SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"We also found Trump scored relatively high in neuroticism. Being high in this trait means being emotionally unstable and having trouble controlling urges," said Christian Fisch of Trier University in Germany, one of the reserchers involved in the new study. (Image: Donkey Hotey/flickr/cc)
Researchers: Trump Tweets Reveal 'Neurotic' and 'Unstable' Leader
Newly published study looks at how language of Trump's tweets compares with that of over 100 CEOs and entrepreneurs
Jul 26, 2017
What do the frequent tweets from Donald Trump say about his online personality?
According to a team of international researchers, they indicate he's an "emotionally unstable motivator."
The study was conducted before Trump took office, analyzing 3,200 tweets he issued by October 2016, and was led by Martin Obschonka from the Australian Center for Entrepreneurship Research at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and Christian Fisch from Trier University in Germany.
They also compared Trump's tweets with those of over 100 CEOs and entrepreneurs including Google's Eric Schmidt, HP's Meg Whitman, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos.
"We looked at Twitter tweets and employed a new method that uses machine learning and other computer science methods to analyze characteristic language styles, contents, and patterns that together can reveal remarkably valid information on a person's personality profile," Obschonka explained in a press statement.
Trump's online personality, they found, stood apart from those in the other group, as it has characteristics that more strongly match the personality traits economist Joseph Schumpeter laid out in the 1930s as being markers of a successful entrepreneurs--they're competitive and creative, and also change-oriented rule-breakers.
"We also found Trump scored relatively high in neuroticism. Being high in this trait means being emotionally unstable and having trouble controlling urges," Fisch noted.
"So in the end," added Obschonka, "it seems that we could identify a personality pattern in Trump that makes him so distinct from the superstar entrepreneurs and CEOs in that he really seems to resemble a type of an emotionally unstable innovator."
"Being a single-minded, independent, and creative rule-breaker can be good traits for entrepreneurs but they are probably more unusual in high-level politicians, particularly when coupled with high neuroticism," he said.
As for what that means for the White House, Obschonka said, "Such a personality pattern could be something like a double-edged sword: more entrepreneurial thinking and acting in high-level politicians could boost an entrepreneurial economy, but such entrepreneurial personalities could also show an unconventional political leadership style that is highly successful in the business world but maybe not so successful in the political realm that requires careful diplomacy instead of risky entrepreneurial thirst for action."
The study was published online Tuesday in the journal Small Business Economics.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
What do the frequent tweets from Donald Trump say about his online personality?
According to a team of international researchers, they indicate he's an "emotionally unstable motivator."
The study was conducted before Trump took office, analyzing 3,200 tweets he issued by October 2016, and was led by Martin Obschonka from the Australian Center for Entrepreneurship Research at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and Christian Fisch from Trier University in Germany.
They also compared Trump's tweets with those of over 100 CEOs and entrepreneurs including Google's Eric Schmidt, HP's Meg Whitman, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos.
"We looked at Twitter tweets and employed a new method that uses machine learning and other computer science methods to analyze characteristic language styles, contents, and patterns that together can reveal remarkably valid information on a person's personality profile," Obschonka explained in a press statement.
Trump's online personality, they found, stood apart from those in the other group, as it has characteristics that more strongly match the personality traits economist Joseph Schumpeter laid out in the 1930s as being markers of a successful entrepreneurs--they're competitive and creative, and also change-oriented rule-breakers.
"We also found Trump scored relatively high in neuroticism. Being high in this trait means being emotionally unstable and having trouble controlling urges," Fisch noted.
"So in the end," added Obschonka, "it seems that we could identify a personality pattern in Trump that makes him so distinct from the superstar entrepreneurs and CEOs in that he really seems to resemble a type of an emotionally unstable innovator."
"Being a single-minded, independent, and creative rule-breaker can be good traits for entrepreneurs but they are probably more unusual in high-level politicians, particularly when coupled with high neuroticism," he said.
As for what that means for the White House, Obschonka said, "Such a personality pattern could be something like a double-edged sword: more entrepreneurial thinking and acting in high-level politicians could boost an entrepreneurial economy, but such entrepreneurial personalities could also show an unconventional political leadership style that is highly successful in the business world but maybe not so successful in the political realm that requires careful diplomacy instead of risky entrepreneurial thirst for action."
The study was published online Tuesday in the journal Small Business Economics.
What do the frequent tweets from Donald Trump say about his online personality?
According to a team of international researchers, they indicate he's an "emotionally unstable motivator."
The study was conducted before Trump took office, analyzing 3,200 tweets he issued by October 2016, and was led by Martin Obschonka from the Australian Center for Entrepreneurship Research at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and Christian Fisch from Trier University in Germany.
They also compared Trump's tweets with those of over 100 CEOs and entrepreneurs including Google's Eric Schmidt, HP's Meg Whitman, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos.
"We looked at Twitter tweets and employed a new method that uses machine learning and other computer science methods to analyze characteristic language styles, contents, and patterns that together can reveal remarkably valid information on a person's personality profile," Obschonka explained in a press statement.
Trump's online personality, they found, stood apart from those in the other group, as it has characteristics that more strongly match the personality traits economist Joseph Schumpeter laid out in the 1930s as being markers of a successful entrepreneurs--they're competitive and creative, and also change-oriented rule-breakers.
"We also found Trump scored relatively high in neuroticism. Being high in this trait means being emotionally unstable and having trouble controlling urges," Fisch noted.
"So in the end," added Obschonka, "it seems that we could identify a personality pattern in Trump that makes him so distinct from the superstar entrepreneurs and CEOs in that he really seems to resemble a type of an emotionally unstable innovator."
"Being a single-minded, independent, and creative rule-breaker can be good traits for entrepreneurs but they are probably more unusual in high-level politicians, particularly when coupled with high neuroticism," he said.
As for what that means for the White House, Obschonka said, "Such a personality pattern could be something like a double-edged sword: more entrepreneurial thinking and acting in high-level politicians could boost an entrepreneurial economy, but such entrepreneurial personalities could also show an unconventional political leadership style that is highly successful in the business world but maybe not so successful in the political realm that requires careful diplomacy instead of risky entrepreneurial thirst for action."
The study was published online Tuesday in the journal Small Business Economics.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.