How many times have you heard a person speak with admiration and that the trait of "charismatic" was attributed to him; Or how many times have you also wanted to possess that magical gift that is charisma, even if you don't know exactly what it is.
Being a charismatic person supposes having a very great "power" and, as such, it can be used both to do good and to do evil. In fact, as author Olivia Fox Cabane pointed out in her famous book "The Carysma Myth," there are four types of charisma differently, four ways that we will discover together in this Psychology-Online article.
Index
- what is charisma
- charisma of care
- Visionary Charisma
- charisma of kindness
- charisma of authority
What is charisma.
The concept of charisma was introduced to the social sciences by Max Weber, who collected it from the Christian tradition and the studies on Christianity by Rudolf Sohm and Karl Holl. The word "charisma" derives from the Greek χάϱιϚ (grace), and has been used by the apostle Paul to indicate
Now, what is charisma? Paraphrasing Weber's most famous definition of charisma, this term indicates the (supposed) possession, by a psychophysical personality, of extraordinary powers, that is, not granted to common men, or granted only to such an inferior extent that a qualitative difference is established.
To the concept of charisma is added that of charismatic dominance, founded on the attribution to the leader of those extraordinary powers. Many of these attributes are directly linked to a person's likelihood of being successful in any area of their life. To know them, click on the following post about How to be more charismatic.
Charisma of attention.
One of the characteristics of a person with charisma is his ability to always be present in the discussion, of pointing the spotlight on the interlocutor himself, transmitting a strong feeling of attention. The only way to exercise this kind of charisma is to really give consideration and interest in the words and demands of those who are before you.
How many times have you talked to someone who, meanwhile, was controlling their smartphone, checking their watch, or continuing to give monosyllabic responses even when they weren't prompted? The charisma of attention is the antithesis of such behavior and exercise with effort for returning the mind to the correct paths.
What transmits the charisma of attention
To develop this section, we are going to use an example of a charismatic person: the former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. He is, without a doubt, one of the most influential personalities today, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2009 and the first black president in American history.
Few, however, notice that when Obama speaks in public, his great ability consists precisely in make feel "heard" to thousands of people, who are actually there to hear it.
He manages to capture attention by putting himself on the same level, always speaking in the first person plural, as if each act of his work were the merit of all those present. Although in his case the interlocutors are men, women and children, he does not hesitate to ask them questions, to use humor to appear as one more from town.
Charisma of the visionary.
He is one of those who have such crazy ideas that they seem plausible. You think of the founder of Tesla, Spacex and Paypal, Elon Musk, the founder of Google, Larry Page, the of Amazon, Jeff Bezos or the late founder of Apple, Steve Jobs: each of them had at least a visionary idea, far from what we might have commonly thought possible, but reflected so well that could come true.
Characters with this type of charisma have it as a consequence of their incredible vision. To be aware of being able to listen to people that they have made their thought the sprout for a different future, raises the level of attention paid to their words.
Bringing it back to a more common context, if you imagine having as a table companion the best in the class or in your course: when he speaks to you, especially if he talks about the topics you know he is trained on, pay close attention, you will also be a man or a woman charismatic
Charisma of kindness.
Within this list of types of charisma, the most important could not be missing: the charisma of kindness. Also here the examples would be many, but there are iconic names that have made their kindness, love and generosity the polar star of its existence. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who, with their kindness, have built a weapon to combat violence, discrimination and poverty.
We are clearly talking about people who have made history and who have given their lives to others in a different way. However, there is no need to rise so high to understand that even kindness can make us charismatic.
¿How to train charisma of kindness? Based on self-analysis and awareness:
- Always try to treat your interlocutor with respect and courtesy.
- It shows that their presence is welcome.
- Remember that a kind gesture is never superfluous.
- Act altruistically, without thinking, being honest and true to your intuition.
- Show your feelings, this is not a sign of weakness, but rather the opposite.
Charisma of authority.
In this case, we refer to the authorities that govern us, who are at the head of institutions and even of small communities, such as school, workplace or citizen. One of the characteristics of charismatic people is that the magnetism they awaken is determined by the respect we feel towards them and by the power they possess.
It is inevitable to feel curiosity and listen to someone who decides for us, or with us, for our lives. This does not mean that a position of power, whatever its degree, gives you the keys to charisma. It would probably be more correct to say the opposite: it is precisely charisma that helps to achieve responsible positions.
The concept of charisma of authority could be considered closely linked to that of leadership, given that it is given by power and social status. Therefore, we recommend you read our article Leadership styles according to Goleman.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to types of charisma, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.
Bibliography
- Abbé, d. (2021). Charisma Manual. HOW2 Editions.
