By
George
Lewis


On
the basis of his findings, Ludwig argues that political
skills are rooted in the oldest parts of the brain.
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March
26, 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) --
As world leaders rise to power and seek to maintain
it, they are biologically inclined to act remarkably
like monkeys and apes, says Arnold M. Ludwig in his
forthcoming book "King of the Mountain: The Nature
of Political Leadership." In the most extensive and
in-depth study of political leadership to date, Ludwig
presents the startling - and often humorous - findings
of his 18-year investigation into why people want
to rule.
Profiling
every ruler of a recognized country in the 20th century
- more than 1,900 people - Ludwig, emeritus professor
of psychiatry at the University of Kentucky, establishes
how rulers came to power, how they lost power, the
dangers they faced, and their odds of being assassinated,
committing suicide, or dying a natural death. Then,
concentrating on a smaller set of rulers for whom
more extensive personal information was available,
Ludwig profiles six different kinds of leaders, examining
their personal characteristics, childhoods and mental
stability to identify the main predicators of later
political success.
On the
basis of his findings, Ludwig argues that political
skills are rooted in the oldest parts of the brain.
He notes
that nature offers powerful incentives for primates
to become leaders and cling to power as long as possible.
In monkeys and apes, alpha males, in contrast to submissive
ones, have sexual relations with more females, sire
larger broods, have greater access to food and shelter
and command more deference.
Among human
rulers, especially those with the most power, the
situation is much the same. As Ludwig explains, the
primate model of ruling has important ramifications
for our very survival.
The final
chapter of the book, especially relevant in light
of the terrorist attacks on the United States, offers
Ludwig's insight into why humans throughout history
have engaged in war, which represents the ultimate
expression of alpha-maleness, and suggests how they
might live together in peace.
Published
by the University
Press of Kentucky, the book will be available
in May.
Ludwig,
whose writings have been called "quite brilliant"
by Kirkus Reviews, is author of 10 books, including
"How Do We Know Who We Are? A Biography of the Self"
and "The Price of Greatness," a study of the connection
between creative genius and insanity.
He is a
past winner of the Lester N. Hofheimer Prize for outstanding
research in psychiatry.
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