Do you have charisma?

“I have always had sympathy for those of my colleagues who have bright features, an infectious character,” admits 39-year-old Irina, a university teacher. “Even when such a person walks along the institute corridor, all eyes are on him, it is hard not to notice him, his lectures are invariably dynamic and emotional, students adore him, colleagues listen to his words. I think this is the hallmark of true charisma.”

Discussing, as usual, in the editorial office of the magazine the topic going into the issue, we tried together to name several famous names of people who, in our opinion, have charisma … and were surprised to find that this attempt immediately turned into a discussion. And so emotional, as if each of the participants was touched by something very personal.

Influence tool

Many people would like to have charisma, that is, to evoke sympathy and a lively emotional response in the people around them, to be able to influence them. But it seems to be as difficult to come to a consensus about which of us has this quality as it is to find a definition of charisma that suits everyone. So, many attribute it to energetic people. They say about such people: “He bursts with energy, infecting everyone with his emotions, nourishing with a good mood.” “I would not link the concepts of charisma and energy,” objected political psychologist Hakob Nazaretyan. “We say “energy”, we mean “biofield”, but this is still an unscientific term.”

The main thing that experts agree on is that charisma is a tool for the unconditional influence of a leader on a group. That is, in order for it to manifest itself, one person always needs other people. Sociologists and social psychologists confirm that charisma is more characteristic of the leaders of states and political parties. We, contrary to this opinion, call charismatic people of different, usually public, professions: actors, athletes, journalists.

What do they have in common? They know how to capture a large audience with their energy, infect their interlocutors with emotions, charm and even, if necessary, lead the stadiums. They are expressive and artistic. Cause sympathy from the first minutes of communication. They know how to listen (at least, such an impression arises), to be imbued with other people’s problems and easily convince anyone of their rightness. Are these qualities innate or skills that can be acquired if desired?

The gift of attracting attention

Translated from the Greek “charisma” (charisma) means “divine gift.” In ancient Greece, it was attributed to people gifted with the ability to attract attention. Christianity interpreted charisma as a spiritual gift (for example, the prophetic gift of the saints), sent down from above and distinguishing its owner from many other believers.

The term “charisma” was first used in science in the 20s of the last century by the German sociologist and economist Max Weber. He distinguished three types of political leaders: traditional, bureaucratic and charismatic. According to Weber, charisma is “a quality of a person recognized as extraordinary, thanks to which it is evaluated as gifted with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specific, special powers and properties that are inaccessible to other people.” A charismatic leader, Weber believed, is self-confident, he is an excellent speaker. It usually appears during periods of socio-economic or political crisis. His supporters have tremendous confidence in him…

Today, the definition given by Max Weber does not look very convincing, perhaps because it is based only on historical material. And yet: if there are charismatic leaders, then there is a good reason for a comprehensive study of this phenomenon.

Personal qualities

At the turn of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, the “great personality theory” was popular in science. “It is based on the idea that all outstanding historical figures (Jesus Christ, Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte…) have a similar set of extraordinary traits that make them great,” says social psychologist Ekaterina Dubovskaya. “Ordinary mortals, the theory went, don’t have them. It can be assumed that we are talking about charisma, thanks to which these rulers of thoughts and arbiters of destinies directed peoples, ruled over countries, conquering the world and creating empires.

To prove this theory, the researchers compiled a list of key qualities that are inherent in charismatic leaders.¹. It was possible to identify almost a hundred traits that remarkable historical figures possessed. “However, the so-called “charismatic” leaders have such different characteristics that it seems difficult, if not impossible, to isolate the desired basis,” says Roger Eatwell, professor at the University of Bath (UK)². In fact, it turns out that each of the greats had an individual set of qualities. The assumption that the formula of charisma is the same for all leaders did not hold water.

Waiting for the gods

Social psychologists define charisma as a property of the image of a person who has managed to win the recognition of the general public. In other words, it is a combination of individual character traits of a particular person, his actions, way of thinking, external data.

