Factors That Inspire Devotion

In my studies, I have always been fascinated by people who are able to create followers through their words and actions. From people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Buddha, and Mahatma Gandhi to people with more malicious aims such as Hitler and Stalin, the power of leaders to shape public opinion provides insight and clues into human behavior. I can contribute to a graduate seminar course bringing an open mind and a natural curiosity. There is a graduate seminar called “Charismatic Leadership in the 21st Century” that is given at Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), as part of the International Policy Studies program. The seminar discusses the theories about the charisma of leaders and how they create followers. The course description follows.

This seminar investigates the psychological, historical, and cultural factors that have produced charismatic leaders and their devoted followers. The readings will present basic psychological theories that can be used to organize research on character and style of charismatic leaders and the resonance those leaders develop among their devoted followers. Those theorists include Freud, Weber, and Erikson. Classic biographies in the field will be used as models for the seminar paper that will be a case study on a particular leader and her political culture. Questions about the universal appeal and cultural limits of the leaders chosen will be central to seminar discussions.

I’m familiar with the non-violent ways of great leaders like King and Gandhi. For example, Gandhi was successful in driving out British colonialism by telling people how they could accomplish more through the strength of numbers and non-violence, rather than by using force to fight force. Specifically, Gandhi...

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...appeal to people’s reason. I also have the ability to be non-confrontational. According to psychologists, to be assertive you should use I statements, rather than using you, because using you automatically puts people on the defensive. I find this technique helpful when trying to debate different political views.

If the graduate seminar had group discussions, my goal would be to give specific examples that show why something is illogical. I think we humans tend to jump to conclusions too quickly, before we have had the chance to look at all the information. I know from experience that when you have fully read or viewed the original source of information, your interpretation is likely to be different than if you got it second hand. The knowledge that I would bring to the graduate seminar course is how to help people research and examine information more carefully.