Leadership Theories - Eight Major Leadership Theories. What exactly makes a great leader?
Do certain personality traits make people better-suited to leadership roles, or do characteristics of the situation make it more likely that certain people will take charge? When we look at the leaders around us – be it our employer or the President – we might find ourselves wondering exactly why these individuals excel in such positions. People have long been interested in leadership throughout human history, but it has only been relatively recently that a number of formal leadership theories have emerged.
Interest in leadership increased during the early part of the twentieth century. Early leadership theories focused on what qualities distinguished between leaders and followers, while subsequent theories looked at other variables such as situational factors and skill levels. While many different leadership theories have emerged, most can be classified as one of eight major types: 1. Have you ever heard someone described as "born to lead? " 2. 3. 4. 5. Leadership - Theories of Leadership - Leadership Styles. Leadership research has been used in fields ranging from business management to education.
Find resources on the study of leadership, information on different leadership theories, and quizzes about your own leadership style. Transformational LeadershipTransformational leadership is a type of leadership style that leads to positive changes in those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic and passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well.
Quiz - What's Your Leadership Style? Lewin's Leadership StylesKurt Lewin's 1939 study identified three major leadership styles. 9 Research Areas in Social Psychology. Now that you have a better understanding of what social psychology is (see previous article: What is Social Psychology?)
, we are going to look at some of the major topics that social psychologists investigate in their research. Many of these topics are related to social influence, social perception and social interaction. The following are just a few of the areas of interest within social psychology. 1. Operant Conditioning - Introduction to Operant Conditioning. What Is Operant Conditioning?
Operant conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. Operant conditioning was coined by behaviorist B.F. Skinner, which is why you may occasionally hear it referred to as Skinnerian conditioning. As a behaviorist, Skinner believed that internal thoughts and motivations could not be used to explain behavior. Skinner used the term operant to refer to any "active behavior that operates upon the environment to generate consequences" (1953). Classical Conditioning - An Introduction With Examples. Classical conditioning is a type of learning that had a major influence on the school of thought in psychology known as behaviorism.
Discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, classical conditioning is a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. Behaviorism is based on the assumption that learning occurs through interactions with the environment. Two other assumptions of this theory are that the environment shapes behavior and that taking internal mental states such as thoughts, feelings, and emotions into consideration is useless in explaining behavior. It's important to note that classical conditioning involves placing a neutral signal before a naturally occurring reflex. In Pavlov's classic experiment with dogs, the neutral signal was the sound of a tone and the naturally occurring reflex was salivating in response to food. The Unconditioned Stimulus The Unconditioned Response The Conditioned Stimulus. Attitudes - How Attitudes Form, Change and Shape Behavior. What's your opinion on the death penalty?
Which political party does a better job of running the country? Should prayer be allowed in schools? Should violence on television be regulated? Chances are that you probably have fairly strong opinions on these and similar questions. You've developed attitudes about such issues, and these attitudes influence your beliefs as well as your behavior. Milgram Experiment - The Milgram Obedience Experiment. By Kendra Cherry Updated December 16, 2015.
If a person in a position of authority ordered you to deliver a 400-volt electrical shock to another person, would you follow orders? Most people would answer this question with an adamant no, but Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of obedience experiments during the 1960s that led to some surprising results. These experiments offer a compelling and disturbing look at the power of authority and obedience. More recent investigations cast doubt on some of the implications of Milgram's findings and even question the results and procedures themselves.
Learn more about the experiments, the results and some of the major criticisms of Milgram's infamous research. Introduction to the Milgram Experiment. The Asch Experiment - Understanding Conformity in Groups. By Kendra Cherry Quick Overview: The Asch conformity experiments were a series of psychological experiments conducted by Solomon Asch in the 1950s.The experiments revealed the degree to which a person's own opinions are influenced by those of groups.Asch found people were willing to ignore reality and give an incorrect answer in order to conform to the rest of the group.
What Is Social Psychology? What is it that shapes our attitudes?
Why are some people such great leaders? How does prejudice develop and how can we overcome it?