Abusive leadership has predominantly focused on the detrimental outcomes of abusive leader behaviors for recipients. However, we know little about why leaders intentionally engage in abusive leader behaviors and why such behaviors are reinforcing for leaders. Drawing from theories of self-regulation, I propose that follower behaviors can disrupt leaders' goal directed behaviors and activate motives to engage in abusive leader behaviors. Specifically, I hypothesize that follower poor in-role performance, disrespectful behaviors, and violation of social and legal norms may trigger abusive leader behaviors motivated by compliance, social identity and retributive justice reasons. In addition, theories of self-regulation also indicate that conquering the impediments and obstacles satisfy their psychological needs, improving their subjective well-being. Thus, I propose that when leaders engage in abusive leader behaviors for compliance, social identity and retributive reasons, they fulfill their needs for accomplishment, identity and order. Such need satisfactions foster higher subjective well-being, leading to work engagement, positive emotions and organization-based self-esteem. An experience sampling methodology is utilized to examine the proposed hypotheses.
Read
