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The DIY Prison

Why Cults Work

Ben Gibran

Copyright © 2010 Ben Gibran

Published by Cult-Aware Campus Campaign

http://issuu.com/ben_gibran/docs/the_diy_prison

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-

NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit

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Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA.

Cover image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en.

The contents of this work are solely the personal opinion of the author and are

not intended to be a substitute for expert advice, counselling, therapy or

treatment of any kind. The author assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions

or contrary interpretations of the content or any works cited herein. There is no

guarantee of validity or accuracy. Any perceived slight of specific persons or

organizations is unintentional. If expert advice or counselling is needed, services

of a competent professional should be sought. The author assumes no

responsibility or liability and specifically disclaims any warranty, express or

implied for any techniques or practices described herein. The reader of this work

assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information.

The cover image is a modification by Ben Gibran of the work stored in the file

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Newtons_cradle_animati

on_book.gif by Dominique Toussaint. The use of this image does not entail any

endorsement by its original creator/s for the content of this book. Cover image is

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3.0/deed.en. The Publisher makes no representations or warranties with respect

to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically

disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular

purpose. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or

any commercial damages.

The author grants permission for this work to be copied

for non-commercial use only, no modifications allowed.

This book is dedicated to the memory of George Orwell,

who taught that totalitarianism begins in the mind.

Acknowledgements

I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Danielle

Clode and Ms Jenny Lee, who made invaluable editorial

comments on the style (not the content) of earlier drafts of

this work. Any errors, omissions and other shortcomings

are entirely my own.

Contents

Chapter 1 You Could Be In One Now .................... 1

Chapter 2 From Recruitment to Indoctrination .... 9

Chapter 3 The Cult Tool-Box .................................. 15

Chapter 4 Leaving Cults .......................................... 22

Chapter 5 Staying Cult-Free ................................... 26

Conclusion ................................................................. 28

1

1 _______________________

You Could Be In One Now

The most common misconception about cults is ‘I’d

never join one’. If you think that, you may well be

wrong. The error is rooted in the word ‘cult’: an

expression often used to label fringe groups with

bizarre beliefs and sometimes violent ends. In 1997,

thirty-nine members of an American UFO group

called Heaven’s Gate committed mass suicide,

believing they would be reincarnated as a higher life-

form. In 1978, disciples of the People’s Temple gave

cyanide to their own children, before taking it

themselves. 914 people died that day, including 276

children.

These groups are called ‘cults’ by the media;

but cults can take the form of families, schools,

workplaces, teen gangs, political parties and self-

improvement groups, if they use the same techniques

as Heaven’s Gate and the People’s Temple to change

beliefs and motivations. Cults can be subtle in their

indoctrination methods, yet highly effective in

2

controlling members. Most families are classic

examples, though largely of the more benign or even

beneficial sort. We can’t avoid indoctrinating our

children to some extent, but most of us (hopefully)

allow them to think for themselves eventually. Cults

don’t: they relate to members pretty much the way

parents do to their kids, and recruits often end up

behaving accordingly.

For too long, cults have been labelled a

‘problem’ only when they turn violent, or seriously

damage members’ lives. Not that the damage isn’t

significant. For every media story about cult violence,

there are thousands of unreported victims who

sacrifice their time, energy, money and even mental

health to cults. The basic problem is that cults often

impair our ability to make balanced decisions,

because they exploit our vulnerability to situational

influences.

Suppose you pass a used-car lot on the way to

work, and the salesman persuades you to buy a car

when you’re not looking for one. You drive away

happy with the bargain, but as the miles roll by it

gradually dawns that buying a car wasn’t a good

idea. You can’t afford the gas and insurance, don’t

own a garage and walk ten minutes to work. The car

is turning into a money pit. You realize that the

3

salesman used psychological techniques to get you to

overlook the negatives and see the car as a better deal

than it really is. Your initial happiness turns to regret.

You resolve to avoid slick salesmen in future, so

you’ll make better decisions.

