One of the most recent approaches to leadership, which focuses on transforming individuals is better known as transformational leadership (Northouse, 2016, p.161). Due to raising the level of morality in others, transformational leadership had to differentiate between transformational leadership and psuedotranformational leadership.  Instead of being focused on the followers, these leaders are coined to be “self-consumed, exploitive, and power oriented, with warped moral values,” says Northouse (2016, p.163). The text used both Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein exemplifying this term, but I myself thought of Jim Jones himself who was foreseen by others as a charismatic leader (Huffington,2017).

A charismatic leader is a part of tranformational leadership. Charisma is normally seen as a positive trait, it is a gift an individual obtains that allows the individual to accomplish remarkable things (Northouse, 2016, p.164). Charismatic leaders are seen to influence followers due to their dominance, self-confidence and having a strong sense of their moral values (Northouse, 2016, p.164).

Jim Jones also foreseen to once be a charismatic leader was in charge of the mass suicide that took place in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978 (Huffington, 2017). This mass suicide consisted of inflicting poison into the body which in turn killed 909 of Jones followers. Jones gathered his followers in San Francisco, opening a Christian church known as the Peoples Temple(Huffington, 2017). Jones gathered his followers simply by providing them with information they wanted to hear, information that in fact was not true to Jones’ values. The church was constantly accused of wrong doings and ill treatment, though this did not stop the church from evolving (Huffington, 2017). Instead, due to others talking about the church, Jones decided to avoid this through moving those within the church to Jonestown, Guyana a secluded part where the cult could better evolve (Huffington, 2017). Others outside of the cult were not fully convinced that this church was what it made out to be. This caused reporters to travel to Guyana to attempt to gather more information of what was actually going on. Due to the suspicion not being put to rest Jones decided to create a mass suicide. This suicide consisted of those within the cult drinking a kool-aid poison substance in order to lead them to death. Those of younger age and babies were the first to drink the substance administered by their parents. Leaving 909 dead (Huffington,2017).

Jonestown displays how pseudotransformational leadership in fact exist. Psuedotransformational leadership is not positive and is centered around the leader and the leaders goals and wants, not taking into account the greater good of the followers (Northouse, 2016, p.163).

As for the morality part of pseudotranformational leadership, morality is very important to us as humans. Therefore affecting our morality through causing us to experience guilty or other negative emotions can therefore cause us to turn to making spur of the moment decision, which in fact can go as far as what happened in Jonestown. This can be seen on both a smaller and larger level, but tampering with an individuals morality can be extremely dangerous when it comes to decision making (Northouse, 2016, p.163).

References

Northouse, P.G. (2016).  Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications

Http://Www.Huffingtonpost.Com/Adst/The-Jonestown-Massacre_B_8592338.Html”. N.p., 2017. Print.