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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

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Selected Works

Scott T. Allison

Leadership

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Perceptions Of Leaders, Heroes And Villains: Mystery Resolution And Meaning-Making, George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison Dec 2018

Perceptions Of Leaders, Heroes And Villains: Mystery Resolution And Meaning-Making, George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison


In this chapter, we review the myriad ways that people resolve mystery and uncertainty in social perception. People rely on perceptual, cognitive, and motivational resources at their disposal to acquire an understanding of mysterious persons, groups, and circumstances.  Perceptual forces at work in the mystery resolution process include principles of gestalt organization.  Cognitive processes that come into play include people’s use of impressions, prototypes, archetypes, and implicit theories of leadership, heroism, and villainy.  Moreover, we describe several key motivational forces that steer people toward desired conclusions about mystery. Implications for social behavior and perception are discussed.

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Sexuality In Leadership: A Long-Neglected Topic With Vast Implications For Individuals And Society, James Beggan, Scott T. Allison Dec 2017

Sexuality In Leadership: A Long-Neglected Topic With Vast Implications For Individuals And Society, James Beggan, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison


As an area of study, the intersection between leadership and sexuality has not been adequately addressed, despite the importance of sexual issues influencing leadership processes. To address this limitation, this chapter introduces three distinct ways in which to understand sexuality and leadership. One way is in terms of sexual leaders, i.e., individuals or organizations that put forward new ideas about how people should embrace their sexuality. The second way refers to the way that leaders regardless of the industry or environment in which they lead must think about the way that sexuality influences how they should govern. The third area, …

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Does The “Zipless Dance” Exist? Leadership, Followership, And Sexuality In Social Dancing, James K. Beggan, Scott T. Allison Dec 2017

Does The “Zipless Dance” Exist? Leadership, Followership, And Sexuality In Social Dancing, James K. Beggan, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

We conceptualize social dancing as a form of non-verbal communication geared toward creating the coordinated movement of two people done in time, and over time, to musical accompaniment. This chapter focuses on a type of dancing, social dancing, where ordinary people get together to express themselves at the local dance studio. Unlike what transpires in Singin’ in the Rain and Dancing with the Stars, social dancing is not planned out in advance and participants’ skill level can range from a first-time beginner to a seasoned 30-year veteran. Social dancing can be considered a form of serious leisure (Stebbins, 2007), …

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Leadership And Sexuality, James Beggan, Scott T. Allison Dec 2016

Leadership And Sexuality, James Beggan, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison


What is the relationship between sexuality and leadership? What comes to mind first are vivid instances where individuals, thought to be acting as trusted stewards of their constituents’ best interests, become embroiled in a sex-related scandal. It is not hard to find examples of leaders whose careers and notable accomplishments are tarnished permanently by one revealed indiscretion. Technically, although guilty of marital infidelity, Bill Clinton’s crime with regard to Monica Lewinsky was not the affair but charges of perjury that stemmed from lying about the affair. Of course, he only lied because he knew there would be a scandal if …

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Heroic Leadership, Scott T. Allison Dec 2016

Heroic Leadership, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

The world’s most revered leaders have traveled the hero’s journey of personal transformation and, in turn, have used their gifts to transform others. The heroic leader’s journey is the human journey, replete with struggle, growth, learning, transformation, and an ascendency from followership to heroic leadership. Those who dare to transform, or who are compelled to do so by circumstance, grow into fully developed human beings ready, willing, and able to transform others. The transformed hero represents the pinnacle of human maturity, the state of wellbeing that allows people to flourish and experience eudaimonia.

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Empathy And Leadership, Ronald T. Humphrey, Laural Adams Dec 2015

Empathy And Leadership, Ronald T. Humphrey, Laural Adams

Scott T. Allison


Empathy helps explain why heroes take risks on behalf of others and make personal sacrifices for people and causes that they believe in. The chapter relates the literature on heroes and empathy to the research on charismatic leadership, and maintains that empathy and heroic behavior are key components of charismatic leadership. Although heroic empathy can be seen as a characteristic of heroic individuals, this chapter also examines heroic empathy from a distributed cognition perspective that positions heroic leaders in the larger context of the organization and in the system in which the organization resides. By using a distributed cognition approach, …

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Paradoxical Truths In Heroic Leadership: Implications For Leadership Development And Effectiveness, Scott T. Allison, Jennifer L. Cecilione Dec 2015

Paradoxical Truths In Heroic Leadership: Implications For Leadership Development And Effectiveness, Scott T. Allison, Jennifer L. Cecilione

Scott T. Allison

In this chapter, we discuss the basic elements of heroic leadership, showing how heroism and exemplary leadership are deeply intertwined. We then describe six paradoxical truths about heroic leadership that are often unrecognized and unappreciated. We believe that ignorance of these counterintuitive truths and paradoxes about heroic leadership can lead to misunderstandings about leaders, leadership, and leadership development. Most of these paradoxes are a central part of the hero’s journey as described by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell (1949). We will discuss the genesis of these paradoxical truths, and we will suggest ways that an awareness of these principles can engender …

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Spiritual Leadership: A Fresh Look At An Ancient Human Issue, Scott T. Allison, Craig T. Kocher, George R. Goethals Dec 2015

Spiritual Leadership: A Fresh Look At An Ancient Human Issue, Scott T. Allison, Craig T. Kocher, George R. Goethals

Scott T. Allison

Abraham Lincoln’s iconic phrase, “the better angels of our nature,” revealed his belief that the noblest qualities of humanity would heal a divided nation. This book, Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership: Discovering the Better Angels of Our Nature, is about the expression of these noble qualities and how leaders such as Lincoln make that expression possible. two key processes of spiritual leadership. Spiritual leaders create a vision in which leaders and followers experience a sense of calling so that their lives have meaning. Second, they establish a culture based on the values of altruistic love whereby leaders and followers have …

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Suffering And Sacrifice: Individual And Collective Benefits, And Implications For Leadership, Scott T. Allison, Gwendolyn C. Setterberg Dec 2015

Suffering And Sacrifice: Individual And Collective Benefits, And Implications For Leadership, Scott T. Allison, Gwendolyn C. Setterberg

Scott T. Allison

In this chapter, we review the ways in which suffering and sacrifice are beneficial to human beings. In our review, we draw from both ancient and modern spiritual traditions and a large body of psychological research on the determinants of happiness and mental health. Our review is necessarily an abbreviated one; a thorough treatment of this topic would surely fill an entire volume. This chapter represents an initial attempt to illuminate basic insights, using broad brushstrokes, about the ways in which suffering and sacrifice contribute to people’s emotional, behavioral, and spiritual wellness. In addition to describing the psychological and spiritual …

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Suffering And Sacrifice: Individual And Collective Benefits, And Implications For Leadership, Scott T. Allison, Gwen Setterberg Dec 2014

Suffering And Sacrifice: Individual And Collective Benefits, And Implications For Leadership, Scott T. Allison, Gwen Setterberg

Scott T. Allison

In this chapter, we review the ways in which suffering and sacrifice are beneficial to human beings. In our review, we draw from both ancient and modern spiritual traditions and a large body of psychological research on the determinants of happiness and mental health. Our review is necessarily an abbreviated one; a thorough treatment of this topic would surely fill an entire volume. This chapter represents an initial attempt to illuminate basic insights, using broad brushstrokes, about the ways in which suffering and sacrifice contribute to people’s emotional, behavioral, and spiritual wellness. In addition to describing the psychological and spiritual …

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Heroic Leadership: An Influence Taxonomy Of 100 Exceptional Individuals, Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals Mar 2014

Heroic Leadership: An Influence Taxonomy Of 100 Exceptional Individuals, Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals

Scott T. Allison

Heroic Leadership is a celebration of our greatest heroes, from legends such as Mahatma Gandhi to the legions of unsung heroes who transform our world quietly behind the scenes. The authors argue that all great heroes are also great leaders. The term ‘heroic leadership’ is coined to describe how heroism and leadership are intertwined, and how our most cherished heroes are also our most transforming leaders.

This book offers a new conceptual framework for understanding heroism and heroic leadership, drawing from theories of great leadership and heroic action. Ten categories of heroism are described: Trending Heroes, Transitory Heroes, Transparent Heroes, …

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Kings And Charisma, Lincoln And Leadership: An Evolutionary Perspective, George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison Dec 2013

Kings And Charisma, Lincoln And Leadership: An Evolutionary Perspective, George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

People revere charismatic leaders. In this chapter, we examine charisma from an evolutionary perspective. In doing so, we explore the charisma of Martin Luther King, Jr., Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, and Abraham Lincoln.

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"Now He Belongs To The Ages”: The Heroic Leadership Dynamic And Deep Narratives Of Greatness, Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals Dec 2013

"Now He Belongs To The Ages”: The Heroic Leadership Dynamic And Deep Narratives Of Greatness, Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals

Scott T. Allison

In this article, we review the psychology of hero development and hero worship. Heroes and hero narratives fulfill important cognitive and emotional needs, including the need for wisdom, meaning, hope, inspiration, and growth. Hero stories provide epistemic benefits by providing scripts for prosocial action, by revealing fundamental truths about human existence, by unpacking life paradoxes, and by cultivating emotional intelligence. To energize us, heroes promote moral elevation, heal psychic wounds, inspire psychological growth, and exude charisma.

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Making Heroes: The Construction Of Courage, Competence And Virtue, George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison Dec 2011

Making Heroes: The Construction Of Courage, Competence And Virtue, George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

In this article, we examine the psychological processes underlying the construction of heroes. We focus on the cognitive and motivational forces that give rise to heroism, and we discuss the behaviors that characterize heroic life.

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