Cults Of Personality Essay

What effects -- if any -- do cults of personalities have on a culture and society? When we think of cults, we usually tend to think of a group who all follow one specific belief or leader. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a cult of personality is a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved. Of course, there are many problems that may arise in this situation, one being that cults of personalities are a threat to a culture’s freedom because they directly target democracies and can extinguish a society’s liberties by elevating one person to such a point that they become god-like in the eyes of their followers.

Cults of personality can be anything from mass worship to strong political support of a leader. Charisma is crucial for leaders and an important tool in uniting a following. Usually these leaders are very active and bubbly and act very interested in their follower’s interests. Because of their charismatic and attractive personalities, their followers tend to mimic their leaders and subconsciously start to take on some of their traits and

By the time they have gained their followings they are often too large and powerful to be stopped. They are a threat to freedom and society’s and people’s own individual beliefs and liberties. They directly target democracies and destroy peace. By elevating one person higher above everyone else, they can sometimes gain control over not only their followers, but also the media and news outlets. This creates a hazardous situation full of false information being widely distributed to the public. The idea of a dictatorial government has been proven wrong and incapable of producing a healthy and thriving socioeconomic society numerous times. Personality cults are too dangerous to let them occur, and pose too many problems to