{"id":40416,"date":"2025-02-03T12:20:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=40416"},"modified":"2025-02-03T12:20:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:20:25","slug":"charisma-and-narcissism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/charisma-and-narcissism\/","title":{"rendered":"Charisma and Narcissism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While reading Annabel Beerel\u2019s, <em>Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories<\/em> there were many ideas that came to mind to focus on for this post<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a>.\u00a0 Bereel has a chapter on neuroscience, a topic I love, and how it relates to leadership, she references Daniel Kahneman and David Rock whose books we have read.<a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a>\u00a0 In her chapter on the Psychology of Leadership she reference\u2019s Edwin Friedman and his <em>Failure of Nerve<\/em> book.<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a>\u00a0 There were spots where she mentioned things like storytelling and intuition that I thought about Eve Poole\u2019s <em>Robot Souls<\/em>.<a href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a> Beerel also discusses capitalism and the free market reminding me of Karl Polanyi.<a href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a> The book being on leadership referenced Peter Northouse\u2019s book on Leadership many times<a href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\">[6]<\/a>.\u00a0 Interestingly Beerel is critical of Northouse\u2019s definition of leadership saying it was too broad.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn7\" name=\"_ftnref7\">[7]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I felt that psychology and neuroscience have been addressed in other posts, capitalism, I fear will keep resurfacing, and we just read Poole\u2019s book.\u00a0 In the end I decided to write about charismatic leadership and narcissism. I will end with a question for us to consider.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Charismatic Leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Charismatic leadership is a theory developed by House in 1976.<a href=\"#_ftn8\" name=\"_ftnref8\">[8]<\/a>\u00a0 Beerel uses Andrew Durbin to sum up a charismatic leader\u2019s characteristics.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThey are visionary \u2013 they offer an exciting image of where the organization is headed.<\/li>\n<li>They have masterful communication skills \u2013 they can inspire people.<\/li>\n<li>They make people feel capable of achieving success.<\/li>\n<li>They have energy and are action oriented.<\/li>\n<li>They are emotional, expressive, and warm.<\/li>\n<li>They romanticize risk.<\/li>\n<li>They use unconventional strategies to achieve success.<\/li>\n<li>They have a self-promoting personality\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn9\" name=\"_ftnref9\">[9]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>House mentions the impact charismatic leaders can have on their followers: \u201ctrust in the leader\u2019s ideology, similarity between the followers\u2019 beliefs and the leader\u2019s beliefs, unquestioning acceptance of the leader, expression of affection toward the leader, obedience, identification with the leader, emotional involvement in the leader\u2019s goals, heightened goals for followers, and increased follower confidence in goal achievement.<a href=\"#_ftn10\" name=\"_ftnref10\">[10]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Look around at some of the leaders that we have today.\u00a0 Think about President Donald Trump but also think about the leadership that exists in some churches.\u00a0 What is it that draws thousands of people to a specific church every Sunday morning?\u00a0 What is it about Donald Trump that people were willing to storm the capital to try to keep him in power and later re-elect him despite his felony conviction?\u00a0 Beerel addresses this by referencing Davis and Gardner\u2019s conditions that bring forth charismatic leaders.\u00a0 \u201cA crisis or a time of distress, the need for a revolutionary solution to a crisis (and) the existence of followers who are attracted to a magnetic personality.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn11\" name=\"_ftnref11\">[11]<\/a>\u00a0 These people simply step forward as having a solution to a current crisis.<\/p>\n<p>What is the crisis that many see and\/or feel? Patrick Deneen identifies the crisis, \u201cgrowing numbers of citizens regard the government as an entity separate from their own will and control, not their creature and creation as promised by liberal philosophy. . . . The liberties that liberalism brought into being to protect\u2014individual rights of conscience, religion, association, speech, and self-governance\u2014are extensively compromised by the expansion of government activity into every area of life.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn12\" name=\"_ftnref12\">[12]<\/a>\u00a0 Our freedoms are being taken away from us and it seems like we have no say in our politics.<\/p>\n<p>In our time of frustration a charismatic leader appears, our savior.\u00a0 Look back at the list of impacts mentioned by House that a charismatic leader can have on their followers.\u00a0 A leader possesses power and many of us can quote the famous line from the Spiderman movie, with great power comes great responsibility (though probably not where it originated)<a href=\"#_ftn13\" name=\"_ftnref13\">[13]<\/a>.\u00a0 N. T. Wright and Michael Bird suggest that \u201cauthority is problematic, because the vocation to rule constitutes a temptation to abuse power.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn14\" name=\"_ftnref14\">[14]<\/a> Unfortunately, the church is not immune to this abuse of power. While I have not listened to it, I thought about the podcast series Christianity Today did titled \u201cThe Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.\u201d Mike Cosper writes \u201cIn 2014, after more than a decade of tremendous growth and ministry, Mars Hill Church imploded with the resignation of its lead pastor, Mark Driscoll. <strong>Once a hub for those disenfranchised with cultural Christianity, <\/strong>(the perceived crisis) Mars Hill\u2019s characteristic \u201cpunk rock spirit\u201d became its downfall as <strong>power<\/strong>, fame, and spiritual trauma <strong>invaded the ministry<\/strong>.