An Experimental Study on the Relationship between Adult Attachment Styles and Paternalistic Leadership Preferences
Gül Selin Erben, Kutlu Çalışkan

Abstract
Recently, focus of leadership studies is on the characteristics of followers rather than leaders’. Even though the attitudes, competecencies and the interaction of environmental features are among the subjects of the studies, there are limited researches which study the psychological factors of followers. In this study, “Adult Attachment Theory” is taken as a basic theoretical framework in order to explain attitudes towards leaders. Adult Attachment Theory asserts that the relations established with mother and neighborhoods during childhood are strong determinants for the future relationships. It is observed that while, the child who receives unconditional love, trust, mercy and share from his/her mother define these emotions as social needs, establish healthy relationships and define himself/herself as an autonomous individual, the children who do not posses these emotions –or experience them conditionally- tend to be marginally avoidant or preoccupied ( dependent). In this study, the affects of adult attachment styles on the attitudes towards paternalism -as the most common leadership style in Turkey)- is tested with an experimental model. Results have shown the assumed differences.

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