Dissecting Michael Scott

Steve Carell's character on NBC's The Office is a walking punchline. As hard as Michael Scott is to take seriously, some professionals give us their take.

By John Ruddy published January 1, 2007 - last reviewed on June 9, 2016

"He has no emotional intelligence, he has a blind spot to his incompetence, and he's conflict-averse. When people are uncomfortable, he tries to deflect, make jokes—which makes him seem like more of a schmuck." —Howard Guttman, management consultant

"At school, he probably wanted to be the 'cool kid' but couldn't do it. At lunch he might have tried trading carob-covered apricots. Who wants that? Now he would say, 'I've got to bring the Twinkie, I wanna be accepted.' He's trying at times to be the class clown and at other times to be the class president—but he's neither." —Michael Wetter, clinical psychologist

"Michael fails as a comic. You must have a sense of humor about yourself because it's something that people respond to. Beyond just being good for your well-being." —Paul F. Tompkins, stand-up comedian