Is your boss a bully? Then boost his or her self-esteem.
Bosses who feel incompetent are more likely to bully subordinates, according to a study being published in the journal Psychological Science.
In a paper titled “When the Boss Feels Inadequate,” psychologists Serena Chen of the University of California, Berkeley, and Nathanael Fast of the University of Southern California argue that leaders who are in over their heads tend to resort to browbeating to protect their egos.
“If people feel incompetent and they happen to be in a high-powered position, that’s when the aggression kicks in,” Fast said. “Power has its downsides. It elevates the standards by which people are judged and can make them less secure to the degree they feel inadequate.”
In their study, they experimented on 410 volunteers, mostly in real work situations.
The Associated Press
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