“Essential Attributes of the
Concept of Charisma”
by George P. Boss
Presented by Chen-Yung Hsu
What is Charisma?
• A term which in popular usage describes
the personal appeal of an extraordinary
individual
• Derived from a Greek word meaning
“divine gift”
• Used generally to symbolize the
inexplicable force of such a personality
Why is identifying Charisma so
hard?
• The essential attributes of the concept of
charisma have not been identified in a
systematic way
• The use of the term is often extremely
ambiguous
Objective
• Examine the concept of charisma and to
suggest that it can and should be used to
designate attributes of importance in
rhetorical study
3 Major Dimensions
Analysis of charisma yields:
1) qualities (or traits) residing in the person
2) the perceived effect on the “listener-followers”
3) the necessities residing within the particular
sociopolitical situation
Charisma Phenom Attributes
From rhetorical and sociopolitical perspective:
1) “gift of grace”
2) concept of the “leader-communicator”
3) “inspiring message”
4) “idolatrous follower”
5) shared history
6) high status
7) concept of “mission”
8) an important crisis
9) successful (i.e., positive) results
• No attribute can be presumed to exist in
the charismatic situation
• Each attribute is a constituent part of a
whole
“Gift of Grace”
• Denotative base of the concept charisma
• Wider than concepts of ‘good will’ or
‘trustworthiness’, partakes of ‘credibility’
• Originated from Judeo-Christian tradition,
‘endowments’ of charismata were conferred by
the Holy Spirit
• “One man, through the Spirit, has the gift of wise
speech, while another, by the power of the same
Spirit, can put the deepest knowledge into
words. “
• From scholarly literature:
Max Weber – “The term of charisma will
[here] be applied to a certain quality of the
individual personality by virtue of which he
is set apart from ordinary men and treated
as endowed with supernatural,
superhuman, or at least specifically
exceptional powers and qualities.”
Leader-Communicator
• Charismatic person not just a
knowledgeable speaker, he is a leader
whose audience is composed of followers
• Charismatic leader seems messianic in his
appeal, expected to bring ‘his people’ to
‘the promised land’ of their needs and
aspirations
• http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeche
s/Ihaveadream.htm
• No historian, in reconstructing past eras,
can ignore the spoken communications of
these exceptional leader-communicators
and the impact of those communications
on national affairs – not if he seeks a
thorough understanding of the times in
which the leaders lived and moved
“An Inspiring Message”
• Message of the charismatic leader will
contain what are seen as compelling
verbal and non verbal components.
• Arousing language often generates and
ferments situations perceived as socially
and politically significant
• Charisma lies not only in symbolic actions
but in verbal propagation of the leader’s
ideas
“Idolatrous Followers”
• Critical attribute of charisma, these
individuals are faithful listeners,
responders, and doers
» Example from the Matrix
“A Shared History”
• Association of leader with follower is more
intimate than average speaker with
general audience
• Must have ‘sense of community’
• Willner and Willner: charismatic leader
must “draw upon and manipulate the body
of myth in a given culture and the actions
and values associated with those myths”
“High Status”
• After occupying a seat in an office with the
followers’ approval, a leader gains
‘exaltation’ by his ascension
“The Mission”
• Sustains the charismatic, follower-leader
relationship is a sense of mutual mission
• Mission – usually a sociopolitical
predicament that cries out for urgent
resolution
“An Important Crisis” and
“Successful Results”
• Environments usually had significant
crises
• Little likelihood of leader retaining
charismatic aura
• Success partly dependent on how
effectively a leader uses power to defeat
enemies and help adherents
Conclusion
Talcott Parsons:
“Charisma is not a metaphysical entity, but a
strictly observable quality of men and
things in relation to human acts and
attitudes”
Yoda teaching Luke
Morpheus teaching Neo