Interrelation of defense mechanisms and motivational orientations of corporate leaders at different stages of business development

Abstract

This article is dedicated to examination of the degree of defense mechanisms and their interrelation with the motivational orientation of corporate leaders at different stages of business development. The subject of this research is the motivational orientations and defense mechanisms of corporate leaders at different stages of business development. The aim goal consists in studying the interdependence of defense mechanisms and motivational orientations of the leaders of companies founded less than 3 years ago (crisis state) and over 10 years (sustainable development). The article employs cross-sectional method based on the questionnaire “Life Style Index” (LSI) developed by R. Plutchik, H. Kellerman, and H. R. Conte; the method of diagnostics of socio-psychological attitudes of the individual in the motivational and consumer sphere developed by O. F. Potemkina. The analysis of the acquired results with determination of statistically significant interdependences of psychological indicators was carried out by means of the method of mathematical statistics. The novelty of this work consists in examination of the impact of motivational orientations of corporate leaders upon manifestation of their defense mechanisms during the crisis stages of business development in accordance with the theory of psychoanalysis. Such research is carried out for the first time. The practical importance of the results lies in the application of knowledge of psychoanalytic concepts for revealing the latent pathogenic factors in the company that affect personnel’s behavior. This would allow the corporate psychologists to choose effective recommendations for balancing such factors. The conclusion is made that the protective mechanisms of the business owner and corporate leadership are interrelated with their motivational orientations; the degree of defense mechanisms of leaders of newly established companies and long established companies differ. The author's special contribution to this research consists in interpretation of the results through the prism of psychoanalytic approach.