Followership, deity and leadership

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Two questions are addressed in this article: 1. Why are people attracted to leaders? 2. How are leaders' images construed? The first question is analyzed by using the concept of “deity” as a frame of reference for an “ideal model” of leadership. God as a “screen of projections” can satisfy the believer's fundamental needs and desires, as well as serving as a reference for causal attributions and a provider of transcendental meaning. Using Construal Level Theory (CLT) (Libermann & Trope, 1998), deity, as a frame of reference, also facilitates analysis of the second question. This analysis explains universal principles underlying the leadership construal, and the psychological principles and culture-bound processes relevant to construing different images of leadership in different collectives.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)211-228
Number of pages18
JournalJournal for the Theory of Social Behaviour
Volume46
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Keywords

  • attributions
  • inferences
  • leader's construal
  • projections

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Philosophy
  • General Psychology

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