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Group Power and Leadership

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance

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Synonyms

Conformity; Social influence

Definitions

Entitativity – The degree to which members of a group are perceived as a coherent unit

Power – The ability to direct the behaviors and attitudes of others

Prototypicality – To embody the attributes of the group to which one belongs

Social identity – People use the social group in which they belong to define their self-concept

Introduction

Humans are social creatures with an intrinsic psychological need to belong (Baumeister and Leary 1995). This need to belong is a fundamental motivation for joining a group. However, other factors certainly come into play when deciding what kind of group to join, such as member benefits, status, and self-esteem. As a group member, other factors contribute to the decision to stay in one’s group, to be a good member, and even to lead the group. Groups also hold power and can be very influential, in that they can affect the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of others. Along with a group comes the need for...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA

    Jessica J. Tomory

  2. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    David E. Rast III

Authors
  1. Jessica J. Tomory
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  2. David E. Rast III
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jessica J. Tomory or David E. Rast III .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Tomory, J.J., Rast, D.E. (2016). Group Power and Leadership. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_1402-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_1402-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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