Group Survival

Last worked on:

10/3/95

see comments next slide

Suggestions for building this lecture

In class, I used illustrations from The Family. This should be built into the lecture. [use a/b a 4 min video clip of Father David talking about death.

Group Survival:
Succession and Institutionalization

Soc 257

New Religious Movements

Lecture Outline

Part I
Authority

Locating authority as a social activity

Authority is the socially recognized right of individuals or institutions to act on behalf of others or in the name of institutions.

Types of authority

Traditional Authority

Rational-Legal Authority

Charismatic authority

Part II
Charisma and Sucession

Succession

How are new leaders selected?

Transformation of authority from leader's charisma to organizational process

Routinization of Charisma

Routinization of charisma not a routine process

Members may disagree about how the founders expectations for the group are the be carried out.... and be willing to engage in struggle for leadership in order to act according to their understanding.

Factors that contribute to successful institutionalization

???

Paper topics invited

Part III
Dilemmas of Institutionalizatoin

Dilemmas of Institutionalization

Although institutionalization is necessary for any organization to survive, it brings with it all sorts of mixed blessings -- or dilemmas.

In is classic study of Mormons, O'Dea concluded that although instiutionalization is necessary, it changes the character of the movement.

"religion both needs most and suffers most from institutionalization."

O'Dea's
Dilemmas of Institutionalization

Dilemma of mixed motivations

The symbolic dilemma

Examples:

Dilemma of administrative order

Love Charter of The Family

Dilemma of delimitation

Dilemma of power

Dilemma of expansion

Next session:

First Hour Examination