THE ENTREPRENEURIAL PERSONALITY 11rather remote from even his closest relatives. This type of person gives
the impression of being a reject, a marginal person, often with confl ict-
ing relationships with family members. We observe an individual who
utilizes innovative rebelliousness as an adaptive mode with occasional
lapses toward what appears to be delinquent behavior — demonstrating
his or her ability to break away, to show independence of mind. Due to
these reactive ways of dealing with feelings of anger, fear and anxiety,
tension remains within the individual since he fears that punishment, in
the form of failure, may follow. Failure is expected and success is often
perceived only as a prelude to failure. Interrelated with this strange
pattern of elation and despair, of successes and failures, we also observe
a kind of person who, nonetheless, demonstrates a remarkable resilience
in the face of setbacks, with the ability to start all over again when dis-
appointments and hardships come his or her way.
The person we are describing, the entrepreneur, or the ‘ creative
destructor ’ to use Schumpeter ’ s (1931) terminology, is a highly complex
individual — often inconsistent and confused about his motives, desires
and wishes, a person who appears to operate under a lot of stress who
often upsets others by his seemingly irrational and impulsive activities.
Taking a more in - depth look at this person ’ s personality, six main
themes stand out in entrepreneurial behavior: a need for control, a sense
of distrust, a desire for applause, a tendency to ‘ split, ’ scapegoating, and
the fl ight into action.
Need for Control
The need for control is a signifi cant theme for many entrepreneurs I
have known. Occasionally, their preoccupation with control affects their
ability to take direction or give it appropriately and has serious implica-
tions for how they get along with others. Some entrepreneurs are strik-
ingly ambivalent when an issue of control surfaces — they are fi lled with
fantasies of infl uence, power, and authority, yet also feel helpless. They
seem to live with the fear that their worst fantasies will come true and
ultimately place them at the mercy of others.
Consequently, some entrepreneurs I have studied have serious dif-
fi culty addressing issues of dominance and submission and are highly
suspicious about authority. This attitude contrasts greatly with that
of managers. While managers seem able to identify in a positive and
constructive way with authority fi gures, using them as role models,
many of the entrepreneurs I have observed lack the manager ’ s fl uidity
in moving from a superior to a subordinate role. Instead, they often