Good find, corboy. It's interesting that Dr. John Antonakis concludes charisma and hence cult leadership need not be innate. They can be learned. Two passages struck me as especially relevant to our study of cults:
And with my emphasis added:
More details from Dr. John Antonakis on "Learning Charisma" from an article in the Harvard Business Review:
[hbr.org]
Quote
In fact, beyond shutting down our ability to reason, some scientists have found that under the right circumstances, charismatics -- especially if that charisma stems from our perception of them as a "leader" -- can induce a state akin to hypnotism.
And with my emphasis added:
Quote
hypnotism, when it works, [is] usually preceded by the massive frontal deactivation -- in effect, a "handing over" of executive function to the hypnotist.
More details from Dr. John Antonakis on "Learning Charisma" from an article in the Harvard Business Review:
[hbr.org]