A CIA Psychologist on the Minds of World Leaders, Pt. 2 with Dr. Ursula Wilder [SpyCast]
Episode 622
In honor of Women's History Month, please enjoy this episode of the International Spy Museum's SpyCast podcast featuring part 2 of Andrew Hammond's discussion with Dr. Ursula Wilder of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Summary
Dr. Ursula Wilder (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the intersections between psychology and intelligence. Ursula is a clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience working at the Central Intelligence Agency.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- How psychology can be useful to national security
- Historical examples of leadership analysis
- Leadership personality assessments & the Cuban Missile Crisis
- Psychoanalytic theory and espionage
Reflections
- Human nature throughout history
- History repeating itself
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“Together, these documents are quite powerful. The psych assessments are very, very carefully, tightly held and are classified at a high level. Every intelligence officer has this fantasy about seeing the file that's kept on them by the opponents.” – Dr. Ursula Wilder.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
*Beginner Resources*
DEEPER DIVE
Books
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Freud and Beyond, S. A. Mitchell (Basic Books, 2016)
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Narcissism and Politics: Dreams of Glory, J. M. Post (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
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The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, E. Hoffer (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2010)
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Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, D. K. Goodwin (Simon & Schuster, 2004)
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Leaders, Fools, and Impostors: Essays on the Psychology of Leadership, M. F. R. Kets de Vries (iUniverse, 2003)
Primary Sources