Kai Externbrink

Prof. Dr. Kai Externbrink is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Business at Westphalian University of Applied Sciences (Westfälische Hochschule) in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. His academic position is housed within Fachbereich Wirtschaft GE (FB 4), where he teaches across the psychology curriculum for business students.

His research interests focus on three primary areas:

• Leadership psychology (particularly servant leadership, transformational leadership, and destructive leadership)
• Personality psychology with emphasis on the 'dark triad' (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy in organizational contexts)
• Workplace mental health and evidence-based management practices

Prof. Externbrink's publication record shows consistent scholarly output from 2011 through 2025, with recent work examining psychological capital, emotional intelligence, resilience against workplace stressors, and the relationship between leadership styles and employee outcomes. His research spans both theoretical development and empirical studies across various organizational contexts including banking sectors and migration experiences.

His scientific contributions include:

• Nomination for Best Poster Award (2013)
• Authorship of the book 'Narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy in organizations – theories, methods and findings on the dark triad' (2017)
• Multiple journal articles in Business Psychology, Journal of Personnel Psychology, and Administrative Science

As an educator, Prof. Externbrink supervises empirical theses in business psychology and teaches courses spanning from introductory psychology through specialized topics in work and organizational psychology. His office hours are maintained regularly, with current listings for winter semester 2025/26 indicating ongoing academic engagement.