Difference between revisions of "Charisma" - New World Encyclopedia

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The term charisma originates from the Greek word χάρισμα meaning "gift" or "divine favor" and most often refers to a rare trait found in certain human personalities which can include extreme charm, a "magnetic" quality of personality and/or appearance, and an innate and powerfully sophisticated personal communicability and persuasiveness. Charisma is often used to describe a seemingly uncanny ability of one to charm or influence other people. It refers especially to a quality in certain people who easily draw the attention and admiration, or in negative cases hatred, of others due to an alluring quality of personality. Other similar terms or phrases related to charisma can include: grace, exuberance, equanimity, mystique, positive energy, "right stuff," joie de vivre, charm, personal magnetism, personal appeal, "electricity," and allure. Many of these qualities must be present within an individual in order for the person to be considered 'charismatic' by the public and their peers.

Characteristics

Jesus is considered by many to be an example of a charismatic authority.

Charismatic individuals generally project unusual confidence, serenity, assertiveness, authenticity, and focus, along with superb communication skills. To the early Greeks, charisma was said to be a "gift of grace," implying that this "divine quality" was an inborn trait. Today, many believe charisma can be taught or even learned, despite a persistent inability to accurately define or even fully understand the complex term. In many individuals, the use of charisma can lead to the development of a charismatic authority which may allow the individual to influence and lead others.

The study, recognition, and development of charisma in individuals is of particular interest to sociologists, psychologists, popular politicians, public speakers, and entertainers. In recent years the study of charisma has also reached areas of the business community, academics and other areas involving leadership studies or leadership development.

Charisma has also been defined as a "set of behaviors or traits"; for example, a modern psychological approach posits that charisma is basically aggregative, a conglomeration of distinct personality traits that meld well in certain individuals to form the broad quality known as charisma. Theatrically, charisma is prevalent on-stage and in films, and can be encapsulated in verbal and non-verbal communication.

Charismatic Authority

Charismatic authority is defined as the 'power legitimized on the basis of a leader's exceptional personal qualities or the demonstration of extraordinary insight and accomplishment, which inspire loyalty and obedience from followers' [1]. As such, it rests almost entirely on the leader; the absence of that leader for any reason can lead to the authority's power dissolving. However, due to its idiosyncratic nature and lack of formal organization, charismatic authority depends strongly on the perceived legitimacy of the authority figure. For instance, a charismatic leader in a religious context might promote an unchallenged belief that he or she has been touched by God, in the sense of a guru or prophet. Should the strength of this belief fade, the power of the charismatic leader may also fade, which is one of the ways in which this form of authority shows itself to be unstable.

In contrast to the current popular use of the term charismatic leader, German Sociologist Max Weber saw charismatic authority not so much attributed to the character traits of the charismatic leader but as developing out of a relationship between the leader and his or her followers. Weber believed the validity of charisma to be founded on its recognition by certain followers. He believed this recognition to be based not on the grounds of legitimacy, but on a sense of duty belonging to certain followers who believe they are especially chosen to recognize and confirm the exceptional qualities of their leader.

According to Weber, a charismatic leader is not solely of a positive force. Many sociologists argue that both Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler could exemplify the characteristics of charismatic leaders. Furthermore, society often remains neutral towards both positive and negative forms of charismatic domination. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu supported many of Weber’s claims, and further stressed a leader to have charisma only if other people accept that he or she may have it. He argued that charisma usually depends on an "inaugural act" such as a decisive battle or moving speech after which the charismatic person will be regarded as such.

Routinization

Charismatic authority almost always evolves in the context of traditional authority which provides comparative forms and boundaries. However, by its nature, charismatic authority tends to challenge conventionally accepted forms of authority and is therefore often considered revolutionary. However the constant challenge that charismatic authority presents to older forms of authority must eventually subside or be incorporated into a society through the process of routinization.

Routinization is the process by which charismatic authority is replaced by a rationally established authority. Such routinization can be seen in the example of the prophet Muhammad, who maintained charismatic authority among his followers though He was eventually succeeded by the traditional authority and structure of Islam. Politically, charismatic rule can be found in various authoritarian states, autocracies, dictatorships and theocracies. In many circumstances when the leader of such a state dies or leaves office and a new charismatic leader does not appear, such a regime is more likely to fall afterward. As in the example of Islam, a religion which evolves its own priesthood and establishes a set of laws and rules is most likely to lose its charismatic character and eventually move toward a second type of authority upon the removal of that leader.

