What is charisma and passionarity: similarity and difference of concepts

The notions of "charisma" and "passionarity" usually characterize people who lead an active lifestyle, have increased energy and special forces to convince and lead other people. In the theory of ethnography LN Gumilyov passionaries attributed to the ability to be a warrior, to commit aggressive and aggressive actions. Charismatic leaders in the sociology of Max Weber also became military heroes, leaders of hunters, healers and soothsayers. In the opinion of ordinary people, passionate and charismatic personalities have special magical and superhuman abilities.

Answering the question, what is charisma, M. Weber defined it as the quality of personality, giving the person authority and authority. The notion of charisma has now spread not only to people of power, but also to scientists, businessmen, writers, etc.

The similarity of the concepts of charisma and passionarity

1) "Passionary explosion" in the theory of LN Gumilev always arose on the verge of extinction of the ethnos and contributed to the emergence of a new man - an active and proactive, capable of reviving his nationality. A similar notion exists in the theory of sociology and is called the "charismatic outbreak," which is clearly manifested in revolutionary leaders and their closest associates.

2) S. Eisenstadt, describing charisma, uses the concept of "charismatic zeal," which is very close in meaning to passionarity as a need to take active action to transform society. Any leader has an excess of strength, energy, which can be directed to both constructive and destructive goals.

3) Obsession and fanaticism are the dominant attributes that determine what charisma is and what the passionarity of a person is. Fanatics for the sake of the set purpose can sacrifice themselves, the family, other people, without hesitation and do not hesitate.

4) Both passionate and charismatic leaders have the ability to convince the masses of people, to lead them, putting passion in their rhetoric, strong emotions that are capable of infecting other people. In the theory of passionarity, this concept is called the "passionary field", within which passionary induction acts (infection), and in social theory - "charisma of the voice." The voice of the leader is additionally perceived by other people as pleasant, fascinating, convincing.

The difference between the concepts of charisma and passionarity

1) The notion of "passionarity" is used to describe global historical and geographical events, whereas the concept of "charisma" is used mainly to describe current events in politics, among scientific discoveries.

2) The development of charisma as a personal component is stimulated by political leaders with vivid events in society. With a decrease in the intensity of the heat of events and in the settlement of political events and the stabilization of economic and political life in the country, the power of charisma among the representatives of power also decreases. Passionarity is an innate quality of a person and can disappear only with the death of a passionary, who, in pursuit of one goal, sets new ones.

3) Political scientists and political journalists, without thinking what charisma is, intuitively use this concept in accordance with the appointment that M. Weber assigned to it - the quality of the personality of the leader of power. While the notion of passionarity is traditionally used in ethnography by culturologists, historians, geographers.

4) Passionarity is a broader concept than charisma, so passionarians can possess the energy, voice, strength and persuasiveness of charismatic leaders, who are not always passionaries. Their charisma can be a temporary manifestation, characteristic of a given era.

Modern research to understand what charisma is and how to develop it, are conducted in the field of psychology and political science, education and marketing. It is possible to become charismatic by creating certain conditions in society, whereas the emergence of passionaries can not be managed by society, but only has the opportunity to direct their energy into socially significant activity.