The chapter by Michael A. Hogg introduces a social identity theory of leadership, which views leadership as a group process influenced by social categorization and prototype-based depersonalization. Group identification constructs an intragroup prototypicality gradient, where the most prototypical member appears to have influence due to cognitive and behavioral conformity. This appearance of influence becomes reality through depersonalized social attraction, which makes followers agree and comply with the leader's ideas. The leader's status is enhanced, and a status-based structural differentiation into leaders and followers is created. Additionally, a fundamental attribution process constructs a charismatic leadership personality, further empowering the leader and reinforcing the status differential. The chapter reviews empirical support for the theory and discusses implications, including intergroup dimensions, uncertainty reduction, extremism, power, and pitfalls of prototype-based leadership. The theory integrates social identity and self-categorization processes, providing a new perspective on leadership as a group phenomenon.The chapter by Michael A. Hogg introduces a social identity theory of leadership, which views leadership as a group process influenced by social categorization and prototype-based depersonalization. Group identification constructs an intragroup prototypicality gradient, where the most prototypical member appears to have influence due to cognitive and behavioral conformity. This appearance of influence becomes reality through depersonalized social attraction, which makes followers agree and comply with the leader's ideas. The leader's status is enhanced, and a status-based structural differentiation into leaders and followers is created. Additionally, a fundamental attribution process constructs a charismatic leadership personality, further empowering the leader and reinforcing the status differential. The chapter reviews empirical support for the theory and discusses implications, including intergroup dimensions, uncertainty reduction, extremism, power, and pitfalls of prototype-based leadership. The theory integrates social identity and self-categorization processes, providing a new perspective on leadership as a group phenomenon.