You’ve been the victim of situational

influences: the door gift that put you in a good (and

more receptive) mood, the salesman’s winning smile,

his flattering remarks about your good judgement, his

constant flow of talk that never gives you time to

think, his unceasing emphasis on the positives, and

simple techniques like ‘dropping’ the (over-inflated)

price so you felt you had a bargain. The salesman

behaved much like a cult, with one big difference.

Once he’d made his sale, he left you alone. He

‘switched off’ the situational influences, allowing you

to regain your objectivity (albeit too late). Cults don’t.

Cults are potentially harmful for what they do

rather than their beliefs. They manipulate situational

variables to exert a high degree of control over

members. Involvement in a cult may disrupt a

member’s education, career, finances, social life or

family ties. Extreme cults are able to persuade

members to cause harm or break the law. The

techniques used by cults are also used in a wide range

of less extreme settings. This book aims to raise your

4

awareness of the effects of situational influences on

decision-making, regardless of their origin. Much like

a vaccine, your awareness of situational factors

increases your immunity to them, and your ability to

make more objective decisions.

The warning signs of cult activity are outlined

in this book, along with advice on helping cult

members and ex-members. The aim is not to cast

judgement on particular groups, but to help readers

make well-informed decisions for themselves. It is

always unproductive (not to mention legally

problematic) to label any particular group a ‘cult’.

Rather than resort to name-calling, we should focus

on compensating for situational influences wherever

they crop up.

Not all cults are religious groups (and not all

religious groups are cults); some promote political

causes, pseudo-therapies or even marketing schemes.

To help you identify potential cults, the table on the

next page lists their main features, compared to

mainstream groups that are less open to abuse. If a

group clearly displays three or more cult features, it’s

advisable to give it a miss and tell others to do so.

5

Cults: The Difference

Leaders demand unquestioning and unconditional

obedience from members.

Leaders are not accountable to anyone else, their

deliberations are secret.

The same leader has been running the group since it

started, or leadership has passed to confidants.

Members who leave are harassed, or emotionally

blackmailed.

Members are discouraged from forming relationships

outside the group.

Non-members are regarded with suspicion, hostility, or merely as potential recruits.

Recruiting new members is a mandatory activity.

Members are required to spend most of their time on

group activities.

Members have to consult group leaders on even

minor decisions.

Members have to give a high proportion of their

income to the group.

6

Non-Cult Groups

Leadership is open to questioning and criticism.

There are checks on the abuse of power, through

elections, external audits, or open meetings.

There have been several changes of leadership

through impartial procedures.

Members are free to leave the group.

Members are free to mix with family and friends

outside the group.

Non-members are not viewed with hostility, and are

under no obligation to join.

Members are not required to recruit others.

The group’s activities leave time for work, family and

a social life outside the group.

Members make their own decisions, guided by broad

principles rather than comprehensive instructions.

The group does not demand large donations.

7

Some Common Cult Types

Religious Cults are the ones that probably spring

to mind when we think ‘cult’. However, not all

religious groups are cults. Religious cults shape their

teachings and practices around the task of controlling

situational factors to facilitate recruitment and

indoctrination. They are cults first, religions second.

Self-Improvement Cults exploit the fast growing

demand for secular alternative therapies, including

motivational training, addiction counselling and

stress relief. Unlike legitimate groups, such cults aim

to promote dependence leading to long-term fee-

paying membership. Therapy cults tend to be

secretive about their methods and expect members to

recruit others.

Gangs recruit young people in their teens to early

twenties, the most vulnerable age group for cult

recruitment. At this stage in life, we’re often searching

for identity and meaning, and have a strong desire for

peer approval.

Families are the oldest and most common cults of

all. Being a parent is like having your own little

personal cult, with your children as disciples. Most

8

parents loosen the reins as kids grow, but some

families maintain a cult-like grip on kin into adult life.

This can harm members in psychologically or

physically abusive families. It helps to maintain a

mental and physical separation between your

personal and family lives, to insulate yourself against

harmful influence from domineering kinfolk.

Workplaces don’t turn up on most lists of cults,

but many employers adopt the same methods as cults

to enhance staff loyalty and ‘productivity’. We often

invest too much of our selves in relationships

distorted by the bottom line. Many of us only realize

it when we lose our jobs, and feel suddenly empty. As

with families, it helps to maintain a social life outside

work and a sense of perspective to insulate yourself

emotionally from office politics.

