A Mente Louca Dos Grandes Líderes Mundiais (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Nassir Ghaemi describes a strong correlation between mental or mood disorders, and leadership. Many of the world's best leaders in times of crisis had mental disorders--not very severe, but sufficiently ill so that they handled challenges with more realistic outlooks than so-called "normal" people. However, they do not do well during normal times. They do not make good managers. On the other hand, "normal" people--which he calls "homoclites", can be good leaders during normal times. But they often do poorly when faced with extraordinary challenges.Ghaemi's evidence for his hypothesis is largely anecdotal. He describes the lives of some of the world's great leaders during times of crisis; Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, General Sherman, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin Roosevelt, and Gandhi. He showed how adversity due to mental illness often prepared them for challenges later in life. Churchill was an active politician during the early twentieth century, but became a political "has-been" during the 1930's. However, he foresaw the Nazi threat before any of the so-called "normal" politicians like Chamberlain. Ghaemi attributes Churchill's insight to the challenges he faced with manic depression.Ghaemi contasts General Techumseh Sherman, who took big risks during the American Civil War, with the more staid General George McClellan. Sherman suffered from hallucinations, was suicidal and depressed. John F. Kennedy suffered from a number of physical and mental problems. Franklin Roosevelt was challenged by the adversity of polio. Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi had depression, and contemplated suicide. Nevertheless, all of these leaders took risks, were courageous, and were great leaders. Ghaemi contends, however, that during normal times, these leaders were ineffective. On the other hand, leaders like George W. Bush, Tony Blair, and Neville Chamberlain were ineffective leaders during times of crisis, as they were mentally "normal", and were simply not prepared for times of adversity.The book also discusses Hitler and other Nazi leaders during the World War II. Ghaemi discusses how Hitler had mental problems that were exacerbated by bad medical treatments. Ghaemi argues that Hitler's example also is evidence in favor of his hypothesis--but I am not convinced, and he turns around and shows how many (but not all) of the Nazi leaders were "normal" from a psychiatric point of view.This is definitely a thought-provoking book. While I found it difficult to believe that Ghaemi's hypothesis is generally applicable to all leaders, he shows enough evidence to prove that the effect is not mere correlation--there is probably some causation in effect, too. Anybody interested in psychology and history would find a lot of compelling insights in this book. The author's premise is shaky at best. The idea that mental illness is prevalent across multiple great leaders doesn't quite hold water. If the lynchpin of the argument is William Tecumseh Sherman, the blanket premise is unsound. While an important figure, and definitely a functional schizophrenic, you'll need someone of higher prominence to make a strong point across the breadth of history.Sherman's account, along with Kennedy and other politicians, feels too much like the conjecture you'd find in a Howard Zinn book. Yes, perhaps the citations reveal the proper context, but the behaviors described could be attributed to any of a myriad of individual circumstances. I'm jaded since I believe the marketing for this book is towards any of a million redditors or self-interested millennials who want to believe their latest depressive episode merely means they're destined for greatness, They aren't, they should instead get a little exercise and lay off the dope. A psychologist will profile a leader with psychoanalysis. There's no surprises here. Some of the history was incorrect, and many attributes of illness were merely the cold cynicism of driven leaders. I was not impressed.
What do You think about A Mente Louca Dos Grandes Líderes Mundiais (2011)?
Sounds like I need to get my hands on a mental illness to round out my character stats
—Phalyn
Compelling core arguements and you learn interesting little gems.
—perko66
Fascinating reading. I especially enjoyed General Sherman.
—lovemealways98
Nonfiction Book Discussion title December 2012.
—shweta
