Correction to "The narcissistic appeal of leadership theories" by Steffens et al. (2022).

Abstract

Reports an error in "The narcissistic appeal of leadership theories" by Niklas K. Steffens, Mark S. P. Chong and S. Alexander Haslam (American Psychologist, 2022[Feb-Mar], Vol 77[2], 234-248). In the article, Mark S. P. Chong was incorrectly omitted from the author list. The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2020-81554-001.) Leadership is one of the most researched topics in psychological and other social and behavioral sciences. It is routinely seen as vital to the success and vitality of various forms of collaborative activity not only in organizations but in society at large. This has provided the stimulus for a massive amount of theoretical and applied research and also supports a huge industry. But to whom does this body of work appeal? More specifically, does it appeal to people with a broad interest in advancing groups and society or to people who are primarily interested in promoting themselves? To answer this question, we explore the extent to which individuals' narcissism predicts their endorsement of leadership theories. Results provide empirical evidence that the more narcissistic people are, the more they find leadership theories appealing and the more interest they have in learning about the ideas behind particular theories. The predictive power of narcissism also holds when accounting for other variables (including demographic, Big Five traits, and ideological and motivational variables). We conclude that psychological theorizing about leadership can be a double-edged sword in so far as the lionization of leaders(hip) appeals to, and legitimizes, the tastes of a narcissistic audience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).