The Impact of Securely Attached and Integrated Leadership on Follower Mental Health and Psychological Capital

Individual mental health plays a significant role in the successful operation of organizations. Mental health and mental illness issues within the workplace pose an increasingly greater challenge to organizations and its members. A key consideration in addressing these challenges is the role of leadership, particularly leader traits and attributes, and the manner in which these characteristics influence individual workplace mental health, in addition to the necessary psychological resources (as measured by psychological capital) to not only meet workplace demands but to also flourish. In defining mental health, it is also essential to look beyond the traditional biomedical understanding of health and consider its components: psychological, emotional, and social well-being. Looking at health from a broader biopsycho-social perspective, current research in the field of neuroscience and the finding that human brains are "social brains" reveals that how an individual's brain internally makes connections and, in turn, how that individual then connects and relates with others could very much influence another person's psychological, emotional, and social well-being. This study proposed that Bowlby's notion (1982) of attachment, along with Siegel's (2010) integrated triangle of well-being, influences follower mental health and psychological capital. Leadership's responsibility is to then understand how these characteristics, such as attachment style and integration, impact those around them. As such, the study assesses the impact of leader attachment orientation and integration on two key follower outcomes: follower mental health and follower psychological capital---an overarching state-like trait construct consisting of efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience.