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The word charisma (from the Greek word χάρισμα (kharisma), "gift" or "divine favor," from kharizesthai, "to favor," from kharis, "favor": see also charism, Charis) refers to a rare trait found in certain human personalities usually including extreme charm and a 'magnetic' quality of personality and/or appearance along with innate and powerfully sophisticated personal communicability and persuasiveness. Though very difficult or even impossible to define accurately (due to a lack of widely accepted criteria in regard to the trait), charisma is often used to describe an (elusive, even undefinable) personality trait that often includes the seemingly 'supernatural' or uncanny ability to lead, charm, persuade, inspire, and/or influence people. It refers especially to a quality in certain people who easily draw the attention and admiration (or even hatred if the charisma is negative) of others due to a 'magnetic' quality of personality and/or appearance. Similar terms/phrases related to charisma include: , exuberance, equanimity, mystique, positive energy, joie de vivre, extreme charm, personal magnetism, personal appeal, "electricity," and allure, among many others[1]. Usually many of these specific qualities must be present within a single individual for the person to be considered highly charismatic by the public and their peers.

Despite the strong emotions they so often induce in others, charismatic individuals generally project unusual calmness, confidence, assertiveness, dominance, authenticity, and focus, and almost always possess superb communication and/or oratorical skills. Although the etymology of the word ("divine gift") might suggest that charisma can't be acquired, and despite the persistent inability to accurately define or even fully understand the concept, it is believed that charisma can be taught and/or learned. Others [Who?] disagree with this assertion and maintain that it is an inborn trait and that it cannot be learned, taught, or 'gained.'

The psychology of charisma

The term charisma, derived from Ancient Greek was introduced in scholarly usage by German sociologist Max Weber. [1] He defined charismatic authority to be one of three forms of authority, the other two being traditional (feudal) authority and legal or rational authority. According to Weber, charisma is defined thus:
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 as such are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as divine in origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader.[2]


The study, recognition, and development of charisma in individuals is of particular interest to sociologists/psychologists, popular (usually national) politicians, public speakers, actors, movie-stars/movie-producers, casting directors, pop-music stars, trainers/coaches targeting the upper-echelons of the business community (CEOs), and academics or others involved in leadership studies or leadership development, among others. [3]

In some cases highly-extroverted and brutally controlling charismatic leaders have used their personal charisma in extremely destructive and damaging ways throughout human history, for example, Adolf Hitler and Jim Jones.

Pierre Bourdieu did not have a very different position from that of Weber's, but he stressed that a leader has charisma only if other people accept that s/he has it. Bourdieu 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.

Theories of charisma

Charisma has also been studied as a set of behaviors/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 or "personal magnetism."

Theatrically, charisma can sometimes be "performed" on-stage and in films, and is encapsulated in both verbal and non-verbal communication.

Professor Richard Wiseman says that a charismatic person has three attributes[4]:
  1. they feel emotions themselves quite strongly;
  2. they induce them in others;
  3. and they are impervious to the influences of other charismatic people.


The following are Professor Wiseman's general tips on how to be more charismatic:
  • General: Open body posture, hands away from face when talking, stand up straight, relax, hands apart with palms forwards or upwards
  • To an individual: Let people know they matter and you enjoy being around them, develop a genuine smile, nod when they talk, briefly touch them on the upper arm, and maintain eye contact
  • To a group: Be comfortable as leader, move around to appear enthusiastic, lean slightly forward and look at all parts of the group
  • Message: Move beyond status quo and make a difference, be controversial, new, simple to understand, counter-intuitive
  • Speech: Be clear, fluent, forceful and articulate, evoke imagery, use an upbeat tempo, occasionally slow for tension or emphasis. <ref name="bbc" />

See also

As "divine favor"

As "personal appeal"

Further reading

References

1. ^ Thesaurus — alternate terms for "charisma"
2. ^ * Dr David Boje, Charisma lecture notes, Leadership & Society course at New Mexico State University College of Business Administration & Economics, Retrieved 28 July 2005.
3. ^ The Psychology of Charisma — from Psychology Today magazine
4. ^ Charisma: a step-by-step guide -- from BBC News

External links

Greek}}} 
Writing system: Greek alphabet 
Official status
Official language of:  Greece
 Cyprus
 European Union
recognised as minority language in parts of:
 European Union
 Italy
 Turkey
Regulated by:
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Religious meaning

