What was the Goldwater Rule?
The Goldwater Rule is an informal ethical guideline established by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973, stating that it is unethical for psychiatrists to provide a professional medical opinion or psychological diagnosis about a public figure whom they have not personally examined and evaluated. The rule was instituted following a controversial 1964 magazine survey where numerous psychiatrists labeled presidential candidate Barry Goldwater as psychologically unfit for office. This guideline emphasizes clinical integrity, patient confidentiality, and the scientific impossibility of diagnosing individuals accurately from afar through media observation alone.
Related FAQs
Goldwater Bank, N.A., operates as a fully legitimate, nationally chartered financial institution regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the United States.
No, Barry Goldwater was never a Democrat; he was a staunch, lifelong member of the Republican Party and one of the most prominent and influential conservative political figures in modern American history.
Academic and professional circles generally view a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from globally elite research universities—such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, or Cambridge—as the most prestigious and respected doctoral qualification attainable.