A CIA Psychologist on the Minds of World Leaders, Pt. 1 with Dr. Ursula Wilder
SpyCast20 Feb 2024

A CIA Psychologist on the Minds of World Leaders, Pt. 1 with Dr. Ursula Wilder

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.” Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Agent of Betrayal, FBI Spy Robert Hanssen with CBS’ Major Garrett and Friends (2023) The North Korean Defector with Former DPRK Agent Kim, Hyun Woo (2023) SPY@20 – “The Spy of the Century” with Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby (2022) “How Spies Think” – 10 Lessons in Intelligence with Sir David Omand (2020) *Beginner Resources* What is Psychoanalysis? Institute of Psychoanalysis, YouTube (2011) [3 min. video] Psychologists in the CIA, American Psychological Association (2002) [Short article] 7 Reasons to Study Psychology, University of Toronto (n.d.) [Short article] DEEPER DIVE Books Freud and Beyond, S. A. Mitchell (Basic Books, 2016) Narcissism and Politics: Dreams of Glory, J. M. Post (Cambridge University Press, 2014) The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, E. Hoffer (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2010) Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, D. K. Goodwin (Simon & Schuster, 2004) Leaders, Fools, and Impostors: Essays on the Psychology of Leadership, M. F. R. Kets de Vries (iUniverse, 2003) Primary Sources Charles de Gaulle to Pamela Digby Churchill (1942) Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat (1940) Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant (1885) Gettysburg Address (1863) House Divided Speech (1858) Excerpt on Cleopatra from Plutarch's Life of Julius Caesar (ca. 2nd century AD) Plutarch’s The Life of Alexander (ca. 2nd century AD) Appian’s The Civil Wars (ca. 2nd century AD) Virgil’s The Aeneid (19 B.C.E) *Wildcard Resource* On Dreams by Sigmund Freud (1901) In this simplified version of the father of psychoanalysis’ seminal book The Interpretation of Dreams, you can get a small taste for Freudian philosophy. Freud believed that dreams were a reflection of the subconscious mind and that studying a person’s dreams can elucidate their inner wants and needs. What are your dreams telling you?

Episoder(736)

Directing The Night Manager

Directing The Night Manager

When The Night Manager aired in 2016, it was an instant success. Based on the 1993 John le Carré novel of the same name, the series centered on former British soldier Jonathan Pine. In the show, Pine ...

20 Jan 32min

Inside the CIA’s Most Covert and Dangerous Branch: The Special Activities Center

Inside the CIA’s Most Covert and Dangerous Branch: The Special Activities Center

For SpyCast’s 20th year, we’re kicking off the season with Brian Carbaugh. After serving in the CIA for over two decades, he retired as Director of the Special Activities Center- the Agency’s arm for ...

13 Jan 39min

The Man Behind John le Carré

The Man Behind John le Carré

John le Carré, born David Cornwell in 1931, was a British novelist renowned for his morally complex spy fiction. Writing under a pen name gave him the freedom to publish while he worked in both MI5 an...

23 Des 202538min

Inside Operation Odyssey Lightning in Libya

Inside Operation Odyssey Lightning in Libya

From August to December 2016, then Marine Special Operations Officer Ivan Ingraham lived on an assault ship off the coast of Sirte, a city in northern Libya that lies between Tripoli and Benghazi. It ...

16 Des 202534min

Auctioning Off the Key to Kryptos

Auctioning Off the Key to Kryptos

At the CIA headquarters in Langley, you will find Kryptos, a large curved copper panel that holds the letters to four encrypted messages. The first three messages- K1, K2, and K3- were solved in the n...

9 Des 202527min

An Interview with the CIA’s Former “Q”

An Interview with the CIA’s Former “Q”

Bob Wallace was appointed Deputy Director of the CIA’s Office of Technical Service in 1995 and became its director three years later. In other words, he was the CIA’s “Q.” The storied office dealt in ...

2 Des 202535min

 Inside the CIA’s Book Club Designed to Bring Down Communism

Inside the CIA’s Book Club Designed to Bring Down Communism

The CIA’s book club, known by the codename QRHELPFUL, was a secret 35-year program born of the fear that communism would dominate the globe. About 10 million books were smuggled into the Soviet Union ...

25 Nov 202533min

The Hunt for China’s Spy Family

The Hunt for China’s Spy Family

For decades, California-based engineer Chi Mak quietly stole secrets on war-fighting technologies. He and his family members shared the intelligence with spies in China, giving Beijing astounding insi...

18 Nov 202538min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
popradet
aftenpodden-usa
stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
fotballpodden-2
i-retten
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-dannet-uten-piano