Abstract

ZERPA, Carlos Enrique  and  RAMIREZ, Jorge J.. Morality, Empathy, Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership: A Path Analysis Model in Post-graduate Management Students at a Venezuelan University. Divers.: Perspect. Psicol. [online]. 2013, vol.9, n.1, pp.109-126. ISSN 1794-9998.

A path analysis model was contrasted to establish causal relationships between the level of post-conventional moral development, empathic concern as a measure of empathy, emotional selfawareness and emotional self-regulation on transformational leadership style. The study sample was made up of graduate students in management of a public Venezuelan University and was composed of professionals of both sexes from different disciplinary fields (N = 162, mean age = 31,37, SD = 4,67). The instruments used among others, were the Defining Issues Test (DIT), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Sub-Scale of Empathic Understanding. Results show that the proposed model was partially valid; this indicates that the understanding of the relationships between the model variables is more complex than what is proposed in the literature; in this regard, empathy is the most influential variable in the model. As a matter of fact, there are high and significant direct effects on post-conventional moral development and the self-knowledge and emotional self-control ability.

Keywords : moral development; empathy; emotional intelligence; leadership styles; path analysis.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )