Charismatic authority

The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority, also called charismatic domination, or charismatic leadership, 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". Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out in Weber's tripartite classification of authority, the other two being traditional authority and rational-legal authority.

Characteristics

Charismatic authority is '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.

Weber defined charisma as "a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which s/he is 'set apart' from ordinary people and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are such as are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader." ^[2]

Due to its idiosyncratic nature and lack of formal organization, charismatic authority depends much more strongly on the perceived legitimacy of the authority than Weber’s other forms of authority. For instance, a charismatic leader in a religious context might require an unchallenged belief that the leader has been touched by God, in the sense of a guru or prophet. [3] However, should the strength of this belief fade, the power of the charismatic leader can fade quickly, 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, Weber saw charismatic authority not so much as character traits of the charismatic leader but as a relationship between the leader and his followers.

According to the sociologist Eileen Barker at the London School of Economics, most new religious movements are founded by charismatic leaders whom she considers unpredictable. ^{[4] [5]}

Note that according to Weber, a charismatic leader does not have to be a positive force; thus, both Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler could be reasonably considered charismatic leaders.

Routinizing charisma

Charismatic authority almost always evolves in the context of examples of traditional or rational-legal authority which provide forms and boundaries, but by its nature tends to challenge currently accepted forms of authority and thus is often seen as revolutionary. [6] However, the constant challenge that charismatic authority presents to older forms of authority must eventually either subside or be incorporated into the society. The way in which this happens is called routinization.

Routinization is the process by which ‘charismatic authority is succeeded by a bureaucracy controlled by a rationally established authority or by a combination of traditional and bureaucratic authority’ (Turney, Beeghley, and Powers, 1995 cited in Kendal et al. 2000). For example, the Prophet Muhammad was succeeded by the traditional authority and structure of Islam, a clear example of routinization.

Some leaders may employ various tools to create and extend their charismatic authority, for example utilizing the science of public relations.

As in the example of Islam, a religion which evolves its own priesthood and establishes a set of laws and rules is likely to lose its charismatic character and move towards another type of authority upon the removal of that leader.

In politics, charismatic rule is often found in various authoritarian states, autocracies, dictatorships and theocracies. In order to help to maintain their charismatic authority, such regimes will often establish a vast personality cult, which can be seen as an attempt to lend legitimacy by an appeal to other forms of authority. When the leader of such a state dies or leaves office and a new charismatic leader does not appear, such regime is likely to fall shortly afterwards if it is unable to survive without the personal attraction of the ruler, or it may become routinized as described above.

Psychology of charismatic leaders

The Australian psychologist Len Oakes had eleven charismatic leaders to fill in a psychometric test, called the adjective checklist and found them as a group quite ordinary. Following the psychoanalist Heinz Kohut, Oakes argues that charismatic leaders exhibit traits of narcissism. ^[7]

In religions and new religious movements

Some figureheads, founders, or leaders of religions and new religious movements have been characterized as holding charismatic authority. These include:

• Jesus
• Jim Jones According to Mary McCormick Maaga Jim Jones authority was charismatic. ^[8],
• Bhagwan (also called Rajneesh and later Osho) -- The sociologist Dr. Paul Schnabel wrote in a 1982 paper that Bhagwan's leadership was at that moment one of the purest examples of charismatic authority ^[9]
• Prem Rawat, known to his students as Maharaji. Schnabel wrote in his 1982 paper that Maharaji's leadership of the Divine Light Mission was at that moment one of the purest examples of charismatic authority ^[10] (This is disputed by his followers, as they do not consider Prem Rawat a leader, neither that they follow a religion ^[11])
• Sathya Sai Baba was considered a charismatic leader by Donald Taylor in a 1987 article ^[12]
• Sun Myung Moon was considered an ideal type of charismatic authority by the American sociologists David G. Bromley and Anson D. Shupe ^[13]

In politics

Some notable rulers that have been characterized as possessing charismatic authority include:

• Winston Churchill Considered so by Len Oakes.^[14]
• Alexander the Great
• Julius Caesar
• Fidel Castro
• Adolf Hitler -- according to the historian Ian Kershaw, Hitler's leadership was an ideal type of charismatic authority. Also considered a charismatic leader by Len Oakes. ^[15]
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell
• Mao Zedong
• Mahatma Gandhi Considered so by Len Oakes. ^[16]
• John F Kennedy
• Vladimir Lenin

See also

• The Three Types of Legitimate Rule
• Statesman
• List of messiah claimants
• List of people considered to be deities
• Charisma
• Guru
• Leader -- Leadership
• Prophet

References

• ^ Kendall, Diana, Jane Lothian Murray, and Rick Linden. Sociology in our time (2nd ed.), 2000. Scarborough, On: Nelson, 438-439.
• ^ Weber, Maximillan. Economy and Society (1978) p.241. University of California Press. Originally published in 1922 under the title Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft chapter III, § 10
• ^ Oakes, Len: Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities, 1997, ISBN 0815603983
• ^ , McCormick Maaga, Mary Hearing the voices of Jonestown, 1998 Syracuse University press, ISBN 0815605153 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)
• ^ 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"
• Charismatic Authority: Emotional Bonds Between Leaders and Followers
• Weber links
• ^ Barker, E New Religious Movements (London: HMSO, 1992), (page 13 in the Dutch translation of the book)
• ^ Taylor, Donald Charismatic authority in the Sathya Sai Baba movement in Hinduism in Great Britain, Richard Burghart (ed.), 1987, London/New York: Tavistock Publications, pp. 130-131. excerpt "Sathya Sai Baba’s charismatic authority is vulnerable to challenge from both outside and within the movement."
• ^ 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.

  "De meest zuivere voorbeelden van charismatisch leiderschap zijn op dit moment wel Bhagwan en Maharaj Ji. Daaruit blijkt meteen al hoe persoonlijke kwaliteiten alleen onvoldoende zijn voor de erkenning van het charismatisch leiderschap. De intelligente, steeds wisselende en dagelijks optredende Bhagwan is niet meer een charismatisch leider dan de verwende materialistische en intellectueel weinig opmerkelijke Maharaj Ji. Als charismatisch leider hebben beiden overigens wel een eigen publiek en een eigen functie."

• ^ Elan Vital - Frequently Asked questions
• ^ Oakes, Len: Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities, 1997, ISBN 0815603983 from the chapter Introduction page 12 "Occasionally, to illustrate a principle, some material from the lives of charismatic political leaders is included; the many books about Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill and Mohandas Gandhi are too good and too numerous [..]"

External links

• Charisma by Thomas Robbin in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Society edited by William H. Swatos (February 1998) ISBN 0-7619-8956-0
• 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)