A charism (plural: charismata. From the Greek, charis - grace; the divine influence on the receiver's heart, and its reflection in his or her life.
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Personified concepts
  • Muses
  • Nemesis
  • Moirae
  • Cratos
  • Zelus
  • Nike
  • Metis
  • Charites
  • Oneiroi
  • Adrasteia
  • Horae
  • Bia
  • Eros
  • Apate
  • Themis
  • Eris
  • Thanatos
  • Hypnos

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(see also Upeksa for the Buddhist concept)

Equanimity is the manifestation of equilibrium attained in terms of comprehension of the diverse human emotions. It is the state in which an individual associates identically not only with every emotion but also with the associated
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Mystique may refer to:
  • Mystique (comics), a Marvel Comics character associated with the X-Men franchise
  • Mercury Mystique, a compact car produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1995 to 2000

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Joie de vivre (from the French joie, "joy"; de, "of"; vivre, "to live, living"; "the joy of living") is a term used to express a cheerful enjoyment of life.
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To allure is to attract, entice, or seduce.

Allure may also refer to:
  • Allure (magazine), an American women's beauty magazine
  • Allure (group), an American R&B quartet
  • Allure

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oratory was studied as a component of rhetoric (that is, composition and delivery of speeches), and was an important skill in public and private life. Aristotle and Quintilian discussed oratory, and the subject, with definitive rules and models, was emphasised as a part of a
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Germans (German: Deutsche) are defined as an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, citizenship, speaking the German language as a mother tongue and being born in Germany.
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This article provides a list of noted sociologists and major contributors to sociology (even if they did not primarily work as sociologists):

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A


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Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (IPA: [maks ˈveːbɐ]) (April 21, 1864 – June 14, 1920) was a German political economist and sociologist who is considered one of the founders of the modern study of sociology and
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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.
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Feudalism refers to a general set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility of Europe during the Middle Ages, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs.
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Rational-legal authority (also known as rational authority, legal authority, rational domination, legal domination, bureaucratic authority) is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a ruling regime is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy
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This article provides a list of noted sociologists and major contributors to sociology (even if they did not primarily work as sociologists):

: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A


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A psychologist is a person who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human mind, including behavior, cognition, and affect. Psychologists are usually categorized under a number of different fields, the most well-recognized being clinical
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A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics.
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A public speaker is a person who makes speeches in public settings. A speaker may address a large assembly of people or small gatherings. For large assemblies, the speaker will usually speak with the aid of a public address system or microphone and speaker.
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actor, actress, or player (see terminology) is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity.
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Movie Star, Inc. (AMEX: MSI ) is a New York City-based manufacturer, marketer and seller of lingerie, sleepwear and other types of clothing. Organized in 1935 and formerly known as Sanmark Stardust, Inc., the company became Movie Star, Inc. in 1992.
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A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. The producer initiates, coordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fundraising, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors.
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This article has been tagged since October 2007.

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Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or chief executive, is the highest-ranking corporate officer, administrator, corporate administrator, executive, or executive officer, in charge of total management of a corporation, company, organization or agency.
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Academia is a collective term for the scientific and cultural community engaged in higher education and research, taken as a whole.

The word comes from the akademeia just outside ancient Athens, where the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning.
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The word leadership can refer to:
  1. The process of leading.
  2. Those entities that perform one or more acts of leading.
  3. The ability to affect human behaviour so as to accomplish a mission designated by the leader

Terminology, usage and conceptual scope


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In organizational development, leadership development is the strategic investment in, and utilization of, the human capital within the organization.

David Day (2000) distinguished between leader versus leadership development.
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Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (The Nazi party). He was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, and became Führer (leader)[2] in 1934, remaining in power until his suicide in 1945.
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James Warren "Jim" Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was the American founder of the Peoples Temple, which became synonymous with group suicide after the November 18, 1978 mass murder-suicide by poison in their isolated agricultural intentional community called
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Pierre Bourdieu (August 1, 1930 – January 23, 2002) was an acclaimed French sociologist whose work employed methods drawn from a wide range of disciplines: from philosophy and literary theory to sociology and anthropology.
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Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) (from French "théâtre", from Greek "theatron", θέατρον, meaning "place of seeing") is the branch of the performing arts defined as simply as what "occurs when one or more
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