He completed a two-year residency at Harvard Medical School that was followed by a two-year fellowship at St. Elizabeth's psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C.[1] In 1965, Post was preparing to accept a position at Harvard's McLean Hospital,[2] when, through an acquaintance, he was recruited by the C.I.A., where he began developing psychological profiles of world leaders.
After a career of 21 years at the C.I.A.,[2] in 1986,[3] Post left to found a program of political psychology at George Washington University,[2] where as a professor, he taught until 2015.
He and his first wife had two daughters, Cynthia Post, a psychologist, and Meredith Gramlich, a disability specialist.
He suffered a stroke in July 2020, and could no longer drive to dialysis, so he took a medical taxi where it is believed he contracted COVID-19.
In 2002, he received the Nevitt Sanford Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Political Psychology.
His last book was entitled, "Dangerous Charisma: The Political Psychology of Donald Trump and His Followers", which he co-authored with Stephanie R. Doucette.