Features of “Old-Timer” Governors' Personalities in the Context of the Spe cifics of the Governorship Institution Functioning
The aim of the study is to find an answer to the questions of what determines the political longevity of “old-timer” governors and what personal qualities help them to stay on the political arena for a long period of time. A political and psychological analysis of three “experienced” governors was carried out to achieve this aim. The results allowed extrapolating the data to the rest of the “old-timers” of the current governor's corps, but with some reservations. The governors' personalities were examined using a comparative case study method. The first block of research is associated with the study of the politician's life path using the biographical method; the second part is linked with the construction of their motivation-and-need profile within three levels: cognitive, affective and behavioral. All the components of the levels were studied by remote assessment, but with the use of qualitative and quantitative content analysis of spontaneous texts of heads of regions, non-included observation and indepth interviews with experts. The material for the analysis was publications in electronic mass media, analytical works of research institutes, materials of official websites of governors, Internet resources with biographical and other information about them. The high complexity of the Self-concept with the presence of low and adequate self-esteem was highlighted among the personal traits of “old-timer” governors. Resistance to stress is manifested at the affective level while extraversion with a high level of dominance and predominance of the achievement motive are on the behavioral level. These and other personal features remained important during the election period and during the appointment of governors. It is possible to assume that the personality of the head of the region in a certain way influenced the transformation of the institution of governorship, which led to the demand for a personal model in the implementation of the modern personnel policy. In turn, “old-timers” also try to meet the requirements for new governors: they become more open, receive a second humanitarian education, etc., skillfully balancing between the federal center and the capabilities of the region itself. The similarity of personal characteristics, the long term in office, the prosperous sociopolitical situation in the region, adequate support of the federal government by the population of the region, stable support in governor elections of the three governors suggest that all this can contribute to the politicians' longterm service as governors of the region, despite the presence of the effect of fatigue in relation to other politicians.