Ad-Hoc Cults are informal groups such as

friendship circles, clubs, fraternities, peers, colleagues,

communities: any social or professional setting where

authority figures or peers may use situational factors

to influence members. Balanced decision making calls

for alertness at all times to situational influences.

Learn to constantly weigh your beliefs and attitudes

against such influences, to avoid making decisions

you might later regret.

9

2 _______________________

From Recruitment to Indoctrination

Who’s Vulnerable?

We tend to think of cults as fringe groups full of

eccentric ‘nutters’. In fact, most cult members start off as

normal people, and only behave strangely after joining a

cult. Cult recruits are often highly educated, successful

and idealistic. Through psychological manipulation, cults

can turn such people into dysfunctional individuals who

may harm themselves or others.

The two most important defences against cults are

awareness of our own vulnerability, and knowledge of

the methods used by cults to recruit and indoctrinate.

Anyone is vulnerable to cult recruitment, but we tend to

be most vulnerable when feeling lonely or insecure. You

may feel this way when moving into a new environment

such as a city, university or workplace. Major life crises

such as divorce, unemployment, bereavement or

addiction may also trigger such feelings.

10

Cults tend to target people whom they know to be

vulnerable, and therefore likely to develop an emotional

dependence on the group. Young people are particularly

vulnerable, as they’re often searching for identity and

meaning, and have a strong desire for peer approval.

However, vulnerability to recruitment is determined more

by the situation we’re in than by any innate tendency. We

can reduce our vulnerability to cult recruitment by

building a network of emotional support, instead of just

relying on one group or individual. When moving into a

new environment, it helps to stay in touch with those left

behind.

Many cult recruiters will befriend someone to create

an emotional bond that the cult can exploit, so don’t feel

obliged to reciprocate if you suspect an agenda.

Tempting as it may be, avoid committing yourself to

anything simply out of fear of being rejected if you don’t.

Don’t feel you have to confide your most personal

thoughts or feelings to someone unless you are sure they

will treat you with respect and discretion. Above all, don’t

assume you’re immune to cult indoctrination. Always

weigh your decisions soberly against the influence of

situational factors, and adjust accordingly.

Recruitment

Cults usually rely on members to recruit others. The

two main ways are open meetings and personal contacts.

11

Cults often hold open meetings to which members of the

public are invited. These meetings are usually advertised

as lectures, seminars or informal gatherings, with no hint

of their real purpose. The advertised topic may have

something to do with self-improvement, spirituality or

politics, aimed at drawing the most open-minded or

idealistic.

The recruitment event will often feature an

inspirational talk, aimed at whipping up strong emotions

in the audience, to render them even more suggestible.

‘Spontaneous’ occurrences, from cheering in the audience

to apparent psychic phenomena, may be orchestrated to

create the right mood. At such meetings, potential

recruits are approached by cult members, who will take

down their contact details and encourage them to attend

further meetings.

Potential recruits are often invited to such meetings

by cult members who are acquaintances, friends or

family. We tend to view a group more favourably if

someone we know is in it. To begin with, invitees are

asked to make small commitments. These may involve

giving contact details, participating in ice-breaker

activities, or attending an introductory course or camp.

Small commitments are easier to make, and harder to

reject without seeming unreasonable or prejudiced.

By gradually increasing the level of commitment, cults

are able to build up a recruit’s emotional dependence on

12

the group. Once involved, recruits are reluctant to back

out of something they have invested time and effort in.

This reluctance gives rise to ‘effort-justification’, in which

they will persuade themselves to remain in the cult and

overlook its faults, in order to justify their sacrifices.

Recruits also fear losing the relationships they’ve built up

in the cult.

Indoctrination

New recruits are given a warm and affectionate

welcome in a practice called ‘love bombing’, but the

friendliness cools down at any sign of disobedience. Cults

exploit our desire to conform to the group and not be the

odd one. Lonely people tend to be recruited because

they’re more vulnerable to such exploitation. Once

recruited, members are usually discouraged from building

relationships outside the cult, thus increasing their

emotional dependence on the group.

