Developmental psychology.pdf

Social Behavior 511
Figure 18.20
Leadership and the Situation. Sir
Winston Churchill, one of the great
leaders in English history, occupied
the highest position in the country in
times of war. In peace, he was voted
out of office on several occasions.
would emerge in spontaneous situations. The student who gave instructions to his classmates
and then telephoned for assistance might also have been the social specialist in
that instance. Or there may be no significant social-emotional specialist during an
emergency.
Leaders and Situations There are, however, a few general characteristics of
leadership. The individual who assumes control is usually above average in intelligence,
though not necessarily the most brilliant individual in the group. The leader must be
bright but not deviant, perhaps demonstrating some truth in an old political maxim:
The best-qualified person, in terms of ability, is not popular enough to be elected (Bales,
1958). Second, any enduring leader must be close to the group members in attitudes
and interests. If the members tend to be authoritarian, the leader must be at least
moderately authoritarian as well.
If just one person is to be chosen leader, certain factors will be influential. A
task leader is likely to be most suitable if the morale of the group is unusually good
or if the group has deteriorated almost to the point of disintegration. In both cases a
task-oriented, almost dictatorial leader may be acceptable. When conditions are neither
extremely favorable nor extremely unfavorable, a social leader is likely to be effective
for group performance. The primary need here is to maintain solidarity and
cohesion in the group (Fiedler, 1964).
As the group goals change, a leader may become a follower, especially in a
very large group, such as a whole nation. Different situations require different leadership
abilities, as we saw earlier. Here again, we encounter an interaction effect. The
type of leadership that proves most effective depends upon the situation, the level of
development of the group, and its goals (Figure 18.20).
As we conclude this chapter, you are perhaps wondering how your authors
knew this psychology class so well. The leadership role in this particular instance fell
to one of us, the course instructor. But which of us wears traditional neckties, gives
rousing lectures, and participated in this unexpected episode? The reader is left to
decide.