Emotional process, leadership, and anxiety

In preparation for an upcoming presentation I’ve been examining the dynamics of emotional process and anxiety as they relate to leadership. Since my orientation for this study is Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) my definition of leadership is related to a person’s functional position in a relationship system (a family, a corporation, an institution, etc.) rather than a narrow organizational definition.

I continue to be intrigued by the almost “mystical” dynamic of anxiety in emotional process. Since both anxiety and emotional process are “invisible” to the eye we only perceive their symptoms or expression. But those symptoms can find an amazingly varied repertoire, from shutting down to manic reactivity. In the face of acute anxiety people can respond anywhere along the spectrum of hiding to attacking; they may cut-off from others or wage war. It seems that one of the first steps in addressing anxiety in the system is to recognize it, something that is not so simple given that it can take many forms and expressions.

One critical insight is the influence that “leaders” in the system have on those who are part of the system. This is a dynamic I find is consistently underestimated. Too often we fail to appreciate that what the leader is experiencing (like an episode of acute anxiety) has a very powerful influence on others in the system. The power of emotional process is its ability to spread emotional energy throughout the system.

For example, “Stressed Parents Equal Sick Kids” in New Scientist (March 21, 2008) cites the study of University of Rochester researcher Mary Caserta. She and her colleagues studied how the stress of parents affects the health of their children.

Caserta’s team found that the total number of illnesses, both with and without fever, was significantly higher in the children of parents who reported high levels of emotional stress. The team also measured the levels of immune cells in the children, and found those with highly stressed parents were much more likely to have heightened immune activity—a sign that they were working hard to fend off infection (Brain, Behavior and Immunity, DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2008.01.007)

The leaders in a system, whether family or an organization, influence the system in a more significant way than most appreciate. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine that the leader’s own emotional state of being has more influence on the system than those things commonly associated with “leadership” (like intelligence, competence, logical thinking, management skills, etc.).