r/write • u/EducationalComment62 • Apr 30 '26
none of the flairs fit but im sure this is relevent How to Write a Credible Cult/Political Movement Leader Without Charisma
I love reading the stories of cult leaders and cults themselves.
And I'd like to write the story of one of the characters as a cult leader (or something resembling one).
However, this isn't my original character, but rather an interpretation of that character. I associated him less with charisma and more with manipulation.
And what character traits should I give him to easily attract his first followers and allies (I have no problem with later members).
As an explanation, here's some information about the character and the "cult" (I'd rather include it just in case).
The leader was born into a very wealthy family (though I don't want money to be the only thing that attracted others to him).
He founded a political movement that later transformed into a political cult (though more like a sect) with elements of criminal groups (gangs, mafia, terrorist groups).
Their ideology would be strange:
It would be a mix of various political views (even some that contradict each other),
misinterpreted by the founder of philosophical ideologies,
and pseudoscience.
I imagine the group's structure itself inspired by...
The O (Political Group)
the Khmer Rouge
and a bit of a Masonic lodge.
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May 05 '26
Not sure if you've ever heard of Lyndon Larouche, but your description of their muddled and contradictory ideology reminds me very strongly of him. He started out as a Communist but by the '80s many considered him far right, and he ran in something like eight presidential elections, mostly as a democrat. Once he ran his campaign from prison, where he was serving time for fraud. He had no electoral success, but did have a group of a few thousand followers that could definitely be called a political cult.
He always seemed singularly uncharismatic to me, but he still had followers. Charisma can be a personal quality everyone sees, but I think in many cases it's more like a parasocial relationship. The leader has a psychological need to be worshipped, and he has something to give in return. Permission to hate, maybe. Or confirmation that they're special. Or just a sense of purpose and belonging. He claims with great sincerity to have what they want, and some people will happily bow down and worship him for it, even if more psychologically healthy people find his appeal mystifying. And when it comes time to drink the Flavor Aid or let der fuehrer fuck their wives, they're so invested and have sacrificed so much for The Movement already that they don't know how not to go along with it.
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u/AllTheFutures_Novel May 08 '26
Good question. Ran into a similar issue writing a cultish figure recently. Short answer: do your research. The thing that helped me most were documentaries that interviewed people who became followers and what conditions led to them sinking deeper into the cult. If you capture that it’ll be believable, then you can get creative with your figurehead. Keep writing!
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u/Exotic-Part7039 May 03 '26
The gift of gab, psychological warfare, he knew exactly what to say and how to say it though maybe narcissistic playing off of others traumas and using them against them creating his own trauma bond with each member, showering attention on each newbie, making them feel special etc etc. not necessarily charasmatic. Intelligent and has a way of speaking that makes others listen?