Social Psychology and Leadership
Sunday, March 30th, 2008While browsing through the textbook for my social psychology course the other day, I was surprised to stumble upon a section dedicated to leadership. I know that psychology plays a prominent role in leadership theory today, but never had I thought a basic social psychology textbook would address it. So, for those of you who are curious, I thought I’d outline what the book discusses in terms of leadership theory. After all, this may offer some insight into what general knowledge the masses hold on the academic study of leadership.
The text emphasizes that leaders are influenced by social context and then uses this as a segue into the various contexts that manipulate leaders and vice versa. First, it tells how personality traits enable leaders to have a powerful influence over others. Wisely, the book warns that personality traits are not the sole determinants of a leader’s success. Indeed, it shows that the culture of a society, whether collectivist or individualist, encompasses a situational determinant of leadership. Collectivist cultures tend to endorse leaders who nurture group relations whereas individualist ones prefer leaders who focus on the achievement of goals. After a brief section on leadership styles (autocratic, laissez-faire, etc.), the text finishes with a thorough profile of transformational leadership. All in all, I feel as though the book presented a concise yet effective picture of leadership theory for college students in a basic social psychology course. – Jim Meehan
