Those who study the phenomenon behind cults have revealed that the majority of their leaders share several key attributes. Narcissism is a key characteristic, one that helps them employ a definitive power imbalance between the leader and the followers. To attract and retain followers, a cult leader will typically need to have a magnetic personality, with a level of charisma that infects the inner circle of the cult. Referred to as "charisma by proxy," according to Janja Lalich, professor emerita of sociology at California State University, Chico, (via the Cult Education Institute), this makes it possible for the cult to grow above and beyond what the leader could achieve on their own. And while Psych Mechanics notes that cult leaders will have an intelligent structure of beliefs, a high IQ isn't among the 50 traits a cult leader typically possesses, as outlined by Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence agent, in Psychology Today by Joe Navarro.
One might still assume that a cult leader possesses a genius-level IQ, but that has certainly not been the case historically. And though Charles Manson scored above average on his intelligence tests, he was far from "genius" level.
According to Jeff Guinn in his book, "Manson," Charles Manson was first administered an IQ test when he was incarcerated at 16. His score of 109 is considered to be above average. Several years later, he was tested again at another facility and fared a bit better. This time Manson's score elevated to "high normal," at 121.
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