The Honor of a Leader: Examining the Content of Honor-Congruent Leadership Prototypes

Abstract

Across three studies, we investigated how honor norms are associated with leadership prototypes. An archival, national-level study and an individual-level correlational study both linked honor norms to tough, reputation-conscious leadership and preferences for male leaders. A pre-registered quasi-experiment refined our understanding of these associations. Participants “designed” an ideal leader in either the presence or absence of intergroup conflict and results again showed that honor endorsement predicted preferences for certain leader characteristics (e.g., tough, protective) and for male leaders. High intergroup conflict increased both preferences across all participants, regardless of their level of honor endorsement, and the main effects of both honor and conflict on male leader favorability ratings were partially mediated by preferences for honor-congruent leader characteristics. Together, these studies suggest that honor functions as a cultural logic that informs leadership prototypes, shaping collective perceptions of idealized power and influence.