Leader group prototypicality—the extent to which a leader embodies and represents the group—is a characteristic that typically engenders favorable attitudes toward the leader. The present research examines how leader group prototypicality shapes group member reactions to leaders who commit wrongful acts, that is, transgressions. In three studies, I propose and demonstrate that outsiders’ knowledge of leader transgressions moderates how leader group prototypicality influences group member reactions to transgressing leaders. Specifically, when leaders commit transgressions that are known to outsiders, leader group prototypicality leads to more punitive reactions by eliciting an acute threat to the group image. Furthermore, punitive responses against transgressing leaders driven by group image threat are more pronounced among highly identified group members. The current research shows when and why the oft-observed advantage of leader group prototypicality might be reversed.

领导群体原型——领导者体现和代表群体的程度——是一种典型地产生对领导者有利态度的特征。本研究探讨了领导小组的原型如何影响小组成员对犯下不法行为（即违规）的领导的反应。在三项研究中，我提出并证明了外人对领导违规行为的了解可以调节领导团队原型如何影响团队成员对违规领导的反应。具体而言，当领导者犯下外人都知道的违规行为时，领导者群体原型会引发对群体形象的严重威胁，从而导致更具惩罚性的反应。此外，在高度认同的群体成员中，对由群体形象威胁驱动的违规领导者的惩罚性反应更为明显。当前的研究表明，领导小组原型的经常被观察到的优势何时以及为何会被逆转。