Assessing Leadership Style: Trait Analysis

The Psychological Assessment of Political Leaders

with these scores, it is possible to make some behavioral predictions
with different degrees of confidence about tactics and strategies
shared with other leaders whose self-images fall into the same quad-
rant. The following predictions are based on their shared preferences
for cooperation or conflict as the dominant strategy and a shared
sense of the degree of control over historical development.

Leaders in the type A quadrant with a relatively cooperative

strategic orientation and a relatively low sense of historical

control are more likely to exhibit choice and shift propensi-

ties that favor the tactics of Appease and Bluff within a

general strategy of cooperation. The more cooperative the

tactical intensity index and the lower the locus of historical

control index, the higher the confidence level for this pre-

diction as a deviation from the norm of reciprocity.

Leaders in the type C quadrant with a relatively cooperative

strategic orientation and a relatively high sense of historical

control are likely to exhibit choice and shift propensities

that favor the tactics of Exploit and Compel within a gen-

eral strategy of cooperation. The more intense the tactical

cooperation index and the higher the locus of historical

control index, the higher the confidence level for this pre-

diction as a deviation from the reciprocity norm.

Leaders in the type DBF quadrant with a relatively conflictual

strategic orientation and a relatively low sense of historical

control are likely to exhibit choice and shift propensities

that favor the tactics of Bluff and Bully within a general

strategy of conflict. The more intense the tactical conflict

index and the lower the locus of historical control index,

the higher the confidence level for this prediction as a devi-

ation from the reciprocity norm.

Leaders in the type B quadrant with a relatively conflictual

strategic orientation and a relatively high sense of historical

control are likely to exhibit choice and shift propensities

that favor the tactics of Exploit and Bully within a general

strategy of conflict. The more intense the tactical conflict

index and the higher the locus of control index, the higher

the confidence level for this prediction as a deviation from

the norm of reciprocity.