Why Are Abusive Supervisors Abusive? A Dual-system Self-control Model

Building on prior work which has shown that abusive supervision is a reaction to subordinates’ poor performance, we develop a self-control framework to outline when and why supervisors abuse poor-performing subordinates. In particular, we argue that poor-performing subordinates instill in supervisors a sense of hostility toward the subordinate, which in turn leads to engaging in abusive supervision. Within this self-control framework, poor...