Inspirational or Self-Deflating: The Role of Self-Efficacy in Elite Role Model Effectiveness
Abstract
This research examines the role of self-efficacy in women’s responses to elite leadership role models. Previous research on role models has been equivocal, demonstrating that the impact of social comparisons on the self is multifaceted. Using an experimental methodology, 102 female participants were presented with role models (elite, nonelite, control) before serving as the leader of an ostensible three-person group. Findings revealed that women with low, as opposed to high, levels of leadership self-efficacy were less inspired by the highly successful role models and showed deflating contrast effects as demonstrated in their diminished identification with leadership, leadership aspirations, and leadership performance. Moreover, the performance effects were mediated by participants’ identification with leadership. This research has identified an important self-regulatory variable that influences whether people engage in assimilative or contrastive processes when making strategic comparisons and it identifies the important role of self-perceptions in behavioral responses to role models.
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Women with high versus low levels of leadership efficacy were more inspired by elite role models in a potential threat-inducing leadership situation, showing heightened leadership aspiration, leader self-identification, and performance.
“For example, women with high, versus low, levels of leadership efficacy were more inspired by elite role models, when put into a potential threat-inducing leadership situation; that is, they showed heightened levels of leadership aspiration, leader self-identification, and performance (Hoyt, 2013).”
From Managing to clear the air: Stereotype threat, women, and leadership (2016) · cites this paper as Hoyt, 2013
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Managing to clear the air: Stereotype threat, women, and leadership
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- Authors
- Hoyt, C. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Richmond (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hoyt, Crystal L.
- ORCID
- Hoyt, Crystal L.
- Venue
- Social Psychological and Personality Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2012-08-08
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 290-298
- ISSN
- 1948-5506 (ISSN-L)
- 1948-5514
- OpenAlex
- W1969007802
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 7.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Social Psychological and Personality Science (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Diversity and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- self-efficacy, leadership role models, women, social comparison, contrast effects, leadership aspirations, leadership performance, self-regulation, gender and leadership
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