Altered States of Consciousness and Charismatic Authority
Olav Hammer, Karen Swartz
AURA - Tidsskrift for akademiske studier av nyreligiøsitet November 9, 2020 DOI: 10.31265/aura.356 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Key findings | The authors argue that charismatic authority is unstable because it depends on followers perceiving extraordinary gifts that detractors can question. In the case of Judith von Halle, believers treat her claimed clairvoyance and stigmata as reasons to trust her teachings, while skeptics challenge her experiences and motives; both sides debate her status in terms opaque to outsiders unfamiliar with Anthroposophical discourse. |
Abstract
Charisma is an unstable basis upon which to build authority. Charismatic leaders need their followers to perceive them as being endowed with extraordinary, even supernatural, gifts. Detractors can in turn question whether the leader actually possesses these unique qualities. Using Judith von Halle and her conflicts with the Anthroposophical Society as a case study, we address the question of how charismatic authority can be constructed and deconstructed in polemical texts. At various points throughout her career, Von Halle has made extraordinary claims. She presents herself as being clairvoyant and as having received stigmata. Anthroposophists who believe these claims cite them as their reasons for regarding her doctrinal statements as being trustworthy. Skeptical Anthroposophists, on the other hand, question her experiences and motives. Using a theoretical framework inspired by Foucault and Bourdieu, we discuss how both camps discuss von Halle’s charismatic status in terms that are opaque to outsiders unfamiliar with Anthroposophical discourse.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.