A cult can also foster emotional dependence by

undermining members’ self-esteem (for example,

through self-criticism sessions), and then insisting they

need the group’s help to re-build their confidence.

Outsiders are viewed with hostility or suspicion,

alienating former friends and family. Members would be

expected to devote increasingly more time to the cult,

which becomes a surrogate family.

13

The head of the cult ‘family’ is usually a charismatic

authority figure, modelled on familiar ones such as

pastors, teachers, counsellors, experts, and even parents.

We are more likely to obey authority figures than equals.

This flows from our natural acceptance of authority in

social arrangements. However, the influence of an

authority figure is quickly undermined by visible

disobedience. Hence, cult leaders tend to be intolerant of

any open questioning or criticism.

Cults put recruits through a process of disorientation

and depersonalization to soften them up for

indoctrination. Disorientation tends to heighten recruits’

suggestibility. Cults can disorientate recruits through

intense emotional experiences, mind-numbing activities,

confusing instructions, physical and mental exhaustion,

or hunger. Disorientation is sometimes enhanced by

taking recruits to a remote ‘retreat’, where they are cut

off from family and friends for a few days.

Depersonalization is an attempt to undermine a

recruit’s individuality, so as to induce conformity to the

group. Cults try to depersonalize recruits by imposing

restrictive rules, getting recruits to renounce their former

selves, undermining their self-esteem, addressing them as

groups rather than individuals, or otherwise suppressing

the expression of independent ideas and personalities.

Depersonalization exploits our natural desire to fit in with

those around us, not be the ‘odd one out’.

14

Cult leaders usually try to promote conformity

through ‘groupthink’. The term was coined by

psychologist Irving Janis, to describe conditions that lead

normal individuals to make abnormal decisions when in

group settings. Groups which prize unanimity highly tend

to practice self-censorship, in which individuals don’t

reveal their true beliefs for fear of rejection. Silence is

interpreted as agreement, and the group tends to

gravitate to more extreme views as each member

assumes the others are more radical.

The most common levers of control in cults are guilt

and fear of rejection. Members are often held up to

impossible ideals, and may have to confess their failings

in front of other members. Cult leaders are exempted

from confession, and portray themselves as being closest

to the ideal. Group confession creates a sense of personal

inadequacy, which members try to make up for by

increasing their commitment. They feel obliged to remain

in the cult, since outsiders are portrayed negatively.

Cults exploit the fear of rejection by isolating

members from the outside world socially or physically,

and making an example of those who were expelled or

disciplined. Cult leaders often give contradictory

teachings, so that members are unable to use the

teachings to make independent decisions, or judge the

leaders’ own actions. Instead, out of fear of doing the

wrong thing, members follow the leaders’ instructions

from one moment to the next without question.

15

3 _______________________

The Cult Tool Box

Mind-Control Techniques

Cults exploit a few basic human weaknesses to gain

recruits and ‘brain-wash’ them. Knowing these can

help you resist manipulation:

Effort-Justification

The more we sacrifice effort, time and money on an

activity, the greater our desire to defend it.

Psychologists call this tendency ‘effort-justification’.

In one experiment on effort justification, volunteers

underwent either a mild or severe initiation ceremony

to join the same activity. The volunteers who got in

’the hard way’ rated the activity more highly.

16

Cults promote effort-justification by getting

members to sacrifice their time, energy, relationships,

self-esteem or money for the cult. Members will then

block out critical thoughts and view the cult

positively, to justify their efforts on behalf of the cult.

Effort-justification is reinforced by hostility and

ridicule from outsiders, which members are often

exposed to when trying to recruit others.

Further Reading: Aronson, E. & Mills, J. (1959). ‘The

Effect of Severity of Initiation on Liking for a Group.’

Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59: 177-181.

Authority Figures

Authority figures are a standard fixture in cults. In a

famous experiment in 1961, the psychologist Stanley

Milgram found that when asked by an experimenter,

most volunteers were willing to give very severe

electric shocks to a total stranger (really an actor

pretending to be ‘shocked’). Milgram found that

when the volunteers were allowed to choose the

voltage, most stopped at the lowest levels.

