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.
1. 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.
2. Mystical Manipulation
In 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.
3. Demand for Purity
The 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.
4. The Cult of Confession
Serious 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.
5. 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.
6. Loading the Language
Lifton 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.
7. Doctrine Over Person
Human 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.
8. Dispensing of Existence
The 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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