Charisma

Charisma is a personality trait often synonymous with confidence, articulation, and enthusiasm. Charismatic individuals tend to be leaders or role models who serve as inspirations for others. The colloquial terms, "wow factor" and "it-girl" are sometimes used to describe charismatic people.

The word "charisma" is a Greek term meaning "gift of grace" and is in reference to powers divinely dispensed to mortals. In many religious sects, a charismatic is one who is spiritually gifted: able to speak in tongues, cure the sick, or energize a congregation. In the twentieth century, however, thanks largely to the development of image technologies and the Internet, charisma has become one of the most commonly used words to describe people in a wide range of professions. Charisma also refers to a long-term, often unforgettable impact between an individual and a mass of people who feel a type of love and admiration that is conflated and exponentially multiplied for that individual.

Background

Although for centuries charisma was almost entirely confined to religious individuals, in the late nineteenth century, when newspapers became more widely circulated (increasing literacy rates among adults) and with the advent and popularity of the camera, personalities began to grown larger than their stories, and one’s image became the substance of appeal. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, was respected but was not considered by historians as charismatic. Since citizens had never heard him speak and did not know what he looked like, this was not an issue. Twenty-sixth US president Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), however, possessed charisma and is often cited by historians as the first president to manipulate images and use politics as a form of religious crusade to inspire a nation.

As mysterious a quality as it is, charisma is undeniable when it is encountered and experienced, and those swayed by charismatic individuals often find it difficult to explain the appeal. Since first aired on television, presidential campaigns and debates have, with remarkable consistency, come down to a candidate with charisma usually winning and the candidate without charisma losing; this was especially noticeable in the 1960 presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, in which those listening on radio thought Nixon had won the debate, while those watching on television overwhelmingly chose Kennedy as the winner. A similar case can be made for President Barack Obama, whose charisma many feel gave him a decisive edge in debates against John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. Perhaps the most charismatic woman of the late century was Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales who was also a powerful figure able to command profound emotional appeal.

Sociologists, historians, and popular cultural commentators quickly point out that charisma is not only a positive quality as it can also lead a mass of people to ultimately negative consequences, most often through the manipulations of political or military leaders. Among the most charismatic figures of the twentieth century was Adolf Hitler, who was able to use his tremendous personality to rise to power in 1930s Germany and subsequently sway and lead a vast majority of Germans into a disastrous world war. Historians also point to Uganda’s Idi Amin, Cuba’s Fidel Castro, and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin as charismatic leaders able to manipulate their populace in a negative way.

Today

There are many who believe that charisma is not necessarily a trait that one need be born with; rather, charisma, magnetism, and leadership qualities might be taught and learned. Self-help books, promotional weekend seminars, television and radio talk shows, infomercials, and (often expensive) webinars are designed to instruct people on how to be charismatic. The majority of advice may seem like common-sense interpersonal skills—be positive, reach out to others, show emotions, be interested in others, be confident—but the programs are highly successful and popular among those who desire professional success and/or healthy and exciting personal relationships.

Bibliography

Horvath, Agnes. Modernism and Charisma. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2013. Print.

Jansen, Katherine L., and Miri Rubin, eds. Charisma and Religious Authority: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Preaching, 1200–1500. Turnhout: Brepols, 2010. Print.

Kitchen, Martin. The Third Reich: Charisma and Community. New York: Routledge, 2014. Print.

Pinto, António Costa. Charisma and Fascism in Interwar Europe. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.

Potts, John. A History of Charisma. New York: Palgrave, 2010. Print.

Rieff, Philip. Charisma: The Gift of Grace, and How It Has Been Taken Away from Us. New York: Vintage, 2008. Print.

Stutje, Jan Willem. Charismatic Leadership and Social Movements: The Revolutionary Power of Ordinary Men and Women. New York: Bergham, 2012. Print.

Van der Braak, André. Gurus and Charisma. Rhinebeck: Monkfish, 2014. Print.