Dysfunctional family dynamics linked to preference for ‘tyrants’ as political leaders, study finds

Correlation found between conflict at home and later recognition of socially undesirable traits as ideal leadership qualities, writes Harry Cockburn

A person who experiences high conflict in adolescence is 20 per cent more likely to prefer a tyrannical model of leadership, the study’s authors said (Getty )

Researchers investigating childhood family environments and how they impact people in later life have found a correlation between high levels of conflict at home and recognising socially undesirable traits as ideal leadership qualities.

The scientists used data collected since 1979 which tracked 130 individuals in the US through various points in their life and asked them questions about a wide range of subjects.

This data, collected as part of the Fullerton longitudinal study, has been analysed by San Francisco State University assistant professor of management Dayna Herbert Walker, who revealed the link.

“We see it all the time – where the obnoxious leader rises to the top, but we don’t know much about why,” Dr Herbert Walker said.

“Tyrants, whether they be in the boardroom or in politics, wouldn’t have the power they do if followers didn’t support them. We often look to leaders to explain leadership, but we should also be looking to followers,” she said.

The Fullerton longitudinal study gave researchers details about the 130 participants’ home lives and the leadership traits they valued most.

Researchers studied data gathered in 1996, when participants were 17 years old. Participants were asked about their family dynamics, such as whether people at home raised their voices, criticised one another or were physically violent.

Twenty years later, those same respondents were asked to measure on a scale whether 10 qualities researchers defined as tyrannical (domineering, pushy, dominant, manipulative, power-hungry, conceited, loud, selfish, obnoxious and demanding) were characteristics present in their image of an ideal leader.

“It’s critical that we asked about ideal leadership and not just leadership in general,” Dr Herbert Walker said, “because we really wanted to get at a person’s favoured leadership image, the characteristics they ideally want to see in their leaders.”

Dr Herbert Walker and the study’s other authors then compared the data from 2016 and 1996 and found a strong positive connection between those who reported living with a high level of conflict at home and those whose ideal image of a leader possessed these negative traits.

They found a person who experiences high conflict in adolescence was 20 per cent more likely to prefer a tyrannical model of leadership, controlling for other known factors that shape leadership preferences like sex and personality.

When adolescent family environments contain a high amount of dysfunctional conflict, it’s likely that some so-called tyrannical behaviour is on display and that role modelling can shape the way a person views leadership, Dr Herbert Walker said.

The findings shed new light on what ideal leadership can look like for some followers, illuminating why some of us are drawn to tyrants despite their harsh approach.

Dr Herbert Walker says another group could learn important lessons from the findings, as well: bad bosses. For instance, a manager who believes leaders should be overbearing or manipulative could end up acting out those traits.

“The first step is getting them to question their assumptions about why they do what they do,” she said.

“Maybe they’ll realise that they believe this because that’s how their dad behaved and he was successful in business. And so they believe that’s how they’re supposed to act.”

The research is published in the Journal of Leadership & Organisational Studies.