John F. Kennedy's Life Experiences

A Summary of John F. Kennedy's Life Experiences
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917 and died in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Regarded as their father's favorite, JFK felt continuously overshadowed by his older brother, Joseph Kennedy, Jr.
JFK joined the Navy, where he commanded PT-109, a Patrol Torpedo boat, in the South Pacific. After a Japanese destroyer rammed his boat, he became a hero for his efforts in saving his men in August 1943. In November 1946, Massachusetts elected JFK to the House of Representatives, where he served until 1952. In 1948, JFK was diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition, Addison's Disease, but his condition was never revealed to the general public.
In 1952, JFK
won one of Massachusetts’ two U.S. Senate seats, and he married Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953. He wrote, “Profiles in Courage”, which was a best-seller and won a 1957 Pulitzer Prize. JFK defeated Richard Nixon, when he won the 1960 Democratic nomination and the race for the presidency; he was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States on January 20, 1961.
JFK, early in his presidency, butted heads with the volatile leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev. His administration appeared weak to the Soviet leader, in April 1961, when a U.S.-backed offensive, the Bay of Pigs, in communist Cuba ended in tragedy. In late 1962, the threat of nuclear missiles aimed at the United States from just a few hundred miles away became genuine, when the Soviet Union began sending nuclear missiles to Cuba. JFK imposed a naval blockade on Cuba, and as the world watched for two weeks to see if the United States was going to invade Cuda, or Khrushchev was going to remove the missiles. With the world on the edge of their seat and nuclear war looming, Khrushchev finally agreed to remove the missiles, ending the Cuban crisis.
In the United States, JFK established the Peace Corps, an organization where young American volunteers went overseas to aid Third World countries. He also backed, the “Alliance for Progress” an investment in establishing economic cooperation between the U.S. and Latin America. The Soviet Union, United Kingdom and the United States ratified the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (NTBT) in the fall of 1963. Congress stalled many of his policies, but his personal intervention to force a rollback of a steel industry price increase as unfair trade practices, and cautiously supported the Civil Rights Movement.
Throughout his short presidency, JFK created a presidential public image vastly striking to the people of America. Known as the first "television President" (SparkNotes Editors, 2005), his charm and good looks captured the hearts of Americans and the relationship JFK had with America can best be referred to as a love affair. Poised to bring the United States out of trying times, JFK motivated great optimism and idealism in many of Americans. However, on a sunny day in Dallas, Texas, Lee Harvey Oswald, an American sniper, assassinated President John F. Kennedy. An instant and an assassin's bullet plunged the nation into mourning (SparkNotes Editors, 2005).

A Psychoanalytic look into John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was a man that thought that the rules did not apply to him. Born into money and of frail health, he joined the Navy without an entrance physical examination. JFK was the second of nine children, he felt “overshadowed by his older brother,” (SparkNotes Editors, 2005) because his older brother was this fathers favorite (SparkNotes Editors, 2005). On the surface, he was charismatic, risk-taking, witty, and highly competitive (Psychological Articles and Infographics , 2014), in reality “JFK was a loner and an introvert.” (Shaw, 2013) He portrayed a healthy in control American, but during his youth, he suffered frequent serious illnesses, and when diagnosed with “Addison's disease (a withering of the adrenal glands), which was a terminal disease” (Reeves, n.d.) until 1940. JFK also suffered from a degenerative back problem, attributed to his football and war years, which was a birth defect.
The problem with using the Psychoanalytical theory is there is no control group, “there is no comparison or standard by which to carefully evaluate the theory.” (Friedman & Schustack, 2013, p.
64)
A Neo-analytic look into John F. Kennedy
JFK’s concern for his individual sense of self derives from his competitiveness for his father’s favors and eclipsing the shadows of his older brother, Joseph Kennedy, Jr. At the core, the neo-analytical approach de-emphasizes sexuality and the importance of the unconscious, and replaces them with emphasis on the ego (Friedman & Schustack, 2013). Adler believed the “central core of personality is the striving for superiority.” (Friedman & Schustack, 2013, p. 115)
JFK followed his brother’s example, attending Choate, a prestigious Connecticut boarding school, and then attended Harvard, where, he was very popular, but only made mediocre grades (SparkNotes Editors, 2005). Even to join the military and become a leader and hero.
Neo-analytic ego psychologists work to understand what being an individual mean to a social world and it is not an easy task (Friedman & Schustack, 2013). The ideas of “inferiority complexes, of strivings for mastery, of sibling rivalries, of basic anxieties, of the differentiation of identity,” (Friedman & Schustack, 2013, p. 137) infiltrate our modern concepts of child raising, family, and human nature. While the challenge of suitable managing mechanisms remains key and unanswered (Friedman & Schustack,
2013).
A Psychosocial look into John F.
Kennedy
JFK was a peacemaker, “his birth order trait” (Best Psychology Degree , 2015), whether at school, college, in the Navy, House of Representatives, the Senate, or the President of the United States, he developed social interaction with others that provided him with the best possible relationship with society. JFK was also a “loner and an introvert” (Shaw, 2013), he often worried that his personality was not sufficiently energetic and captivating to succeed in presidential politics (Wagner,
2012).
John F. Kennedy Personality Traits
A highly competitive nature is one of the president’s most common traits. JFK put his heart and soul into whatever he attempted, constantly pushing for the top (Psychological Articles and Infographics , 2014).
Wit is unappreciated as personality traits go; however, it allowed JFK to process and deal with incoming news of events, to smooth over relations with individuals, both within his own government and in handling situations in other countries. His wit, was often seen as charismatic.
JFK’s charisma allowed him to stand above others and relate to the younger generation after World War II. As a good-looking, intelligent person JFK was able to use his charisma to not only win the presidency, but also win over the hearts of many Americans. Those who worked with him every day remarked about his powerful personality and ability to light up the room.
Risk-Taking, the Cuban Missile Crisis set “risk taker” as one of JFK’s traits. This along with other risks, in both his presidency and the election itself, demonstrated he was not opposed to taking risks when it furthered himself or the United States. As well as taking risks, he knew when not to take risks “often leading to arguments among his own staff.” (Psychological Articles and Infographics , 2014)
The Myers-Briggs Assessment for John F. Kennedy is that of INTJ. Introvert; iNtuitive; Thinking; Judging (The Sixteen Types, 2011) (16 Personalities Editor, 2015). Problem is that JFK is deceased and cannot take the test; an analysis of his prior actions is the only way to utilize the 16 types of personalities in the Myers-Briggs Assessment Tool. Besides, Myers-Briggs has 16 positive personality types. A person is an Introvert or an Extravert, an Intuitive person or Sensitive person, a Thinker or a Feeler, or a person that Judges or a person who Perceives (Isabel Briggs Myers, n.d.).
Evolutionary approach to John F. Kennedy’s Personality JFK evolved his introverted personality to be an extrovert to establish a rapport with others; he also, put his illness’ as far away as possible in order to be perceived as a strong authoritarian person. Even his birth defect, complicated by the Addison’s disease, was so bad that he gambled on surgery, knowing that trauma could cause an Addison’s episode, which he would likely not survive (Reeves, n.d.).
Problem with evolution and personality is that evolution takes a long time and while Erickson believed that, your personality developed from the time you are born, until you die. While this is, a considerable amount of time, evolution takes much more time and besides, according to Erickson evolution is just a change in your personality (Friedman & Schustack, 2013).