POLI 243 Chapter Hermann: 13. Explaining FP Behavior Using Personal Characteristics of Political Leaders
27 Apr 2018
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Explaining FP Behavior Using Personal Characteristics of Political Leaders
Margaret G. Hermann
• Aggressive leaders high in need for power, low in conceptual complexity, distrustful of others,
nationalistic, and likely to believe that they have control over events in which they are involved
• Conciliatory leaders high in need for affiliation, high in conceptual complexity, trusting of others,
low in nationalism, likely to have little belief in own ability to control events in which they are
involved
Conceptual Scheme
• Characteristics chosen are seen to have had an impact in FP in previous studies
• Fall under four broad types of personal characteristics:
o Beliefs -- political leader's fundamental assumptions about world
• Is conflict basic to human interaction? Is national sovereignty and superiority most
important objective of a nation?
• Affect leader's interpretation of his environment and his strategies
• Two beliefs that fall under this category: nationalism and belief in one's own ability to
control events
o Motives -- why a leader is doing what he/she is doing
• Need for power most discussed motive
• Others: need for affiliation and need for approval
• Affect interpretations of their environment and strategies
• Need for power and need for affiliation most important
o decision style -- preferred methods of making decisions
• How do they make decisions and approach policy-making tasks?
• Components: openness to new info, preference of certain levels of risk, complexity in
structuring and processing info, ability to tolerate ambiguity
• Discuss conceptual complexity -- complexity in structuring and processing info
▪ Influences how aggressive leaders are in FP
o interpersonal style -- ways in which leaders deal with other leaders
• Paranoia: excessive suspiciousness
• Machiavellianism: unscrupulous, manipulative behavior
• Two traits related to having a warfare personality
▪ Combative in nature
• Discuss suspiciousness/distrust in others
• With regard to decision style and interpersonal style, assumption that leader will generally engage
in similar, stylistic behavior regardless of arena
• Style first difference when head of gov't change
o From making all decisions to letting bureaucracy make them
• Aggressive leader…
o Need to manipulate and control others
o Little ability to consider a range of alternatives
o Suspiciousness of others' motives
o High interest in maintaining national identity and sovereignty
o Willingness to initiate action
o Independent FP -- keep their contact w/ others limited
• Conciliatory leader…
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o Need to establish friendly relationships w/ others
o Ability to consider wide range of alternatives
o Little suspiciousness of others' motives
o No huge concern w/ maintenance of national identity and sovereignty
o Little interest in initiating action
o More participatory FP -- sensitive and responsive to others' interests
• Interest in foreign affairs -- enhances effect of leader's characteristics on gov't policy
o Acts as a motivating force and leads to increased participation in FP
o Reason for interest predetermines course of action
• Values good external relations, fears enemy takeover, etc
• Training in foreign affairs -- diminish leader's characteristics on gov't policy
o Leader w/ little to no training has no expertise
o No previous experience to suggest possible alternatives or plans
o As a result, his natural predisposition comes into play
o One who has much expertise has developed styles and strategies for dealing w/ FP
particular to issue and/or target nation
o Less dependence on his underlying predispositions
Measurement of Personal Characteristics
Procedure and Subjects
• Content analysis used to assess personal characteristics
• Content analyzed consisted of responses to reporters' questions
• Press interviews chosen bc has most spontaneous public material
o Important bc minimizes planned writing/communication
o Speeches written by someone else and trying to convey a specific image
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