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Author
B. Nevicka
A.H.B. de Hoogh
A.E.M. van Vianen
F.S. ten Velden
Year
2013
Title
Uncertainty enhances the preference for narcissistic leaders
Journal
European Journal of Social Psychology
Volume | Issue number
43 | 5
Pages (from-to)
370-380
Document type
Article
Faculty
Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG)
Institute
Amsterdam Business School Research Institute (ABS-RI)
Psychology Research Institute (PsyRes)
Abstract
Narcissistic leaders present us with an interesting paradox, because they have positive as well as negative characteristics. As such, we argue that the nature of the context determines how suitable narcissists are perceived to be as leaders. Here we propose that a specific contextual factor, that is, uncertainty, increases the preference for narcissists as leaders. As an initial test of this prediction, the first study showed that narcissistic characteristics were evaluated as more desirable in a leader in an uncertain context rather than a certain context. In Studies 2 and 3, we further hypothesized and found that high narcissists are chosen as leaders more often than low narcissists, especially in uncertain (rather than certain) contexts. In all of the studies, individuals were shown to be aware of the negative features of narcissistic leaders, such as arrogance and exploitativeness, but chose them as leaders in times of uncertainty, regardless. Thus, a narcissistic leader is perceived as someone who can help reduce individual uncertainty. These results reveal the importance of contextual uncertainty in understanding the allure of narcissistic leaders.
URL
go to publisher's site
Language
English
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/11245/1.410042

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