How many times have you heard people speak with admiration about a person and have the trait of “charismatic” attributed to them; or how many times you have also wished to possess that magical gift that is charisma, even if you do not know exactly what it is about.
Being a charismatic person means having very great “power” and, as such, it can be used to do both good and evil. In fact, as author Olivia Fox Cabane noted in her famous book “The Carysma Myth,” there are four types of charisma different, four ways that we will discover together in this Psychology-Online article.
What is charisma
The concept of charisma was introduced into the social sciences by Max Weber, who collected it from the Christian tradition and from the studies on Christianity of Rudolf Sohm and Karl Holl. The word “charisma” derives from the Greek χάϱιϚ (grace), and has been used by the apostle Paul to indicate the gifts of divine grace granted to each of the faithful for the good of the proto-Christian community (First Letter to the Corinthians).
Now, what is charisma? Paraphrasing Weber’s most famous definition of charisma, this term indicates the (supposed) possession, by a psychophysical personality, of extraordinary powersthat is, not granted to common men, or that are only granted to such a lesser extent that a qualitative difference is established.
The concept of charisma is joined by that of charismatic domination, founded on the attribution to the leader of those extraordinary powers. Many of these attributes are directly linked to a person’s likelihood of success in any area of their life. To know them, click on the following post about them.
Charisma of attention
One of the characteristics of a person with charisma is the ability to always be present in the discussion, to shine the spotlight on the interlocutor himself, transmitting a strong feeling of attention. The only way to exercise this type 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, in the meantime, is checking their smartphone, looking at their watch, or continues to give monosyllabic responses even when they are not requested? The charisma of attention is the antithesis of behavior of this type and exercises with effort for returning the mind to the correct paths.
What conveys 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 people 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 everyone present. Although in his case the interlocutors are men, women and children, he does not hesitate to ask them questions, to use humor to show up as one more from town.
Charisma of the visionary
He is one of those who has ideas so crazy that they seem plausible. Think of the founder of Tesla, Spacex and Paypal, Elon Musk, the founder of Google, Larry Page, the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos or the late founder of Apple, Steve Jobs: each of them had at least one visionary ideafar from what we might commonly have thought possible, but thought through 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 who have made their thoughts the sprout for a different future, raises the level of attention paid to their words.
Reducing it to a more common context, if you imagine having the best person in your class or year as your table partner: when he talks to you, especially if he talks about the topics on which you know he is qualified, pay close attention, you too. you will be being a charismatic man or woman.
Charisma of kindness
Within this list of types of charisma, the most important one could not be missing: the charisma of kindness. Here too there would be many examples, but there are iconic names that have made their kindness, love and generosity the pole star of his 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 your presence is welcome.
- Remember that a kind gesture is never superfluous.
- Act altruistically, without thinking, being honest and faithful to your intuition.
- Show your feelings, this is not a sign of weakness, but quite the opposite.
Charisma of authority
In this case, we are referring to the authorities that govern us, who are at the head of the institutions and even small communities, such as school, work or citizen communities. One of the characteristics of charismatic people is that the magnetism they awaken is determined by the respect we feel towards them and the power they possess.
It is inevitable to feel curious 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.
This article is merely informative, at 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.
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Bibliography
- Abate, D. (2021). Charisma manual. HOW2 Editions.