A cult leader has charismatic authority. Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out in Max Weber’s tripartite classification of authority. "Charismatic authority" is not about the details of the leader's background, but rather about the sort of "power" such a leader holds. Charismatic authority is inherently unstable and mostly short lived. A charismatic leader holds a mission to unite his people amidst differences and adversities to attain an insurmountable goal. It has no rules or traditions to guide or monitor conduct; as it is based on the unique characteristics of an individual. October 7 and 12, 1999. ... Charismatic authority can easily degenerate into traditional authority, or personal or patrimonial rule, whereby the power is exercised by those who surround the charismatic leader, but purely in an interest to maintain that power. Charismatic authority can reside in a person who came to a position of leadership because of traditional or rational-legal authority. Followers accept the power of charismatic authority because they are drawn to the leader’s personal qualities. Weber derived his concept 'charismatic authority' from R. Sohm's construct 'charismatic organization,' a term Sohm coined to describe the social organization of primitive … The Charismatic authority is an authority based on the special personal qualities claimed by and for an individual in order to make the person attractive so that he could influence a large number of people. The appeal of a charismatic leader can be extraordinary, and can inspire followers to make unusual sacrifices or to persevere in the midst of … Weber defined charismatic authority as “resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him”. Charismatic Authority. Thus, charismatic authority depends on the extent to which a religious or political figure is able to preserve moral influence and prosperity to his followers. Charismatic Authority Followers accept the power of charismatic authority because they are drawn to the leader’s personal qualities. By tracing the concepts 'charisma' and 'charismatic authority' from theological to sociological realms, the dissertation attempts to contribute to an understanding of the process of 'secularization.' Sociology 250. Weber defined charismatic authority as “resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him”. Gradually the critical charismatic leader must support his followers materially and this marks the beginning of the transformation of charisma into the everyday. It is also referred to as charismatic leadership. Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out in Max Weber’s tripartite classification of authority. Over the centuries, several kings and queens of England and other European nations were charismatic individuals as well (while some were far from charismatic). It might help to give some extra examples to show what I mean. Max Weber described three types of authority, traditional, legal, and charismatic, where charismatic fell into familial and religious realms. Because there is no rule for succession when a charismatic authority figure dies, that leader will sometimes name a successor in advance or build an organization that can govern after the charismatic figure is gone. One description of a charismatic leader is one who leads “by the force of their personal abilities are capable of having profound and extraordinary effects on followers” (House & Baetz, 1979). 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