What Do You Know About Cults?

One of my favorite humorists, Oscar Wilde, quoted a popular adage that I absolutely love: 

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." 

At one of my presentations about cults I used that adage to convey this:

Anyone who does not stand for good values, such as respectful discussion, empathy, and transparent leadership, just might find themselves falling for a cult.

Feel free to share the following info with anyone who is worried about a loved one (or themselves!) in danger of falling for a controlling organization making promises that sound too good to be true.

A word of caution

Be wary about spending boatloads of time and energy trying to talk someone out of their involvement in a group that you see as manipulative and deceptive--but remain open to talk about it if they want to. 

Remember this wise saying from Mark Twain: "It's easier to fool a man than to convince him he has been fooled.

Note: The following is from a presentation I gave to college students.

We hear the word cult often these days, especially in conversations about movies such as The Handmaid's Tale and Going Clear and the A&E television series, Cults and Extreme Beliefs.

If you've read the Preface of Undertow, my memoir, you may remember I used the following definition of cult.

What is a cult?

“An ideological organization held together by charismatic relationships and demanding total commitment.”

~ Benjamin Zablocki, PhD, “Cults: Theory and Treatment Issues.”

How do cults recruit?

Promises and pressure

What are some warning signs?

  1. Charismatic, authoritarian, self-proclaimed leader without a check on power
  2. Deceptive recruiting (often sincere)
  3. Critical inquiry viewed as “persecution”
  4. Organized psychological manipulation
  5. Emotional, sexual, and financial exploitation
  6. Inner circle of loyal followers with secret beliefs/behavior
  7. No meaningful economic transparency

How do cults undermine freedom?

  1. Demand loyalty to cult leader/ideology
  2. Disallow freedom of religion (theirs is the only right one)
  3. Intimidate to prevent free thought
  4. Control personal goals
  5. Destabilize freedom of association

How can we respond to recruiters? A B C D

A - Always research group

B - Be firm when refusing recruitment

C - Challenge appealing promises

D - Don’t tolerate deception, even from a friend

Warning

An imbalance of power is an opportunity for abuse

Some helpful sources

Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassen

Recovery from Cults, edited by Michael D. Langone, PhD

Bounded Choice by Janja Lalich, PhD

Find my memoir about 17 years in The Way International at major booksellers and indie bookstores. Libraries can order it upon request! 

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

and many eBook vendors like Kobo.

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