Early memories of warmth, safeness, dark triad and leadership styles

There is now considerable research showing that early background experiences shape personality, interpersonal style and vulnerability to mental health problems. In addition, early background experiences shape aggressiveness and antisocial tendencies (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007; Muris, Meesters, & van den Berg, 2003). Early life experiences of threat and safeness can also have epigenetic effects with long-term and possibly even cross-generational impacts (Cowan, Callaghan, Kan, & Richardson, 2016). While these processes have been studied in relation to internalising and externalising disorders, less work has been conducted in the relation to leadership styles and certain personality traits.  Given that certain types of leadership and political belief have been linked to elevated sensitivity to threat, this study will explore the degree to which memories of warmth versus threat, dispositions to compassion and the need to be subordinate are associated with different personality traits and types of leadership styles. 

The aims of this study are to explore the link between different types of destructive, competitive and collaborative leadership styles with social dominance orientation and dark triad..