Thomas Jefferson: Psychobiography of an American Lion: Psychobiography of an American Lion

ISBN-13: 9781536166576

M. Andrew Holowchak

Opis

The sort of assessment Holowchak aims to do in this book is both historical and psychological, so the book is in large measure a psy-chobiography. Holowchak aims to enter into the mind of Thomas Jefferson by perusal and critical assessment of significant events in his life and singular, but representative writings from Jefferson's nearly 20,000 letters, numerous bills, addresses, messages, autobi-ography, and Notes on Virginia. How does one begin a psychobiography of such a singular figure? It is difficult to do justice to Jefferson from a historical per-spective and it is doubly difficult to do justice to Jefferson from a psychological perspective. One who is adept in historical insights usually lacks psychological perspective, and conversely. Moreover, one who has a capacity for psychological perspective is handcuffed by not having access to the dynamic psychotherapeutic settingaan invaluable asset for a psychotherapist. Furthermore, Jefferson was a complex figure. A slaveholder, he was a lifelong critic of slavery. An aristocrat, he always championed democratic sentiments. A na-tionalist, he was also cosmopolitan. A conservative moralist, he was revolutionist. An agrarian, he manufactured his own nails. And so, any psychological depiction and assessment of the man must ac-commodate paradox and ambivalence, though there are numerous thingsae.g., liberty, progress, and human moral goodnessaabout which he certainly was not ambivalent. In this book, Holowchak offers historical insights and psycho-logical perspective on Jefferson. He depicts a man with several psychological quirksawith definite neurotic tendenciesayet one who throughout his numerous adventures in life, and many set-backs, kept things together. With profound recognition that the things he saw in nature were due to the hand of deity, Jefferson observed, measured, and recorded what he saw. He even at times saw fit to critique nature, when he recognized that humans could work with nature to make things more serviceable for human needs. Jefferson was always in the business of accommodating na-ture for human needs. Holowchak ends the book with some thoughts on Jefferson's moral outlook and character.