History of Charisma

The term ‘charisma’ was used in the early 1600s in a religious context. In that era, it meant a divine gift of grace.  

Max Weber, a German sociologist, popularized the term ‘charisma’ in the early 1910s to describe a type of leadership based on personal strength and divine-like authority, with no external legitimacy. Originally rooted in theology, the concept later entered politics and is now even seen in dating. The word comes from Greek, meaning ‘favour’ or ‘gift’.