Abstract
Addressing psychological literature’s need for more information regarding the development of transformational leaders, who have a superior ability to successfully lead their employees, this thesis study examines John Bowlby’s (1969) attachment theory as it relates to transformational leadership. Participants were 160 Psychology students at California State University Sacramento (75% women) who completed self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical Multiple Regression analyses revealed that, as predicted, secure attachment was positively related to transformational leadership style. Furthermore, anxious attachment had a negative association with life satisfaction and transformational leadership. Results suggest that people who have an anxious ambivalent attachment, who have been shown to live in a state of negative chaos within their relationships and work environments, might have a harder time developing positive relationships, thus affecting satisfaction with life and work. Working environments could be improved with further knowledge to human resource staff and employee trainings that focus on helping anxiously attached individuals.