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn15\" name=\"_ftnref15\">[15]<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Narcissistic Leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The power associated with charismatic leadership, Beerel cautions if not properly contained can become narcissistic leadership and that is already the case in many organizations today.<a href=\"#_ftn16\" name=\"_ftnref16\">[16]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Narcissistic leaders exhibit several characteristics, Beerel provides a list that includes<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A tendency toward grandiosity and distrust<\/li>\n<li>Driven to gain power and glory<\/li>\n<li>Surrounds themselves with sycophants<\/li>\n<li>Dominates others and sees everything as a win\u2013lose situation<\/li>\n<li>Cannot tolerate dissent<a href=\"#_ftn17\" name=\"_ftnref17\">[17]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are not healthy traits for a leader of an organization to possess, by definition a narcissist is self-absorbed, and the organization tends to suffer.<a href=\"#_ftn18\" name=\"_ftnref18\">[18]<\/a>\u00a0 I am not going to name any names, but I\u2019m guessing<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/narcissus.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-40417 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/narcissus-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/narcissus-238x300.jpg 238w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/narcissus-150x189.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/narcissus-300x378.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/narcissus.jpg 586w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px\" \/><\/a> that many of us can name at least one leader that exhibits these characteristics and unfortunately Beerel doesn\u2019t give any suggestions on how to handle a narcissistic leader only things for a leader themselves to consider\/avoid, most importantly self-awareness and ethics.<a href=\"#_ftn19\" name=\"_ftnref19\">[19]<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Closing Question<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I want to finish with a question for us to consider.\u00a0 As we (as a society) embrace our charismatic leaders and their ideology, are we so focused on getting what appears to be relief from the crisis that we lose sight of the bigger picture of what drives our morals and ethics?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> Annabel Beerel, <em>Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories<\/em>, (New York, NY: Routledge, 2021).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">[2]<\/a> Kahneman, <em>Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em>, (Canada: Anchor Canada, 2013(, Rock, <em>Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, <\/em>(New York, NY: Harper Collings, 2009).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">[3]<\/a> Edwin Friedman <em>A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix.<\/em> (New York: Church Publishing, 2007).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\">[4]<\/a> Eve Poole, <em>Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity<\/em>, (Boca Rotan, FL: CRC Press, 2024)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\">[5]<\/a> Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Times, (Boston, M: Beacon Press, 2001).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\">[6]<\/a> Peter. G. Northouse, <em>Leadership: Theory &amp; Practice 9<sup>th<\/sup> Edition<\/em>, (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2022).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref7\" name=\"_ftn7\">[7]<\/a> Beerel, 81<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref8\" name=\"_ftn8\">[8]<\/a> Northouse, 188.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref9\" name=\"_ftn9\">[9]<\/a> Beerel, 297.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref10\" name=\"_ftn10\">[10]<\/a> Northouse, 189-190.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref11\" name=\"_ftn11\">[11]<\/a> Beerel, 298.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref12\" name=\"_ftn12\">[12]<\/a> Patrick, J. Deneen, <em>Why Liberalism Failed<\/em>, (New Haven, CT: Yale, 2018), 7<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref13\" name=\"_ftn13\">[13]<\/a> Ellen Gutoskey, \u201c\u2019With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility\u2019: From Age-Old Axiom to Spider-Man\u2019s Mantra\u2019 Mental Floss, March 29, 2024, \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalfloss.com\/posts\/with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility-phrase-origins\">https:\/\/www.mentalfloss.com\/posts\/with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility-phrase-origins<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref14\" name=\"_ftn14\"><\/a><sup>13<\/sup> N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, <em>Jesus and the Powers:<\/em> <em>Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024), 48.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref15\" name=\"_ftn15\">[15]<\/a> Mike Cosper, \u201cWho Killed Mars Hill?\u201d\u00a0 Christianity Today, June 21, 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/podcasts\/the-rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill\/who-killed-mars-hill-church-mark-driscoll-rise-fall\/\">https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/podcasts\/the-rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill\/who-killed-mars-hill-church-mark-driscoll-rise-fall\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref16\" name=\"_ftn16\">[16]<\/a> Beerel, 301, 313.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref17\" name=\"_ftn17\">[17]<\/a> Beerel, 317.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref18\" name=\"_ftn18\">[18]<\/a> Bereel, 313.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref19\" name=\"_ftn19\">[19]<\/a> Beerel, 318.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While reading Annabel Beerel\u2019s, Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories there were many ideas that came to mind to focus on for this post[1].\u00a0 Bereel has a chapter on neuroscience, a topic I love, and how it relates to leadership, she references Daniel Kahneman and David Rock whose books we have read.[2]\u00a0 In her [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3401],"class_list":["post-40416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bereel-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40416"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40418,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40416\/revisions\/40418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}