“Although in some cases, looks are enough,” explains Hakob Nazaretyan. – Let’s say the conquistadors, the first Europeans who arrived in America, “deserved” recognition from the natives … thanks to their beards. The fact is that among the Indians facial hair breaks reluctantly. There is a legend that the locals recognized the gods in the bearded people who came to them – this is exactly how, according to the prophecies, they should have looked.

But it is not enough to have both a good appearance and the necessary internal data. For a person’s charisma to be celebrated and recognized, it must manifest itself at the right time and in the right place. “A charismatic leader can appear where and when a niche of our expectations has already been formed for him,” explains Hakob Nazaretyan. — Often this happens when society is in the crisis stages of its development. In a country with a long democratic tradition, in a stable economic and socio-political situation, there is much less chance of a charismatic leader emerging.”

So, in order for a new charismatic star to shine in society, it is necessary that the data of the “candidate” coincide with our requests. It can happen spontaneously. Or (today) with the participation of specially trained people – political technologists. With the help of proven methods (studying the likes of focus groups, searching for a niche for a candidate, analyzing sentiments, rumors, etc.), they are able to prepare the phenomenon of a charismatic personality.

Scene Laws

It seems that the mechanism of action of charisma has a lot in common with the laws of the spectacle. After all, the whole theatrical organism is tuned to the reaction of the public. The playwright writes the play, listening to the mood of the future audience. From a variety of texts offered, the director chooses the one that, in his opinion, will find the most lively response in society. The actor, summing up the efforts of the directors, becomes the conductor of their plan, infecting the hall with his emotions, and a sensitive antenna, which, in turn, is tuned to “receive” the emotional response of the audience.

“Speaking of a charismatic person in a broad sense, we mean someone who is engaged in public activities,” explains the rector of the Higher Theater School (Institute) named after. M. S. Shchepkina, Professor of the Russian Academy of Theater Arts Boris Lyubimov. – Of course, he can be handsome and have powerful biceps, but he can also have an ordinary appearance and a quiet voice – this is not the main thing. There are several components that determine the strength of an acting gift. First of all – susceptibility, the ability to “catch” what the author’s text gives, the director’s thought.

Let’s agree: the same can be attributed to the political leader – he must feel the situation. Secondly, expressiveness: one must be able to express one’s feelings, know where to speak loudly, where – quietly, where to show one’s weakness, which can also turn out to be strength. Thirdly, it is extremely important to have a sense of partnership, because on stage, an actor needs dialogue.

To study? To study!

So is it possible to cultivate charisma in yourself? “No,” says Ekaterina Dubovskaya, “but by and large, we don’t need this: as a rule, nothing works out for those who want to rule the world. Charisma is a property of our image, which today, under certain conditions and with the same people, can be effective, but tomorrow, in a different situation, it can no longer be. There is no universal charisma. We should rather learn to consciously manage our behavior, learn to listen to our intuition and interact with other people. And remember what and why we are striving for. Only then will we achieve the goals that we set for ourselves.”

“I think there is an inborn predisposition to charisma,” says Dr. Ronald Riggio, professor of psychology at McKenna College (USA), “which means that many of its elements are worth developing. For example, communication. Many politicians and public figures have a level of sociability above average, because they develop it, work on themselves.”

What else is worth paying attention to? “First, our emotional susceptibility,” continues Ronald Riggio. “It’s about being able to read the emotional messages that other people are sending and connecting with them on an emotional level. When communicating with people, a charismatic person seems to say to them: “I feel your pain,” and understanding this inspires them. It is worth taking care of your emotional expressiveness – the ability to accurately convey emotions using facial expressions or tone of voice. And finally, it is important to be able to manage your emotions.”

Let’s agree: there is nothing mystical or impossible in such a formulation of the question. And if, while working on our qualities, we all do not become charismatic individuals, it will certainly be much easier and more pleasant for us to communicate with each other.

¹ R. Baron, D. Byrne. B. Johnson “Social Psychology: Key Ideas”. Peter, 2003.

² R. Eatwell “The Resurgence of Charisma? Theory and problems of operationalization of concepts. Sociological Research, No. 3, 2003.