ABSTRACT
The active-positive Presidents are those who appear to have fun in the vigorous exercise of Presidential power. They seek out—even create—opportunities for action, rather than waiting for the action to come to them. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and John F. Kennedy were active-positive Presidents. Franklin majored in political history and government, working hard enough to make decent grades without excessive effort, and the idea of channeling this ideal into politics must have occurred to him more frequently as Theodore's star rose. Roosevelt completed his basic training for the Presidency in the seven years he served as Assistant Secretary. Roosevelt's approach—vigor, hope, humor—rested on his old faith in experiment. Roosevelt's active-positive character, grounded in high self-esteem, strengthened by his sense of the self as developing, enabled him to overcome the conflict in his personality between peaceableness and aggression.