The Study of Charismatic Leadership

The study of charismatic leadership has been undertaken by many professional scholars throughout history. In particular, the relationship between charismatic leadership and the onset of new religious movements has been closely monitored by scholars of a sociological, psychological and religious background. Some historical patterns have proved to emerge.

Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, UK, maintains that a charismatic person has three attributes; a strong feeling of emotion, the ability to induce strong feelings in others, and an imperviousness to the influence of other charismatic people. [2]

In regards to religious charisma, George D. Chryssides, the Head of Religious Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, asserts that not all new religious movements have charismatic leaders, and that there are differences in the hegemonic styles among those movements that do. [3] However Eileen Barker, Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics, has claimed that in many new religious movements there is often employed a founder or leader who wields charismatic authority and is believed to have some special powers or knowledge. Barker asserts that almost by definition, charismatic leaders are unpredictable, for they are not bound to tradition or rules. In many circumstances, Barker asserts a warning when a leader who lacks accountability requires from their following an unquestioned obedience, and subsequently encourages a growing dependency upon the movement for all material, spiritual and social resources. [4].

Australian psychologist Len Oakes, who authored a dissertation regarding prophetic charisma, invited eleven charismatic leaders to complete a psychometric test, which he labeled the adjective checklist. Though Oakes found the group “quite ordinary”, the findings of his study led him to argue that the majority of charismatic leaders exhibit traits of narcissism, display an extraordinary amount of energy, and an inner clarity unhindered by the anxieties and guilt that afflict most people. [5]

Charismatic Leaders

The following is a sample of people whose leadership has been characterized as based on charismatic authority by listed sources. Charismatic authority is a sociological concept and one of three forms of authority as defined by Max Weber's tripartite classification of authority.

Weber defines charismatic authority as: "resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him."

In politics

In religions and new religious movements

  • Paul, originally Saul of Tarsus[22] (c. 10 - c. 67)
  • Charles Taze Russell[24] (1852 – 1916)
  • A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada[24] (1896 – 1977)
  • L. Ron Hubbard[24](1911 – 1986)
  • Rajneesh, also called Bhagwan and Osho.[25] [31] (1931 – 1990)
  • Prem Rawat, known to his students as Maharaji.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag[32] (1957 - )

