charisma

charisma
/keuh riz"meuh/, n., pl. charismata /-meuh teuh/.
1. Theol. a divinely conferred gift or power.
2. a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people.
3. the special virtue of an office, function, position, etc., that confers or is thought to confer on the person holding it an unusual ability for leadership, worthiness of veneration, or the like.
Also, charism /kar"iz euhm/.
[1635-45; < LL < Gk, equiv. to char- (base of cháris favor, charízesthai to favor; akin to YEARN, EXHORT) + -isma -ISM]
Syn. 2. charm, magnetism, presence.

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      attribute of astonishing power and capacity ascribed to the person and personality of extraordinarily magnetic leaders. Such leaders may be political and secular as well as religious. They challenge the traditional order, for either good or ill.

      The word derives from the Greek charis (“grace”) and charizesthai (“to show favour”), connoting a talent or grace granted by the divine. The term came into scholarly usage primarily through the works of the German sociologist Max Weber (Weber, Max) (1864–1920), especially his On Law in Economy and Society (1921), in which he postulated that charismatic authority was a form of authority distinct from those of tradition and law. The process whereby charismatic authority becomes transformed, or changed, to any of the other forms of authority (such as bureaucracy) is referred to by Weber as the “routinization of charisma.”

      Typically, the charismatic leader can demand and receive complete devotion from his or her followers. The foundation of charismatic authority is emotional, not rational: it rests on trust and faith, both of which can be blind and uncritical. Unrestrained by custom, rules, or precedent, the charismatic leader can demand and receive unlimited power.

      In the original sense of the word, only such phenomenal personages as Jesus or Napoleon would merit the description charismatic, but in current usage, the term is applied more broadly to popular political leaders and cult organizers alike: John F. Kennedy, Eva Perón, and cult leader Charles Manson—all have been labeled charismatic.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Charisma — Charisma …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • Charisma — Sn besondere Ausstrahlung erw. fremd. Erkennbar fremd (18. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus spl. charisma Geschenk, Gnadengabe , dieses aus ntl. gr. chárisma Geschenk, (göttliche) Gnadengabe , zu gr. charízesthai schenken , zu gr. cháris f. Gunst,… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • charisma — 1. This is originally a Greek word meaning ‘gift of grace’. It acquired its current meaning ‘a gift or power of leadership or authority’ when the sociologist Max Weber used it in this way (in German) in 1922. It has been used widely in… …   Modern English usage

  • Charisma — Charisma: Das Fremdwort ist seit dem 18. Jh. belegt. Es stammt ab von griech. chárisma »Gnadengabe«, zum Verb charízesthai »gefällig sein, gerne geben«. Ins Dt. ist es über die Vermittlung von vlat. charisma »Geschenk« gelangt. Zunächst wurde es… …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • charismă — charísmă s. f., g. d. art. charísmei Trimis de siveco, 04.12.2008. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  CHARÍSMĂ s. f. v. carismă. Trimis de claudia, 17.06.2008. Sursa: MDN …   Dicționar Român

  • charisma — [kar′iz΄əmkə riz′mə] n. pl. charismata [kə riz′mə tə] [Gr(Ec), gift of God s grace < Gr, favor, grace < charizesthai, to show favor to < charis, grace, beauty, kindness < chairein, to rejoice at < IE base * ĝher , to desire, like… …   English World dictionary

  • Charisma — (griech.), Gabe, Gnadengeschenk, Geistesgabe, ein paulinischer Begriff. Charismatische Organisation, Name für die ursprüngliche christliche Gesellschaftsverfassung, weil darin statt geordneter Ämter die individuelle Begabung Kultus und Verfassung …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Charisma — Charisma,das:⇨Ausstrahlung(1) …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • charisma — (n.) gift of leadership, power of authority, c.1930, from German, used in this sense by Max Weber (1864 1920) in Wirtschaft u. Gesellschaft (1922), from Gk. kharisma favor, divine gift, from kharizesthai to show favor to, from kharis grace,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • charisma — [n] great personal charm allure, animal magnetism*, appeal, dazzle, drawing power, fascination, flash, glamour, it*, magnetism, pizzazz*, something*, star quality, witchcraft, witchery; concept 411 …   New thesaurus

  • charisma — ► NOUN 1) compelling attractiveness or charm. 2) (pl. charismata) Christian Theology a divinely conferred talent. ORIGIN Greek kharisma, from kharis favour, grace …   English terms dictionary

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