Great Man Theory
An approach to history associated with the nineteenth-century Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle. He declared that heroes shape history through the vision of their intellect, the beauty of their art, the prowess of their leadership, and, most important, their divine inspiration.
(cite: dictionary.com)
- Scottish Historian, critic, sociological writer.
- Started education at home with his parents
- Ages 5 to 9 he went to his village school then 9 to 14 attended Annan Grammar School
- At age 14 in 1809 he attend school at a University in Edinburgh until 1814
- Wanted to be a minister but left without a degree and became a math tutor
- wrote the tract " Shooting Niagara" against the Reform Act
- Carlyle spoke insultingly of Darwin
(cite: victorianweb.org)
Characteristics:
- Developing leadership is based on Darwinistic principles.
Darwinistic thinking assumes leadership comes from hereditary properties.
- Leaders are born, not made
Being a leader comes from your family line. It is a trait/characteristic you have in you when you are born.
- Leaders have natural abilities of power and influence
Leaders have the ability within themselves to have power and influence over others. This means that they "naturally" have these characteristics within them to help them lead by influence and power.
Leaders act in different ways than their followers.
Leaders have certain personality traits that have them act different than their followers. These traits are something they have within themselves from the start.
Leader Examples:
Joan of
Arc
Joan of Arc was a leader. She became an icon during the One Hundred Years War. She attacked and captured St. Loup and St. Jean le Blanc. Joan of Arc kept defying the war council by capturing fortresses. Even after taking an arrow to the neck Joan of Arc returned to war to lead her troops into the final Charge. (cite: www.joanofarc.us)
Joan of Arc is considered one of the woman to represent the Great Man Theory because she had natural gifts and the quality to lead her troops to victory. She didn't work to improve her leadership skills, she just had them in her.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was active in the civil rights movement. He was active in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He stood up and gave his "I Have a Dream" speech declaring how he wants there to be no type of discrimination at all. He also tried to get a bill that guaranteed voting rights to the black community.
(cite: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/martin_luther_king.htm )
Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader who stood up for what he believed in. He had it in him when he was born because his family line had leaders including his grandfather and father being pastors.
This theory is relevant because you hear a lot of people say someone was born a leader. This just means that someone is born to lead others and they have excellent qualities to be a leader. People often become like one of their parents and act like one of them as they grow up without knowing it. If a parent was a great leader then it is likely that the child could also be one.
- People telling us were are born leaders
- Two teachers who were top of their class in high school had children. The children became top of their classes during high school also and were both salutatorians. They both received full ride scholarships to college due to their academics.
Thomas Carlyle
Definition :
Definition:
"Great Man Theory." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2012.
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/great%20man%20theory?s=t>.
Thomas Carlyle:
Landow, George. "Thomas Carlyle: Biography." Thomas Carlyle: Biography. N.p., n.d.
Web. 05 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carlyle/carlyle4.html>.
Characteristics:
Komives, Susan R., Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon. "Chapter 2." Exploring
Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 1998. 48. Print.
Hughes, Richard L., Robert C. Ginnett, and Gordon J. Curphy. "Chapter 7." Leadership:
Enhancing the Lessons of Experience. Homewood, IL: Irwin, 1993. 203-04.
Print.
Cite: Leadership Enhancing the Lessons of Experience
Leader Examples:
"Joan of Arc in Battle." Joan of Arc in Battle. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.joanofarc.us/>.
"Martin Luther King." Martin Luther King. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/martin_luther_king.htm>.
Great Man Theory
By: Frank Spoto, Katelyn Sees,
and Kristin Leitenberger