The following was a comment at the Underground Bunker on Hubbard's use of thought reform and professor Margaret Singer's work.
I think he saw Lifton's work on cults using rewards and penalties to control members and integrated that into his cult to dehumanize and degrade and enslave them .And Hubbard studied earlier totalistic movements and emulated Crowley and Hitler in his doctrine . Good old Hubby .
Professor Margaret Singer the late great cult expert wrote her own highly authoritative work in this field : Cults in Our Midst . In this, Prof. Singer set out 'six conditions' in which totalistic thought-reform can be achieved:
Quote :
1).Keep the person unaware of what is going on and how attempts to psychologically condition him or her are directed in a step-by-step manner.Potential new members are led, step by step, through a behavioural-change program without being aware of the final agenda or full content of the group. The goal may be to make them deployable agents for the leadership, to get them to buy more courses, or get them to make a deeper commitment, depending on the leader's aim and desires.
2). Control the person's social and/or physical environment; especially control the person's time.
Through various methods, newer members are kept busy and led to think about the
group and its content during as much of their waking time as possible.
3). Systematically create a sense of powerlessness in the person.This is accomplished by getting members away from their normal social support group for a period of time and into an environment where the majority of people are already group members.The members serve as models of the attitudes and behaviours of the group and speak an in-group language.Strip members of their main occupation (quit jobs, drop out of school) or source of income or have them turn over their income (or the majority of) to the group.Once the target is stripped of their usual support network, their confidence in their own perception erodes.As the target's sense of powerlessness increases, their good judgement and understanding of the world are diminished (ordinary view of reality is destabilized).As The group attacks the target's previous worldview, it causes the target distress and inner confusion; yet they are not allowed to speak about this confusion or object to it - leadership suppresses questions and counters resistance.This process is sped up if the targeted individual or individuals are kept tired - the cult will take deliberate actions to keep the target constantly busy.
4).Manipulate a system of rewards, punishments and experiences in such a way as to inhibit behaviour that reflects the person's former social identity.Manipulation of experiences can be accomplished through various methods of trance induction, including leaders using such techniques as paced speaking patterns, guided imagery, chanting, long prayer sessions or lectures, and lengthy meditation sessions.The target's old beliefs and patterns of behaviour are defined as irrelevant or evil.Leadership wants these old patterns eliminated, so the member must suppress them.Members get positive feedback for conforming to the group's beliefs and behaviours and negative feedback for old beliefs and behaviour.
5).The group manipulates a system of rewards, punishments, and experiences in order to promote learning the group's ideology or belief system and group-approved behaviours.Good behaviour, demonstrating an understanding and acceptance of the group's beliefs, and compliance are rewarded while questioning, expressing doubts or criticizing are met with disapproval, redress and possible
rejection. Anyone who asks a question is made to feel there is something inherently disordered about them to be questioning.The only feedback members get is from the group; they become totally
dependent upon the rewards given by those who control the environment.Members must learn varying amounts of new information about the beliefs of the group and the behaviours expected by the group.
The more complicated and filled with contradictions the new system is and the more difficult it is to learn, the more effective the conversion process will be.Esteem and affection from peers is very important to new recruits. Approval comes from having the new member's behaviours and thought patterns conform to the models (members). Members' relationship with peers is threatened whenever they fail to learn or display new behaviours. Over time, the easy solution to the insecurity generated by the difficulties of learning the new system is to inhibit any display of doubts—new recruits simply acquiesce, affirm and act as if they do understand and accept the new ideology.
6).Put forth a closed system of logic and an authoritarian structure that permits no feedback and refuses to be modified except by leadership approval or executive order.The group has a top-down, pyramid structure. The leaders must have verbal ways of never losing.Members are not allowed to question, criticize or complain. If they do, the leaders allege the member is defective, not the organization or the beliefs.The targeted individual is treated as always intellectually incorrect or
unjust, while conversely the system, its leaders and its beliefs are always automatically, and by default, considered as absolutely just. Conversion or remolding of the individual member happens in a closed system. As members learn to modify their behaviour in order to be accepted in this
closed system, they change—begin to speak the language—which serves to further isolate them from their prior beliefs and behaviours. End quote
Now I want to focus on a few concepts here but have strong opinions on all of this material .
