Scientology
To really dig into this we have to look at the work of several cult experts and researchers in my opinion.
I often refer to the work of a dozen or so individuals when asked about this.
I can start with one of the top experts ever on the subject Margaret Singer. Professor Singer interviewed over four thousand ex cult members over her career. I recall an interview in which she said a cult is a group that tries to control all or nearly all your decision making. That's a key point, a crucial difference between a cult and another group.
To give some degree of reference, some evidence for this in plain terms, I am going to quote another expert on cults, he is known as the top expert and historian on Scientology, and a bona fide expert on influence in his own right - Jon Atack.
I am going to quote a brief excerpt from his superb book Opening Minds:
“In 1985, the Boston Church of Christ asked Flavil Yeakley, a personality test expert, to make a study of its members. Critics insisted that the group caused unhealthy transformations of personality in its members. The Boston Church of Christ was accused of being a cult that was brainwashing its members.
Over 900 members filled in extensive questionnaires. Yeakley also administered the Meyers-Briggs’ Type Indicator to 30 members each of six groups generally regarded as ‘manipulative sects’ – Yeakley’s expression – including Scientology, The Way, the Unification Church (or Moonies), the Hare Krishna Society, Maranatha and the Children of God, and to 30 members each in five mainstream churches: Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran and Presbyterian. The same personality test was filled out three times by most of the subjects – as if it were five years earlier; from their present perspective; and how they anticipated they would answer five years into the future.
In Yeakley’s words, ‘Changes in psychological type do not indicate normal healthy growth. Such changes indicate some pressure in the environment that causes people to deny their true type and try to become like someone else.’ There were no significant deviations in personality type over time among members of the five mainstream churches, but all of the ‘manipulative sects’ showed significant movement, including the Boston Church of Christ, in direct opposition to its leader’s conviction that his group was not a cult.
Yeakley found that there was a convergence towards a particular personality type within each manipulative sect, but that the type varied from group to group. In other words, the ‘manipulative sects’ were changing the personalities of their members each towards its own specific type. The effect has come to be known as ‘cloning’ and is a substantial proof that thought reform occurs in some groups.
This work is supported by a study made by Paul Martin and Rod Dubrow-Marshall, who sampled 567 former members and demonstrated significant effects relating to depression, dissociation and anxiety induced by cult membership.″ end quote Jon Atack, Opening Minds
Flavil Yeakley described his research in the book The Discipling Dilemma.
Numerous cult experts now use the term cloning to describe the personality changes that cult members undergo. It's a quite common concept among cult experts to regard a cult indoctrination as involving the process of having a pseudo personality or identity created in the mind of the cult member and this is a duplicate of the perceived personality of the cult founder or leader. The personality of the cult member is seen as buried, suppressed, or set aside and the cloned personality of the guru (cult leader) is seen as dominant in this hypothesis.
Professor Rod Dubrow-Marshall published his research in The Influence Continuum – the Good, the Dubious, and the Harmful – Evidence and Implications for Policy and Practice in the 21st Century, International Journal of Cultic Studies. vol.1, no.1, 2010
This is regarded as significant evidence of the changes that occur in a cult. To understand how they occur and the fine details of what happens, what the group does, what the cult leader does and what role each plays we have a wealth of resources to examine.
The most widely used and successful model to describe the methods and effects of influence in cultic relationships is almost certainly the eight criteria for thought reform, created by Robert Jay Lifton. Originally they were a chapter in his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism. Thousands of people found this simple and thorough description extremely useful in reframing their own experiences and defining the methods used against them. This has been uniquely effective for both education and recovery.
In response, Doctor Lifton made his eight criteria for thought reform available for free online, to be used to help others.
I think it's the best reference for a concise and helpful description of the techniques used to control people by cults.
First I will give you an abridged description.
Dr. Robert J. Lifton's Eight Criteria for Thought Reform
- Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.
- Mystical Manipulation. There is manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority or spiritual advancement or some special gift or talent that will then allow the leader to reinterpret events, scripture, and experiences as he or she wishes.
- Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.
- Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.
- Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.
- Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating cliches, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.
- Doctrine over person. Member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.
- Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also. (Lifton, 1989)
I absolutely recommend the entire chapter for anyone who wants to understand the techniques used in cults, as well as the lectures and articles by Robert Jay Lifton available online.
Several other people have been capable of describing the techniques used by cults as well. Cults do have some degree of variation, some for example do not have a living founder or leader. Some have a small council or no central leader. Some use the doctrine of the group to function as the leader and members are devoted to that. You can find for example, many white supremacists are in a cultic group but do not see any individual as a guru, not even Hitler. This is in part because Hitler failed terribly and gurus generally are seen as infallible. So they often have a doctrine that has a mish mash of various ideas they follow if no strong central leader.
I also recommend the BITE model developed by Steve Hassan. His model combines much of the work of earlier models and covers many aspects of cults and the fact that much of the cultic phenomena is expressed across a spectrum and best understood that way. He has this available free at Freedom of Mind, his website.
I wrote a very detailed evaluation of Scientology (which I was a member of for twenty five years) using the BITE model.
I also recommend the work of two other individuals in addition to those above and I should mention that Margaret Singer has the superb book Cults In Our Midst and several excellent interviews on YouTube.
The other two experts are Alexandra Stein and Daniel Shaw. Each has a book that has a great deal of unique information on the subject from their perspective.
Stein's book Terror, Love and Brainwashing includes research on attachment theory, neuroscience and the work of Hannah Arendt and describes the process of cult conversion and indoctrination quite well.
In Depth Analysis of Books and Videos
Shaw's book Traumatic Narcissism offers his own insight into the mind of the guru, the mindset of the cult member and the dynamics of the abusive relationship between them.
One last book that I should mention is Cults Inside Out by Rick Alan Ross. He has compiled a great collection of descriptions of the references and researchers involved with the subject, in addition to a great introduction to the subject of his own. His book is so thorough and well written, it could be used as a guide to a comprehensive curriculum on the subject.
Scientology
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