He concluded that the experimenter,

representing an authority figure, was able to override

the conscience of most volunteers. Cult authority

17

figures are even more compelling, because they can

manipulate feelings of guilt and fear of rejection to

induce obedience.

Further Reading: Milgram S. (1963). ‘Behavioral

Study of Obedience.’ Journal of Abnormal and Social

Psychology 67: 371-378.

Role-Playing

Cults exploit our readiness to conform to a role. In

1971, Stanford University psychologists set up a mock

prison, recruited twenty-four volunteers and divided

them randomly into ‘prisoners’ and ‘guards’. The

experimenters set initial conditions promoting mild

depersonalization, such as different uniforms for the

two groups, and the use of numbers in place of names

for prisoners. ‘Guards’ were allowed to run the prison

as they saw fit.

The results were unexpected. ‘Prisoners’ and

‘guards’ quickly internalized their roles, with ‘guards’

behaving sadistically and ‘prisoners’ accepting abuse.

The experiment was abruptly cancelled to prevent

psychological harm to the ‘prisoners’. Cults use

similar methods as the Stanford prison experiment to

induce conformity in recruits by assigning them well-

18

defined and often hierarchical roles within the

organization.

Further Reading: Haney, C., Banks, W. C. &

Zimbardo, P. G. (1973). ‘Study of Prisoners and

Guards in a Simulated Prison.’ Naval Research Reviews

9: 1-17.

Group Conformity

We all have a desire to conform to the group, and not

be the one ‘sticking out’. This desire is a highly

effective control lever for cults. Experiments led by

Solomon Asch in the 1950s demonstrate the extent to

which we would second-guess our own judgements

to conform to a group. In the classic Asch experiment,

a group of volunteers were asked which one of three

lines on a card was the same length as a fourth

reference line on another card.

________________________Reference Line

_____________________A

____________________________B

________________________C

19

The subjects were to take turns giving their answers.

Under normal circumstances, an average of one

person out of thirty-five gives a wrong answer.

However, in some experiments one participant was

unaware that before his turn, the others (who were

‘plants’) would each deliberately call out the same

wrong answer.

In those ‘rigged’ experiments, about one-third

of (genuine) subjects gave the same wrong answer as

the plants. The ‘conformity effect’ was severely

reduced when one of the plants disagreed with the

rest. This explains why cults are paranoid about the

slightest dissent within the ranks, because it has a

huge deflationary effect on conformity.

Further Reading: Asch, S. E. (1951). ‘Effects of Group

Pressure Upon the Modification and Distortion of

Judgment.’ In H. Guetzkow (ed.) Groups, Leadership

and Men. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Press.

Compliant States

A compliant state is a frame of mind which is more

open to suggestion. Cults can induce compliance by

undermining members’ self-esteem, through group

confessions, fault-finding or disorientation. People

20

with low self-esteem are more receptive to messages

that are inherently unconvincing, because they put

less trust in their own opinions and more in those of

others.

Cults can also induce compliance through

dissociative states, in which someone is not fully

conscious of what is going on. All of us experience

brief dissociative states, when ‘daydreaming’ or more

severely, after an emotional shock. Dissociative states

can be induced by meditation, hypnosis, chanting,

intense emotions, conflicting demands, fatigue or fear.

Further Reading: Simeon, D. (2008). Feeling Unreal:

Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self. USA:

Oxford University Press.

Sales Techniques

Certain techniques used by salespeople are also used

by cults to win new recruits. One common technique

is the ‘foot in the door’. This involves asking potential

recruits to make an easy commitment (such as

meeting for coffee), which they may accept to avoid

seeming unfriendly or rude. In keeping the

commitment, potential recruits make a small sacrifice

in time and effort, which allows the cult to leverage

21

on effort-justification to request a slightly larger

commitment (perhaps, attending a seminar).

Another common technique relies on

reciprocity. By doing a favour for a potential recruit

(maybe giving them a free meal) cults are able to ask

for something in return (for example, contact details).

