Cults and Psychological Manipulation Research Paper

Cults and psychological manipulation
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Introduction
Cults have always been associated with mental and psychological manipulation of members in what is commonly referred to as “brainwashing” (Ex-cult.org, 2016). Cult leaders strive to achieve mind control of members by promoting a system of beliefs that completely disorient the personal thoughts of an individual. According to Coon and Mitterer (2008), most victims of psychological manipulation may not even be aware of what may be happening and strictly follow what their leaders tell them. The followers have to conform to the cultish new belief system by reforming their personalities and training their minds to adapt to the new way of thinking (MacHovec, 2009). Cults are known for their utopian and idealist belief systems that are full of false promises. The nature of thinking that is promoted by cults is dualistic and bi-polar in nature where the world is viewed in two opposing ways (Ex-cult.org, 2016). The cult followers are trapped by the belief that they will be viewed as heroic by practicing the cult teachings. The only way cult leaders can ensure conformity and complete control is through frequent manipulation and followers and up believing everything their leaders tell them. According to Edmiston (2010), most cult leaders are manipulative and always demand for full submission from members and portray themselves as anointed apostles, God Himself or Prophets of God. The leaders teach their members that all practices outside the group are bad and that everything within the group is good (Kelley, 2002). The other interesting thing about cults is that they always avoid logical conclusions and only focus on feelings such as mystical insights, intuitions and emotions. Cults view any rational thought as evil and any independent thought as selfish and that is why they are always characterized by group psychology (Edmiston, 2010). This paper will review three articles that discuss the use of psychological manipulation in cults.
Article 1: Cults, Psychological Manipulation, and Society: International Perspectives - An Overview.
The article discusses the theological, social, ethical and psychological concerns about cults, the impact of cults on the society as well as the psychological manipulation of cult members by their leaders. According to Langone (2001), a cult has many definitions, but the most notable one is devotion to a person, thing or divine being through reverential homage. Most cults are characterized by external ceremonies ad rites and socialists argue that the cults are different from denominations, sects and churches because of their fervent and innovative nature. Langone (2001) observes that cults tend to lose their fervor the moment they are accepted into the mainstream because churches and denominations are more organized. Moreover, cults demand total commitment and are only held to together by charismatic relationships. Cult leaders are accorded a lot of power by their members and most of them end up becoming abusive (Langone (2001). The power wielded by the charismatic leaders of cultic groups can lead to a lot of social harm such the undermining of democratic values and the breaking of the law.
A cultic group may be religious, commercial, political or psychotherapeutic depending on the level of manipulation and deception. Cults are characterized by an authoritarian structure and member’s adulation of leaders. The other articles do not mention anything about the existing debate on whether cults in different locations have different levels of commitment and membership. However, Langone (2001) interrogates the issue that according to the growing body of empirical research and clinical evidence, cultic groups vary in different ways. Some cultic groups harm people while others are never interested in harming people. However, most cultic groups that adversely affect the society in general, including families and individuals. Langone (2001) asserts that the unfalsifiable assumptions about cultic groups are normally supported by most people who pay little attention to the empirical foundation of the cult issue. The groups are very extreme when it comes to their beliefs and that is why most see veil everywhere they while others do not see any evil. Most cults may not be harmful, but most people normally react negatively because they have grown up being told that cults cause a lot of harm to people including psychological harm. The psychological dimension of cult focuses on cult reform. However, thought reform is not necessarily a bad thing considering the fact the concept of physiological coercion to improve the performance of employees but critics of cult groups normally think about the concept in an ethical context to completely disapprove cultic groups (Langone 2001).
Some scholars still argue that coercive persuasion may have some useful goals, but it is unethical to use on people. Most cult leaders lie to their members in the name of self-improvement, social betterment and religion. Outsiders have always tried their level best to impose reforms in cultic groups without much success and that is why the best kind of reform should begin from within. When compared to the other two articles, this article highlights the dilemma that most governments face when dealing with cults. Most societies permit freedom of religion but any group that violates legal standards and commonly held ethical standards will always be criticized. Some cultic groups have always been associated with abuse of children, medical neglect, educational neglect, misuse of charitable status, tax evasion, pursuit of political goals, and deceptive fundraising hence losing their credibility (Langone, 2001). Most governments find it difficult to balance between law enforcement and allowing people to enjoy their religious freedom when it comes to cultic groups.
Article 2: Psychological Manipulation, Cults and Cultic Relationships: A Workshop for Mental Health Professionals.
The article by Henry discusses psychological manipulation in relation to cults and cultic relationships. The author agrees with Langone’s definition of a destructive cults and highlights some of the characteristics of destructive cults. According to this articl...