Notes

  1. ↑ Kendall, D., J. Murray, and R. Linden. Sociology in Our Time. Wadsworth Publishing; Scarborough, Ont. 2000. ISBN 0495096563
  2. ↑ Charisma — BBC News.
  3. ↑ Chryssides, George D. Unrecognized Charisma? A Study and Comparison of Four Charismatic Leaders. 2001 International Conference : The Spiritual Supermarket: Religious Pluralism in the 21st Century. 19 April, 2001. London, England.
  4. ↑ Barker, Eileen. New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction. Bernan Press, 1990. ISBN 0113409273
  5. ↑ Oakes, Len: Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities. Syracuse University Press, 1997. ISBN 0815603983.
  6. ↑ http://www.ataturk.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26 http://www.mrdowling.com/608-ataturk.html
  7. ↑ As Fidel Fades Washington Quarterly 2001 : Psychology of a Charismatic Leader
  8. ↑ Towards a theory of the routinization of Charisma
  9. ↑ Leadership Review Erin Bream
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Oakes, Len: Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities, 1997, ISBN 0-8156-0398-3
  11. ↑ Kershaw, Ian Hitler, 1936-1945: Nemesis
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sutton, John,Law/Society: Origins, Interactions, and Change () p.112, Pine Forge Press, ISBN 0-7619-8705-3
  13. ↑ Clecak, P. America's Quest for the Ideal Self: Dissent and Fulfillment in the 60s and 70s, (1985), p.306 ,Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-503544-5
  14. ↑ http://www.allenandunwin.com/shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?ISBN=1865084506
  15. ↑ Hershey H. Friedman, Ph.D., and Mitchell Langbert, Ph.D., "Abraham as a Transformational Leader", Journal of Leadership Studies, Vol. 7:2, Spring 2000, 88-95. [1]
  16. ↑ Unit for Jewish Education in the CIS, "The Leadership of Moses", Department for Jewish Zionist Education, the Jewish Agency for Israel. [2] Available online.
  17. ↑ Chilton, B., Neusner, J. Types of Authority in Formative Christianity and Judaism, () p.73, Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-415-17325-6
    "[...] for Judaism, the model of charismatic authority coincided with the model of political authority, namely the person of Moses, ruler and prophet at once"
  18. ↑ "Elijah" Jewish Virtual Library, American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.[3] Available online.
  19. ↑ Hengel, Martin & Riche, John, The Charismatic Leader and His Followers, (1996), T&T Clark Publishers, ISBN 0-567-29165-0
  20. ↑ Keener, Craig S. A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew,(1999) B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 0-8028-3821-9
  21. ↑ Malina, Bruce J. The Social World of Jesus and the Gospels, (1997). p.130, Routledge (United Kingdom), ISBN 0-415-14629-1
  22. ↑ Richard Ascogh and Sandy CottonNovalis, Passionate Visionary, [4]
  23. ↑ "Martin Luther", Encyclopedia Britannica, [5]
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Unrecognized charisma? A study and comparison of four charismatic leaders: Charles Taze Russell, Joseph Smith, L Ron Hubbard, Swami Prabhupada. by George D. Chryssides Paper presented at the 2001 International Conference The Spiritual Supermarket: Religious Pluralism in the 21st Century, organised by INFORM and CESNUR (London, April 19-22, 2001) ([6] Available online])
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Robbins, ThomasCharisma in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Society edited by William H. Swatos (February 1998) ISBN 0-7619-8956-0
  26. ↑ Iranian Personalities: Bahá'u'lláh. Iran Chamber Society, 2001. "Because of the prominence of his family, and his own charismatic personality, Bahá'u'lláh's first teaching efforts yielded some new believers..." [7]
  27. ↑ Judith Smart, "The Evangelist as Star: The Billy Graham Crusade in Australia, 1959", The Journal of Popular Culture 33. [8]
  28. ↑ Bromley, David G. and Anson D. Shupe Moonies in America. Cult, Church and - Crusade Beverly Hills, Sage (1979) page 110 "a living, awe - inspiring leader who is the medium of ongoing supernatural revelation"
  29. ↑ "With Charisma and Knack for Travel, Pontiff Mixed Political Activism With Religion", ABC News, April 3, 2005. [9]
  30. ↑ McCormick Maaga, Mary Hearing the voices of Jonestown, 1998 Syracuse University press, ISBN 0-8156-0515-3 chapter Deconstructing Jonestown page 18 "The basis of my argument about the women in leadership, particularly Carolyn Layton, is that love for the male charismatic leader grew out of love for the movement", chapter Restoration of Women's power in Peoples Temple page 71 "Jones' management style flowed from and supported his "charisma". " (McCormick Maaga also wrote that white inner-circle female members held considerable power in Jonestown) see also pages 69-71
  31. ↑ Schnabel, Paul Dr. (Dutch language) Between stigma and charisma: new religious movements and mental health Erasmus university Rotterdam, Faculty of Medicine, Ph.D. thesis, ISBN 90-6001-746-3 (Deventer, Van Loghum Slaterus, 1982) p. 99.
  32. ↑ McGuire, Meredith B. "Religion: the Social Context" fifth edition (2002) ISBN 0-534-54126-7 Chapter. 5 "The dynamics of religious collectivities", section “How Religious Collectivities Develop and Change’’, sub-section "Organizational Transformations" page 175 (Thomas Pilarzyk ‘’The origin, development, and decline of a youth culture religion: An application of the sectarianization theory’’ in Review of Religious Research 20, 1:33-37, 1978)”

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Knott, Kim Dr. South Asian Religions in Britain page 766, Table 22.1 in the Handbook of Living Religions edited by John R. Hinnels (1997), second edition, ISBN 0-14-051480-5


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