Perception and metaperception of leaders: trust and respect as mediators

Metaperception (for self as a leader) and perception (of others as a leader) of leaders were assessed along the tenets of Construal Level Theory (CLT). As hypothesized, when ‘self’ is projected as a leader, construal is abstract, whereas for ‘others’ as leader, construal is more concrete. This research established perception distance as another dimension of psychological distance. In addition based on the contemporary literature of social cognition, mediators for this perception distance and leader construal were also assessed. Respect for and trust in the leader, which is, established as the fundamental dimensions of social judgment emerged as partial mediators of this perception distance and construal link