Fans of the FX smash-hit drama “The Bear” have been eagerly awaiting a showdown between the show’s lead character, Chef Carmy Berzatto, and his archenemy, Chef David Fields.

Over three seasons, viewers have been hooked on the story of a brilliant young chef trying to come to terms with his brother’s suicide while also battling to turn his modest family-run sandwich shop into a fine-dining Chicago hotspot. 

But amid the drama and comedy of the strained familial relationships that the show centres on, there are recurring flashbacks to Carmy being relentless bullied by his former boss and nemesis, David, an icy sadist who appears to revel in having power over those beneath him.

In the season three finale, we finally see Carmy confront David over the abusive behaviour that left our protagonist racked with ulcers, panic attacks, and depression. Yet far from being contrite, David is unapologetically proud of his behaviour, telling Carmy, “You’re welcome.”

“You were an OK chef when you started with me, and you left an excellent chef,” says David with a self-congratulatory smile. “I gave you confidence, and leadership, and ability. It f***ing worked.”

Many watching that exchange would deem David to be a narcissist and abusive boss; others, however, will see his behaviour as just the “tough love” Carmy needed to succeed in the cut-throat world of high-end kitchens. But that debate between fans isn’t just great writing; it’s actually the psychology of what researchers call “abusive supervision”.

New research published this week from Ohio State University suggests that when a leader who exhibits abusive behaviours is also high-performing, employees are less likely to label them as abusive. Instead, they look to justify the abuse as something more positive, like tough love.

“These bosses may treat employees harshly, but presumably their intent is to help their followers realise their potential – that’s the ‘tough love’ part,” study co-author Bennett Tepper told Ohio State News. “And if the leaders have high performance, that suggests they are successful at bringing out the skills of their followers.”

The study also found that recipients of tough love were less likely to disobey their superiors and more likely to expect a promotion within the organisation – presumably because they had gained valuable experience working under a “successful” leader.

Researchers stressed that the study doesn’t prove abusive bosses make great leaders. Far from it. Instead, the results go some way to explain why some toxic bosses can enjoy long careers.

“The bosses who get away with abusive behaviour may be those who somehow find a way to get high performance despite their behaviour,” Tepper said. “Their high performance insulates them from the consequences because even their employees say he’s just a ‘tough love’ kind of boss.”

Of course, as demonstrated by Carmy, the long-term impact of the tough-love approach can have devastating consequences, not only for the recipient but for the people around them, too. 

An interesting subplot within “The Bear” is that of Chef Syd Adamu, Carmy’s protégé, who is finding it increasingly difficult to deal with Carmy’s own borderline abusive behaviour in season three. So while Carmy hates how David treated him, he’s unwittingly exhibiting many of the same toxic traits in his own kitchen – traits that may well drive away his own brightest followers.

For employment counsel, “The Bear” is an important reminder that abuse is a cycle, with victims becoming abusers in their own right; that the tendrils of toxicity can spread far and wide even outside your own organisation, creating systemic problems within entire industries. 

Coupled with the Ohio State study, it is also a reminder that high-performing teams might not be the most healthy, well-adjusted environments, and that any boss who uses “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” as a mantra might be a bigger problem than you realise.