Abstract:
Since Max Weber (1968a) introduced the term "charisma" to social science approximately 70 years ago, research into this construct has been carried out mostly in the fields of sociology, politics, and management studies. Much of this research has explored Weber's (1968a) theory without actually investigating the kind of individuals and groups on which his theory is based, ie: prophetic revolutionary movements. Recently psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut (1976) has proposed a psychological account of charisma which may usefully complement Weber's (1968a) theory. This study uses Kohut's (1976) theory to investigate the psychology of prophet figures, ie: charismatic leaders of communal, "New Age," quasi-therapeutic, and alternative religious groups. 14 such leaders were studied and quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from them and their followers. This resulted in (a) a composite personality profile of eleven of the leaders; (b) measurement of a very close agreement between them and their followers concerning descriptions of the leaders; and (c) identification of a six-stage developmental sequence through which such leaders pass in their prophetic careers. The six-stage developmental sequence is discussed in detail and its component parts analysed. A theory of the motivation of charismatic followers is presented. The outline of a psychological theory of charisma is presented and some sociological considerations are discussed.