Review of Studies in Leadership. Leadership and Democratic Action

Abstract

Reviews the book "Studies in Leadership. Leadership and Democratic Action" by Alvin W. Gouldner (1950). Dr. Gouldner has assembled 31 papers which he groups and presents in five parts as follows: types of leaders; leadership and its group settings; authoritarian and democratic leaders; ethics and technics of leadership; and affirmations and resolutions. One of the valid criticisms of many leadership studies in the past has been the indefiniteness and vagueness which characterized them. On the other hand, much recent work has been characterized by the attempt to structure, to formalize, to coordinate and organize some of the theory of leadership and the methods for experimentation and study. Gouldner's readings make no major contribution to this recent work, and the value of the book is thus proportionately decreased. However, much of the reading is interesting, including the emphasis which is placed on the thinking of Freud, Weber, Marx, Durkheim, and Mannheim as it relates to leadership and social action, as these writers see it. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)