Introduction
According to the definition provided by most theorists in the fields of sociology and political science, "a party is a political group whose goal is to achieve and gain power peacefully." The formation of political parties and movements in Iran has its roots in the Constitutional Revolution and has typically emerged within the frameworks of liberal, leftist, and religious movements. However, when examining the process of the formation and development of parties in Iran, it becomes evident that political parties have always had a specific definition and, consequently, their own frameworks and limitations based on the type of constitution of the country. This issue has led to a divergence between the understanding of political parties and the definition agreed upon by theorists, making it difficult to establish a theoretical relationship with that definition. In this context, the increasing influence of party personalities in Iran, particularly the personality-centric approach of an individual within a party, has complicated the functions of these parties and raised questions about the extent to which they can impact and be influenced. Thus, the research initially poses the central question: To what extent has the personality-centric party thinking among elite members influenced the effectiveness of parties, specifically the National Trust Party, from 2005 to 2013?
Theoretical Framework
The role of elites in political and party arenas is typically divided into two broad categories. In the first category, elites are considered the primary or perhaps the sole factor in party decision-making processes. In the second category, the political and party elites' roles are seen as minimal, being influenced by environmental factors and conditions. However, alongside these two theories, a third perspective emerges, viewing political and party elites not as possessing exclusive roles with absolute agency in decision-making nor as being entirely subject to environmental conditions. Instead, this perspective introduces them as factors alongside other influential elements in decision-making, policy-making, and governance processes.
Research Methodology
Given the focus of this study on "the role of personality-centric party thinking among elite party members on the effectiveness of the National Trust Party from 2005 to 2013," a foundational conceptualization theory has been applied. It is important to clarify that foundational conceptualization is inductively discovered through the precise collection and analysis of qualitative practical data. Therefore, since this form and framework of research does not begin with a theory, the first phase commences with the research background, allowing the collection of data to stabilize related theories. This section outlines the methods of conducting interviews and the process of analyzing the information through open, axial, and selective coding stages, accompanied by coding tables. Furthermore, the process of theorizing (foundational conceptualization) using the codes and the research narrative is explained, culminating in the presentation of the desired research model. Consequently, data collection methods were conducted through two approaches: first, documentary-archival and library methods; and second, field-based interviews with elite party members and political specialists in government administration and academia in the fields of sociology and political science. The research subject is observable due to its ongoing nature, and valuable works related to the research topic have been utilized. In other words, this research is a combination of qualitative methods and content analysis.
Research Findings
The findings were analyzed in two dimensions: structural organization and individual functioning of a party based on the data collected, leading to the extraction of categories and coding of data. Overall, the research concluded that Iranian parties, including the National Trust Party, often suffer from a common operational issue: the lack of attention to structural dynamics toward positive centrism to mitigate the minimal effects of environmental, individual, systemic, psychological, and operational factors. In other words, despite the elite's effective verbal analysis in the discourse, they fail to consider any of the aforementioned aspects in practical and operational domains. In fact, the action model of the elites is more often based on traditional, emotional, and spontaneous (network-oriented) frameworks than being rational and based on acquired data necessary for building structures and identifying elites to strengthen the cadres for consolidation and continuity. Thus, Iranian parties, particularly the National Trust Party, face fundamental challenges regarding party phenomena and active elite actors. Therefore, it can be said that the rational action model, due to various social and political factors, has not been able to overcome the party environment and elite members. The traditional actions of party activists manifest in familialism, grandiosity, kin-centeredness, and emotional actions in specific ideological interpretations of religion or social doctrines. This self-centeredness hinders the consolidation and effective functioning of parties and other elites within the party. The reasons behind the failure to overcome structuralism, mechanisms for identifying elites, realism, strategic approaches, party mechanisms, programmatic commitments, and committed interpretations of religion and social doctrines—as indicators of the rational action model (requirements for party activity and consolidation)—stem from a departure from creating structural actions and mechanisms for identifying elites. This results in environmental, systemic, psychological, and operational factors having the most significant influence on the party and party elites, thereby destabilizing the party's consolidation. In the case of the National Trust Party, when Mehdi Karroubi lost the election and proceeded to establish the National Trust Party, becoming its secretary-general, he himself became a symbol of grandiosity and self-centeredness. However, Karroubi's post-election stance after the 2009 presidential elections and his support for the oppressed forces by the ruling system reflects a rational action model focused on his values and, naturally, the values of the active members of the National Trust Party. It can be inferred that the action model of the active members of the National Trust Party experiences confusion between tradition, emotion, and to some extent, rationality aimed at values. This confusion does not align well with the necessities for party activity and consolidation that demand a rational action model. Perhaps, if the party members' activities in recent years had not faced extensive limitations, a continuous action process among the activists of this party could have emerged, resulting in a better-formed rational action model among its members.
Conclusion
New approaches indicate that the role of political and party elites is crucial for separating public affairs from past methods and traditions, emphasizing the need for continuous review and analysis according to changing temporal and environmental conditions. This ensures that the groundwork for decision-making based on appropriate and timely thoughts is established. Therefore, the role of party elites in modern society combines new norms, methods, goals, and attention to temporal and spatial conditions, transcending the traditional top-down communication patterns. In other words, the hierarchical roles of the past no longer meet contemporary decision-making needs, and the interaction and roles of party elites—especially their influence—have undergone transformation and change. Consequently, the intellectual and professional roles of political elites cannot be defined merely in relation to a top-down structure; they depend on linear definitions and connections with other entities. As a result, the activities of political and party elites are positioned within a broader and more complex framework, where the legitimacy of these elites arises from processes informed by the study of political science.