Psychologie des leaders narcissiques organisationnels

The first article of the thesis offers a systematic review of the empirical data highlighting the precursors to the emergence of narcissistic leadership in organizations, its psychological components, as well as its impact on both organizations and their members. Accordingly, this study begins by compiling a detailed list of the main idiosyncratic, cultural, environmental and structural factors at play in the manifestation of narcissistic leadership in organizations. It then explores their nature by identifying the existence of five psychological components: charisma, self-interested influence, deceptive motivation, intellectual inhibition and simulated consideration. Finally, it underscores the negative consequences of the emergence of narcissistic leadership, including, notably: the production of volatile and risky decision making; the creation of a toxic organizational climate; the destruction of subordinates’ trust; the degradation of organizational effectiveness; the emergence of dysfunctional management; and the manifestation of unethical behaviour.  The second article proposes a comparative analysis of two types of leadership that appear at first glance to be deceptively similar. These two types of leadership are transformational leadership and narcissistic leadership. Although diametrically opposed in terms of the satisfaction of needs (idealized influence versus self-interested influence), the promotion of visions (inspirational motivation versus deceptive motivation), the receptiveness to feedback (intellectual stimulation versus intellectual inhibition) and the treatment of interpersonal relations (individualized consideration versus simulated consideration), transformational and narcissistic leadership share a common element: the charisma of the leader. This charisma places a powerful, magnetic halo on the head of the leader and it is precisely this characteristic that is the crucible of the deceptive attractiveness of narcissistic leadership that is felt upon the very first contact with the leader. In fact, the narcissistic leader’s charisma serves as a sort of mask that combines charm and fascination to conceal a disappointing psychological reality and whose attractive qualities quickly fall away.  The third article of the thesis is a conceptual study of the idiosyncratic patterns of white-collar criminals who have committed fraud in the tens of millions of dollars. Based on the intersection of the two basic dimensions of aggression – i.e., its function (proactive or reactive) and its form (direct or indirect), this study proposes an archetypal taxonomy of the different types of psychopathy with a view to gaining a better understanding of the psychology of large-scale white-collar criminals. Aggression is said to be proactive when it is motivated by predatory imperatives that are independent of the individual’s emotional state. The action taken by the predatory individual is intentional and instrumental. Its aim is to meet predetermined objectives prior to the actualization of the aggressive behaviour. On the other hand, it is considered reactive when the preservation of the individual’s physical or psychological integrity is threatened by the immediate, external environment. In this case, the individual’s aggressive reaction is emotionally conditioned.   Moreover, notwithstanding the nature of its function, aggression can be expressed directly or indirectly. It is considered direct when it targets the victim specifically. The form of the aggression can be physical (bodily injury) or verbal (threats and insults). On the other hand, when it is expressed in more subtle forms, such as rumours, malicious jokes and deception, the aggression is said to be indirect.  Pairing the two main dimensions of aggression allows for the construction of a two-dimensional model of analysis encompassing four types of psychopathy, namely: parasitic psychopathy (indirect preservation), choleric psychopathy (direct preservation), cynegetic psychopathy (direct predation) and sympathetic psychopathy (indirect predation). It is precisely this last form of psychopathy – the sympathetic form characterized by a narcissistic and Machiavellian underpinnings idiosyncratic – that best reflects the psychology of large-scale white-collar criminals.   Finally, the fourth and last article of this thesis proposes to explore a research problem that has received very little attention from members of the scientific community, namely how adequate is a dimensional model of pathological narcissism based on the model developed by Roche, Pincus, Lukowitsky, Ménard and Conroy (2013). On the basis of exploratory case study, it was possible to link narcissistic vulnerability to decompensatory segment (failure of maladaptive self-enhancement strategies) of this model. This linkage conforms to the hypothesis of the model. Indeed, the results of one of two study participants, Ms. H, indicate a decrease of narcissistic vulnerability in the re-compensatory period. Furthermore, this decrease is accompanied by a decrease of narcissistic grandiosity. In others words, on a one year longitudinal plane, the positive relationship between the two dimensions (narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability) of pathological narcissism is found to be constant in two segments – compensation (use of maladaptive self-enhancement strategies) and decompensation – of the theoretical model based on the model of Roche et al. (2013).  Moreover, the results for two study participants, Mr. B and Ms. H, prove to be enlightening according to respective preponderance of each narcissistic dimension of theoretical model based on the model developed by of Roche et al. (2013). In tests in 2012 and in 2013, Mr. B displays greater narcissistic grandiosity greater than narcissistic vulnerability, and was deemed to be in compensatory mode. This observation conforms to the hypothesis of the model. As for Ms. H, her narcissistic vulnerability remains consistently much higher than her narcissistic grandiosity. Theoretically, whether she is in narcissistic compensatory or decompensatory mode (unproven assumption in view of the theoretical model used), narcissistic vulnerability should only be dominant in the period of decompensation. Obviously, the results of Ms. H do not conform to the model.

Keyphrases: Narcissistic leadership, White-collar crime, Primary psychopathy, Categorical conceptualization of pathological narcissism, Dimensional conceptualization of pathological narcissism