The concept of Hubbard using rewards and penalties to control members ties into points 4 and 5 exactly . It is conditioning for covert slavery . Spending more time doing cult behaviors leaves less for old behaviors and eventually none . There are only 168 hours in a week - the cult takes them bit by bit until your old life has zero . Covert annihilation of your old identity - it is erased .
Welcome to Scientology .
Regarding the scheduling and getting people in more , it is not ultimately only financially based - THAT is a lie to cover a more wicked intent Hubbard had all along .
In point 2 controlling time is established . To remold someone having them once in a while consider an idea and essentially live independently does not work for thought reform . They must have their decision making entirely taken away .
Point 3 is helped by gradually taking away old groups and social support by asking more and more time be devoted to the cult , whether in course or session or as staff .
From point 5 quote - The more complicated and filled with contradictions the new system is and the more difficult it is to learn, the more effective the conversion process will be End quote
Both Jon Atack and I have already written about how Scientology is jam packed with contradictions to confuse , overwhelm and ultimately enslave you mentally . He has an excellent piece here and at my blog is the Secret Of Scientology part 1 by myself .
Jon Atack: At the heart of Scientology is L. Ron Hubbard’s paralyzing use of contradiction
.http://tonyortega.org/2014/11/24/jon-...
The secret of Scientology part 1 control via contradiction
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/201...
But to look at Professor Singer's idea - the cult has an incredibly complex and difficult system of thirty five million words of doctrine , courses that can last countless years to complete , a level of difficulty that may be matched by no other group's indoctrination , the aforementioned use of thousands and thousands of contradictions in the doctrine and practices AND consequently the most effective conversion process of any cult ever developed to my knowledge . And that is Scientology 101.
Mockingbird's Greatest Hits
I have reached nearly two hundred posts online and thousands of comments as well. In looking back at all that I realized a very small number of posts have been consistently the most viewed and likely most helpful for people seeking to understand Scientology.
I certainly hope they are helping people. Here I will try to present the short list of the posts that best explain my ideas and can introduce you to information that I hope will help begin beneficial examination of Scientology.
1)Insidious Enslavement: Study Technology
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/01/i...ology.html?m=0
2)Basic Introduction To Hypnosis in Scientology
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/01/b...is-in.html?m=0
3)Pissed It's Not Your Fault !!!
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/01/p...fault.html?m=0
4)The Secret Of Scientology Part 1 Control Via Contradiction
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/01/t...art-1.html?m=0
5)Burning Down Hell - How Commands Are Hidden, Varied And Repeated To Control You As Hypnotic Implants
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/02/m...-hell.html?m=0
6)Why Hubbard Never Claimed OT Feats And The Rock Bottom Basis Of Scientology
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/02/m...never.html?m=0
7)A Million Years In Hell
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/02/a...-hell.html?m=0
8-10)OT III And Beyond: Sources Plagiarized From Part 1, 2 and 3
Part 1
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/03/o...rized.html?m=0
Part 2
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/03/o...ed_14.html?m=0
Part 3
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/03/o...ed_17.html?m=0
11)Propaganda By Reversal Of Meaning In Scientology
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/03/p...ng-in.html?m=0
12)Scientology's Parallel In Nature - Malignant Narcissism
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/05/s...ure_3.html?m=0
13)OT VIII Delusion Fulfilled
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/05/o...ed_30.html?m=0.
14)There Is No Irony In Scientology
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/08/t...ology.html?m=0
15 - 16)Why Lying And Murder Are Justified In Scientology part 1 and 2
Part 1
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/10/w...ed-in.html?m=0
Part 2
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/10/w...in_26.html?m=0.
Why Lying And Murder Are Justified In Scientology part 3
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/...
17)Unraveling Scientology - A Missing Vital Ingredient
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/11/u...vital.html?m=0.
18)Loving A Lie
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/12/loving-lie.html?m=0.
19)Two Roads
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/12/two-roads.html?m=0.
20)Orders Of Magnitude Part 1
http://mbnest.blogspot.com/2015/11/o...art-1.html?m=0.
These twenty posts have been both popular and give a very good grounding in many of my ideas on Scientology
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