Reference no: EM133055263

Overview

Jim Jones was the American founder of the People's Temple Church, which later became a cult-like movement. Although the group began with more mainstream belief, Jones later claimed to be an incarnation of Jesus, Akhenaten, the Buddha, Lenin, and Father Divine, and he performed fake miracles to attract new members. He founded Jonestown in Guyana in 1977, where he and many of his followers took up residence, closed off from nonmembers. In 1978, most of the members followed Jones' advice and committed collective suicide by drinking Flavor Aid laced with poison. In all, authorities found 917 dead corpses, including Jones. Most died from the poison, but others died of cyanide injections or gunshots. Some of the deaths were suicides, others homicides. Jones himself died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Having charisma increases one's transformational leadership. It is one of the key elements of transformational leadership. According to his followers, Jim Jones was a highly charismatic leader. In fact, he was even perceived as a transformational leader by the majority of his followers. What was then missing in Jim Jones' dark, evil leadership? Is there a dark side to charismatic leadership?