Health Network News

Having watched the presidential and vice presidential debates, and having an interest in stress, I started to wonder about the effects of this debate on the four people on the two tickets. Sarah Palin, John McCain, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden are the four contenders experiencing the stress. But what about the stress during the televised debates?

The first major stressor during debates is the ultimate victory or loss. At the back of their mind must be the constant fear that they might make an incredible blunder. With the dual pressure of handling content intelligently and presenting oneself as a credible and attractive person comes great strain.

Sarah, Joe, Barack, and John all have distinctive personal styles. Being coached by public speaking experts to take the rough edges off one’s style can be extremely disconcerting and stressful. The pressure of the campaign and the need to develop a credible debating style adds to the stress. What changes must each person make?

Barack Obama has a sophisticated but slightly professorial style. Because he is intelligent and well read, he tend to come across as somewhat remote and theoretical. The pressure for him is to appear as warm, committed, and in touch with the people and their dreams. His key appeal is the concept of change.

John McCain is always in danger of being seen as a war hawk because of his position on Iraq and his constant claim about his prisoner of war status. His campaign position is about patriotism and loving America. His age and medical condition are factors that would present him with some stress when seen on the national podium.

Joe Biden has 35 years as a senator so he has a huge amount of knowledge but perhaps too much to convey in a short time. As well, it is easy for people to see him as arrogant. Joe has to present himself as commonplace and one of the people.

Sarah Palin has to impress voters as having a national and international presence not simply as being a mom from middle America. Being able to say folksy words like ‘doggone’ and ‘aint’ might add down-home appeal but they limit her status as a high-level politician. Because she made such a bad showing at some televised interviews, the pressure for her was to appear well-informed.

The stress during the debates for all four was to present an appealing personality and to limit their presumed weaknesses. To be successful, each of the nominees had to overcome any personality or information deficiencies. The question of whether they attracted the popular vote would depend on viewers’ perceptions of how well they handled both content and presentation.

Share This