| Eight Marks of a Mind-Control Cult |
| Written by Randall Watters |
| Sunday, 08 February 2009 14:32 |
Brainwashing has become almost a household word in the last two decades or so. In 1961, Robert J. Lifton wrote the definitive book on the subject, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, after studying the effects of mind control on American prisoners of war under the Communist Chinese. Lifton outlines eight major factors that can be used to identify whether a group is a destructive cult or not. Any authoritarian religion should be held up to the light in order to determine just how destructive their influence is on their members. Judge for yourselves. Try reading Understanding Mind Control Among Jehovah's Witnesses.
Milieu Control"Milieu" is a French word meaning "surroundings; environment." Cults are able to control the environment around their recruits in a number of ways, but almost always using a form of isolation. Recruits can be physically separated from society, or they can be warned under threat of punishment to stay away from the world's educational media, especially when it might provoke critical thinking. Any books, movies or testimonies of ex-members of the group, or even anyone critical of the group in any way are to be avoided. Information is carefully kept on each recruit by the mother organization. All are watched, lest they fall behind or get too far ahead of the thinking of the organization. Because it appears that the organization knows so much about everything and everyone, they appear omniscient in the eyes of the recruits.
Mystical ManipulationIn religious cults, God is ever-present in the workings of the organization. If a person leaves for any reason, accidents or ill-will that may befall them are always attributed to God's punishment on them. For the faithful, the angels are always said to be working, and stories circulate about how God is truly doing marvelous things among them, because they are "the truth." The organization is therefore given a certain "mystique" that is quite alluring to the new recruit.
Demand for PurityThe world is depicted as black and white, with little room for making personal decisions based on a trained conscience. One's conduct is modeled after the ideology of the group, as taught in its literature. People and organizations are pictured as either good or evil, depending on their relationship to the cult. Universal tendencies of guilt and shame are used to control individuals, even after they leave. There is great difficulty in understanding the complexities of human morality, since everything is polarized and oversimplified. All things classified as evil are to be avoided, and purity is attainable through immersion into the cult's ideology.
The Cult of ConfessionSerious sins (as defined by the organization) are to be confessed immediately. The members are to be reported if found walking contrary to the rules. There is often a tendency to derive pleasure from self-degradation through confession. This occurs when all must confess their sins before each other regularly, creating an intense kind of "oneness" within the group. It also allows leaders from within to exercise authority over the weaker ones, using their "sins" as a whip to lead them on.
The "Sacred Science"The cult's ideology becomes the ultimate moral vision for the ordering of human existence. The ideology is too "sacred" to call into question, and a reverence is demanded for the leadership. The cult's ideology makes an exaggerated claim for possessing airtight logic, making it appear as absolute truth with no contradictions. Such an attractive system offers security.
Loading the LanguageLifton explains the prolific use of "thought-terminating cliches," expressions or words that are designed to end the conversation or controversy. We are all familiar with the use of the cliches "capitalist" and "imperialist," as used by antiwar demonstrators in the 60's. Such cliches are easily memorized and readily expressed. They are called the "language of non-thought," since the discussion is terminated, not allowing further consideration. In the Watchtower, for instance, expressions such as "the truth", the "mother organization", the "new system", "apostates" and "worldly" carry with them a judgment on outsiders, leaving them unworthy of further consideration.
Doctrine Over PersonHuman experience is subordinated to doctrine, no matter how profound or contradictory such experiences seem. The history of the cult is altered to fit their doctrinal logic. The person is only valuable insomuch as they conform to the role models of the cult. Commonsense perceptions are disregarded if they are hostile to the cult's ideology.
Dispensing of ExistenceThe cult decides who has the "right" to exist and who does not. They decide who will perish in the final battle of good over evil. The leaders decide which history books are accurate and which are biased. Families can be cut off and outsiders can be deceived, for they are not fit to exist!
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Comments (8)
  written by Darlene , June 01, 2009 There are times when you meet person and literature that have you understand the term "text book". report abuse
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 written by Pat , July 12, 2009 Most all organizations have the potential for cultism when they encourage, induce, or coerce the individual to submit to organizational philosophy without allowing room for dissent, and presuming that organizational philosophy is "always good, never bad." When communities inherit that same perception, a strength of purpose is formed so that the organization is never questioned for its philosophy, its actions, or its methods. It matters little whether the organization is governmental, political, spiritual, religious, educational, civil or philanthropic in nature. Requiring submission to the organization is sufficient to place it into the class of cultism by which community protocol is set, and deemed to be the ideal. It is more than mind control; it is community control by the anticipated effects that are designed to bring about the very effects sought. Majority rule that consumes all with whom it comes into contact can be presumed to be pervasive, parasitic, and monstrous in its power to destroy individualism rather than to preserve the individual. It is one of the reasons the American Constitution is built around and upon the concept of the natural individual and his/her rights, and includes the balance of divided power to maintain that balance to prevent totalitarianism. The right to protest is therefore a highly desirable commodity to prevent totalitarianism, and hence, the right to free speech to prevent propaganda that would otherwise contribute to the all-consuming, pervasive nature of blind faith and obedience, subverting the individual in the process. Blind faith is following through ignorance and robotic acceptance, drone-life, not acceptance through education, knowledge acquisition and voluntary acceptance. It is the antithesis of freedom and autonomy. report abuse
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 written by PhatChance , August 17, 2009 Reading through this article I realised that sure it does describe cults pretty accurately, but it parts of it also describe mainstream religion pretty damn accurately too. report abuse
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 written by Religionanthropologist , November 21, 2009 The demand for purity can be seen in almost any society. It is simply a different word for morality. In most societies, pedophilia is a cause for shame and guilt, as it murder, rape etc. People who commit such acts are ostracized from the mainstream society and often punished and expected to "repent" of their transgressions for the chance to be reincorporated into society. This article uses loaded language itself. The use of words like "God" and "angels" imply almost exclusively Judeo-Christian beliefs, limiting cults to groups that have similar beliefs to the religions in that group. That is definitely not the case. Not to mention language like "destructive" in reference to cults in general is loaded, implying that cults, ergo religions in general, offer absolutely no benefit to practitioners. I am not defending cults, but if a blog is to use the title "Free minds," then it cannot engage in the same sort of biased rhetoric as fundamentalist sects and cults. report abuse
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 written by MG , December 13, 2009 very informative and important article report abuse
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 written by Wane Ker , March 22, 2010 All of you peasants are pitifully educated. Now let's dance! report abuse
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 written by mike , June 07, 2010 we know and understand that people are being brainwashed to the point of annoyance and anger towards the ones instrumenting it and the frustration dealing with the victims!, our intelligence will keep us in a state of constant refute as we feel the need to make aware and save the victims!!!, the unfortunate part about it is they are fighting on "gods" side and see us as an instrument of the devil and we are just fighting against brainwashing!,so we are looked upon as the ones needing saving! also you will find that they are more concerned with the afterlife then with life! they do the math and a few short years here on earth or eternity in heaven!?,its also very simple for them to look at us drinking, smoking, dancing, sex,music,on and on to give them more fuel to their argument!, and as they are constantly bombarded with the bible saying do not defile thyself they believe they have already won!, they have chosen an old book over science and psychology!,we fought in ww2 for freedom of speech and thought and they are destroying the memory of the people who fought and died for those freedoms!, yes i could go on!,and will keep fighting this battle! but thats enough anger in me for now! michael jameson ldantiqueguy@hotmail.com'>oldantiqueguy@hotmail.com report abuse
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