The Clinton Syndrome: The President and the Self-Destructive Nature of Sexual Addiction

At a time when Bill Clinton should be carving out his place in history, he instead has been forced once again to defend himself against charges of sexual misconduct. The charges, along with the accompanying allegations of perjury and obstruction of justice, threaten to destroy all that he has lived his life to accomplish. Is he, as his defenders assert, the victim of political enemies determined to bring him down? Or can the forces driving Bill Clinton to the precipice of self-destruction be found in the darkness of his own psyche? In this provocative book,Dr. Jerome Levin, a leading addictions expert and a respected psychotherapist at the prestigious New School for Social Research in New York City, digs deep into Bill Clinton's past and discovers a pattern of tawdry and destructive relationships consistent with classic sexual addiction. Dr. Levin traces the seeds of Clinton's addiction back to a childhood haunted by emotional disloyalty and confusion. We watch this future president grow to adulthood, excelling through his wits, but remaining emotionally bound to the chaos of his youth. We follow his political rise as we observe his growing need to take greater and more dangerous risks to satisfy his insatiable appetites. By comparing Clinton's outrageous behavior against the backdrop of classic sexual addiction, Dr. Levin offers all Clinton watchers a closely reasoned and compelling portrait of one of the most enigmatic, complex, and driven men of our time.