Why do people get so emotionally attached to cult leaders, whether they be church or political or other?

Take Hinckley for example. Members were so in love with that guy. But why? None of us knew him. He was a stranger to us. It's not like we could have called him up and said 'let's do lunch' Still, we get so attached that it is irrelevant that we don't know the leader. We come to see him as a good friend.

Is there a proper psychological term for this phenomenon of getting attached to cult figures? It is irrational, really.

I've never understood it. I don't understand people going all gaga over movie stars either. I saw Tony Danza at Kids R Us the other day. I've never met him. I felt it would be rude to approach him or stare at him. I went about my business like he was anyone else in the room. In reality, that's who he is. Just another person. He happens to have a job that makes him recognizable. He's NOT the characters he plays. Neither are the cult leaders.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2014 01:00AM by madalice.

I think the blind devotion to leaders is what makes a cult a cult. So, a psychological term for the phenomenon might be "cult."

Devotion/Adoration/Veneration of Leaders

Droning sermons ('talks') with mandatory, monitored attendance.


Micro-Management (garments, word of wisdom, etc) and the dependence it spawns...

those are the Corps Main Events, IMHO

This is along similar lines.

When I was younger, the Smashing Pumpkins was my favorite band. The music moved me deeply and I could relate to it. I collected bootlegs and drove to different states to see some shows.

I hung out with the band on a few occasions and had a sushi lunch with Billy Corgan.

I discovered that Billy was just an intelligent and talented asshole. James and Jimmy were just nice and normal people.

After those experiences, I realized that fame is bullshit and that we have unrealistic expectations of people. I applied that knowledge to church leadership as well, and stopped putting them on a pedestal.

People yearn for leadership because we are pack animals.

We want approval from those perceived to be most powerful and admirable in our culture. The mind naturally is always looking for role models from birth. Someone without a strong idea of who they look up to and want to be like is more vulnerable to be wowed by cults of personality.

Humans evolved in tribes. We are capable of having relationships with a few hundred people, but we are now members of institutions with thousands or millions of people.

Institutions and nations try to change that by personalizing our relationship with them. They put up photos of leaders to make them seem more like tribal chiefs or parental figures to make the institution look more personable. Instead of betraying LDS, Inc, you are betraying Uncle Tommy.

Advertisers do this when they hire celebrity endorsements. Here is your favorite baseball player using this shampoo. Here is your favorite movie star eating this brand of cereal. You don't know these people, but you feel like they are part of your tribe and know things you should know.

Great comment!

From earliest childhood mormons are taught such concepts as the Bishop is the father of our ward.

I never was attached to any leader. I feared the bishop. Well, I was taught to by the pervert who was my bishop when I was a teenager.

I was taught to respect the GAs. I was rather shocked by the disrespect shown to them when I first came to this board and then I realized I DIDN'T HAVE TO respect them! It was then I finally realized I had a right to be angry at them for what they had done to my life.

I think Tommy is not doing them any favors by continuing to breathe.

One reason to have really old guys up top is that when you get a clunker, he generally doesn't last too long. Think how they would suffer if TSM had been in office for decades.

People attach to Jeysus, Putin, Stalin, Shah Ali Baba all the time...
Perfectly normal.
We are Sheep.

quinlansolo Wrote:
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> We are Sheep.

Reminds me of a line in a Carol Lynn Pearson poem, The Sheep .. Can't remember the exact line but something like:-

"Secure in following whose wool happens to be up front with blissful Baa and unsuspicious sniff dives off the cliff".

The strong inclination to trust and/or admire those who convincingly display confidence (regardless of actual expertise), who exert authority or give the appearance of having it, and who also appear to have impressive material wealth or success appears to be a very common human bias.

In very simple terms, you adore a cult leader because the cult *tells* you adore the cult leader.

They think they are rock stars...and expect to be treated as such. I've never been a fan of such people and have zero respect for those with that attitude.

Ron Burr