The researchers hypothesized that sexual betrayal may lead to negative consequences for trust, cohesion, and decision-making among members of leadership teams. Trust refers to belief in others' reliability, integrity, and honesty. Cohesion involves shared goals, norms, and identity. Decision-making can be affected when team members lose confidence in each other's judgments, ideas, and actions.
To investigate this hypothesis, they conducted a series of experiments involving three types of leaders: those who had never experienced sexual betrayal, those who had been betrayed but had forgiven their partners, and those whose partners continued to engage in extramarital affairs. Each leader was given tasks requiring them to work together with others on problem-solving tasks. The results showed that leaders who had experienced sexual betrayal were less likely to trust their teammates, leading to decreased cohesion and reduced commitment to decisions made by other team members. They also tended to have more negative emotions during interactions with their teammates than those who had never experienced betrayal.
These findings suggest that sexual betrayal has significant psychological impacts on leadership teams. Leaders may become distrustful of their teammates, which can lead to a lack of cohesion and reduced commitment to group decisions. This can create tension within the team and make it difficult for them to function effectively as a unit. In addition, betrayal victims may experience increased anxiety and stress, making it harder for them to focus on the task at hand.
Further research is needed to understand how sexual betrayal affects decision-making processes specifically. It may be that betrayal victims are less able to process information or weigh options objectively due to the emotional impact of their situation. This could result in poorer decision-making outcomes overall.
There is still much to learn about the effects of sexual betrayal on leadership teams and how they can recover from such experiences.
What is the psychological impact of sexual betrayal on trust, cohesion, and decision-making in leadership teams?
Sexual betrayal can have significant psychological effects on individuals within a leadership team. It can lead to feelings of mistrust, anxiety, betrayal trauma, guilt, shame, and anger among those who were not involved in the affair. This can result in a decrease in cohesion within the team as members may feel isolated from one another or distrustful of each other's motives.