Psychodynamic Appraoch
In comparison to the trait approach previously discussed, the Psychodynamic Approach, takes away the theory that leaders are born with the traits need to succeed, but instead can be modified overtime. The concept of Psychodynamic Approach is multifaceted but one concept has risen to the top for improving leadership, the concept of understanding oneself. (PSU, 2015) It relies on the leader to reflect on the key concepts that guide our behaviors and interactions with others; family of origin, maturation or individuation, dependence and independence, regression and the shadow self, and archetypes. (PSU, 2015) Through self-reflection a leader will be able to not only identify shortcomings and the origins, but also how his behaviors is perceived by others.
In Managing Oneself, Peter F. Drucker attempts to outline a path for self-discovery for the purposes of enlightenment that can lead to a more productive worker and leader for that matter. It can be used also to gain an understanding of the people around you. One of the more important aspects of Drucker’s work was the importance of identifying your own weakness, not just your strengths. This concept complements the Psychodynamic Approach to Regression and the shadow self, but also the last blog on the dark side of traits.
The focus of this entry will be continuation of the prior entry, Great Leadership. Think Negative! In Think Negative, I discussed the benefits of understanding the negative traits of leadership (dark side traits) in order to produce better leaders. What would seem like an easy task, pointing out a person’s flaws, the issue lies within…seriously within. In order for the approach to reap the benefits of improvement the individual most identify what is wrong with himself. Leaders, especially ones that possess one or more of the dark side traits like narcissism and perfectionism, will not realize their own faults. A leader who possess narcissistic traits may think that his behaviors are justified because of their beliefs. This mentality is described by the Psychodynamic Approach as the shadow self, or the negative attributes about oneself that the person is unaware of. (Feist &Feist)
At a previous position, I had a coworker who was a phenomenal instructor with unsurpassed experience in the field of battlefield forensics. He was also a reformed Christian and a newly appointed Minister. His experience and ambitious attitude gained him the respect and trust of the government in charge of the course. The instructor’s confidence however was far reaching, and at times outside the focus of his expertise. This over confidence not only offended the instructors that were subject matter experts in the related field but his arrogance made him bias towards others opinions and experience. His new found religious beliefs also impeded interaction with other instructors, as he was overly critical of the actions of others he deemed immoral or inappropriate. I like most others realized that he was convinced that he was above everyone in all aspects, morality and experience. He often commented that the reason for so many conflicts in the workplace was due to people not respecting his religious beliefs. Even though he considered himself to be a humble “outgoing people person”, in actuality his persona was perceived as self-centered and egotistical.
How can an organization intervene in order to retain such a valuable asset and instructor whose own personality is getting in the way of a productive environment? The instructor needs to meet his “shadow self”. The instructor’s beliefs may be too extreme for him to gain this reflection on his own, and may need the support of his supervisors and perhaps the input of trusted coworkers. Now the leadership at this organization possessed most if not all dark side traits and issues with repression, a topic that will be discussed throughout this blog. The leadership only saw the positive aspects of the instructor, which made their job easier, and dismissed any claims of negative workplace dynamics. Leaders within the cadre decided to introduce the shadow self to the instructor, and over time…a lot of time. The instructor eventually admitted and identified the negative aspects to his persona.
This of course was a more extreme multi-dimensional personality that needed the outside influence of others in order to make the approach successful. The important aspect that should be remembered in this approach that self-reflection is needed not only with the overall leadership but with the followers as well.
Drucker, P. F. (2005). Managing oneself. Harvard Business Review, 83 (1), 100-109
Feist, J., & Feist, G. (2009). Theories of Personality. Hightstown, NJ: McGraw-Hill.
Penn State University (PSU). (2015). Lesson 3: Psychodynamic Approach. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su15/psych485/001/content/03_lesson/14_page.html