality of all people. She was white, but Stone helped establish the Women’s National League during the Civil War, which advocated for full liberation for all Black Americans. Her formal leadership style emphasizes organization, strategy, and a commitment to advancing women’s rights.
Elizabeth was also collegial and sought to establish a conflict-free environment. This inspired her to join Lucy and others in 1894 to start the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), the country’s largest woman suffrage group. However, the movement was marred by racial violence, as many white women refused to extend the rights movement to women of color.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett became a strong champion for Black Americans and women in the struggle. She was a fierce and daring fighter for racial and gender equality, exemplifying the red personality. She was driven by affiliation since she had a strong desire and psychological need to be part of the broader NAWSA organization. Her management style can be described as competitive, given her strong desire to fight without limits for recognition.
Politics Today
There are fewer women at the highest levels of political authority in the United States. Progress toward boosting women’s representation in public offices has been sluggish. The highest glass ceiling persists as sexism is too deeply embedded in the country’s political culture. Women have to confront anti-woman views operating on a deep subconscious level due to the deeply ingrained, well-established political aspects that define American society.
A female candidate would be seen as either too soft or strident, uncompetitive, or lacking ambition. Her voice would be perceived as harsh or insufficiently dominating, and her appearance and style as too feminine to be taken seriously (Coleman, Chapter 1). Expecting a female president involves bracing for a devastating surge of chauvinist retaliation, similar to the one experienced by Obama and Donald Trump.
Women’s suffrage has had a complex impact on US politics today, fostering a more diverse and inclusive political landscape. It has improved politics by amplifying diverse perspectives and encouraging new ways to govern across different personality types, motivations, and leadership styles. Leaders display a range of personality colors, from bold reds to analytical blues.
Motives for political activity range from power-seeking to achievement-oriented aims, prompting leaders to address concerns such as gender equality, healthcare accessibility, and economic opportunity. Management styles differ: some leaders use competitive techniques to achieve their goals, while others take a collegial approach emphasizing collaboration and consensus-building.
Conclusion
The journal paper investigates the effect of political narratives on the US party gender gap. The study concludes that personality traits significantly impact political decision-making. Antinyan et al. (2021) investigated how people’s characteristics affect their susceptibility to political narratives and subsequent alignment with specific political parties.
According to the findings, personality qualities such as openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness influence how people respond to political communications and their partisan affiliations. The paper emphasizes the importance of understanding how personality traits interact with political narratives to shape voter behavior and political outcomes.
It is conceivable for a woman to become president if she follows in the footsteps of the first black president. This includes grassroots new voter registration drives for youth and people of color, which the current Vice President Harris or another woman might take advantage of. Feminism will be key to this, but the lady must be well-spoken, experienced, and baggage-free (Celiset al., 2013).
The lady would require a combination of personality colors, with red emphasized for its assertiveness. Her motivations should include wielding substantial power and promoting an inclusive government, gender equality, and social justice. A collegial management style would be ideal for fostering collaboration, emphasizing inclusivity, and building consensus.
My Myers-Briggs personality type is INTJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging), characterized by strategic planning, logical reasoning, and a focus on long-term goals. During the suffragist movement, an INTJ’s decision-making process may have been akin in its tactical preparation and long-term vision to the effort to attain women’s suffrage.
Differences in personality traits, such as introversion or intuition, could have shaped how a person approached leadership positions or engaged in public advocacy. Regardless of these differences, America’s political culture, which has traditionally viewed politics as a male domain, continues to impede women from breaking through the glass ceiling, whatever their experience, leadership abilities, or personality styles, reinforcing gender barriers in the political sphere.
References
Antinyan, A., Bassetti, T., Corazzini, L., & Pavesi, F. (2021). Political narratives and the US partisan gender gap. Frontiers in Psychology, 12.
Celis, K., Kantola, J., Waylen, G., & Weldon, S. L. (2013). Introduction: Gender and politics: A gendered world, a gendered discipline. In Oxford Handbooks Online. Oxford University Press.
Coleman. (n.d.). Sociology 200: Introduction to women’s studies. College of the Canyons.