The Psychological Assessment of Political Leadersresults, however, indicates that political leaders are driven, in gen-
eral, either by an internal focus—a particular problem or cause, an
ideology, a specific set of interests—or by the desire for a certain
kind of feedback from those in their environment—acceptance,
approval, power, support, status, acclaim. In one case, they are dri-
ven internally and pushed to act by ideas and images they believe
and advocate. In the other instance, leaders are motivated by a
desired relationship with important others and, thus, pulled by
forces outside themselves into action. For those for whom solving
problems and achieving causes is highly salient, mobilization and
effectiveness feature prominently in movement toward their goal; for
those motivated by their relationships with others, persuasion and
marketing are central to achieving their goal.
Knowledge about how leaders react to constraints, process infor-
mation, and are motivated to deal with their political environment
provides us with data on their leadership style. Table 8.1 indicates
the leadership styles that result when these three dimensions are
interrelated. A more detailed description of these various leadership
styles and the ways that the three factors interrelate can be found in
Hermann, Preston, and Young 1996. The empirical relationships
between these particular leadership styles and political behavior have
been explored by Hermann (19803, 1984a, 1995); Hermann and
Hermann (1989); Stewart, Hermann, and Hermann (1989); Her-
mann and Preston (1994); and Kaarbo and Hermann (1998).
Using Trait Analysis to Assess Leadership Style
Seven traits have been found to be particularly useful in assessing
leadership style: (i) the belief that one can influence or control what
happens, (2) the need for power and influence, (3) conceptual com-
plexity (the ability to differentiate things and people in one's envi-
ronment), (4) self-confidence, (5) the tendency to focus on problem
solving and accomplishing something versus maintenance of the
group and dealing with others' ideas and sensitivities, (6) general
distrust or suspiciousness of others, and (7) the intensity with which
a person holds an in-group bias. Based on previous research linking
leaders' personal characteristics to their political behavior (e.g.,
Druckman 1968; Byars 1973; McClelland 1975; Lefcourt 1976;
Driver 1977; Hermann and Kogan 1977; Ziller et al. 1977; Her-