Simple friendliness is an effective technique, building

a relationship of trust with a potential recruit before

making the ‘sales pitch’ for the cult.

Further Reading: Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Influence:

Science and Practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

THE GOOD NEWS!

Much like a flu shot, awareness of your own

vulnerability to situational influences helps to

inoculate you against them: with one important

condition. You have to take the threat seriously.

Further Reading: McGuire, W. J. (1961). ‘Resistance to

Persuasion Conferred by Active and Passive Prior

Refutation of the Same and Alternative

Counterarguments.’ Journal of Abnormal & Social

Psychology 63: 326-332.

22

4 _______________________

Leaving Cults

If Someone You Know is a Member

Do question them in a casual and non-hostile way

to find out if they’ve really joined a cult.

DON’T assume they’ve joined a cult simply because

they’ve changed their beliefs.

Do identify and research the cult, so you’ll be

better informed to discuss it with them.

DON’T try to talk them out of the cult without

knowing much, your ignorance may alienate them.

Do encourage them to discuss their beliefs with

you, make positive comments but gently lead them to

think critically about the cult’s teachings.

23

DON’T ridicule, scold or reject them for their beliefs,

this may reinforce their dependence on the cult for

emotional support.

Do get them involved in groups and activities

outside the cult, to provide an alternative social life.

DON’T get involved with other cult members; they

may try to turn your friend against you.

Do try to help them work out and deal with any

underlying reasons for joining a cult (such as

loneliness or lack of self-confidence).

DON’T suggest possible reasons yourself (it sounds

patronising), instead help them find solutions to

potential reasons without saying why.

Do be emotionally prepared for them to distance

themselves from you.

DON’T take it personally, but try to reach out to

them instead.

DON’T blame yourself for them joining a cult.

DON’T blame them either.

24

After Leaving a Cult

Members who leave a cult may experience

psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety or

low self-esteem. Cults often have nothing more to do

with those who leave, after trying to persuade them to

return. Former members may have trouble adjusting to

this loss of fellowship. They may also experience

‘anomie’, a loss of purpose in life which had been

previously fulfilled by the cult. Ex-members will need to

work out a new belief system, and separate their core

beliefs from the cultic teachings that were used to

indoctrinate them.

Anger is a common emotion, and ex-members may

need to be steered away from seeking to confront the

cult. Many ex-members suffer loss of confidence,

particularly if they feel responsible for their own

predicament. They need reminding that cult members are

victims of circumstance, and anyone is vulnerable to cult

recruitment. Above all, ex-members need reassurance

that the distressing emotions they feel are normal and

transient.

Some former members may try to transfer their

dysfunctional cult relationships (such as over-

dependence on an authority figure) to family or friends.

To aid recovery, it would be best to steer such

relationships gently towards a normal pattern.

25

Cults often ‘keep in touch’ with former members, to

persuade them to return. A complete break is advisable.

Maintaining contact tends to result in an unsatisfactory

outcome, because cults do not want former members to

feel happy outside the group. Those who leave are

usually subjected to emotional blackmail, intended to

create a crisis in which they have to choose between total

separation or re-joining the cult.

Members Who Leave May Also Feel

LOST Cults provide a sense of purpose which former

members may find difficult to replace. It may help to

get back in touch with pre-cult interests.

LONELY Cults provide instant fellowship, which fades

away just as quickly. Former members may need to

lower expectations from new relationships.

INSECURE Cults may undermine a member’s self-

esteem in order to promote emotional dependence.

Former members need assurance of their intrinsic self

-worth, in a realistic perspective.

GUILTY Ex-members may have developed a guilt

complex while in the cult, or later blame themselves

for joining. They will need to find a balance between

forgiving themselves and taking responsibility for

their own actions.

26

5 _______________________

Staying Cult-Free

Some Simple Steps

BE SUSPICIOUS of strangers who appear overly

friendly or unusually helpful. They may be genuine,

but it pays to be on your guard. Don’t let them find

out your contact details, especially where you live (for

example, by offering to drive you to or from home).

FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF with the list of cult features

in this book. If it helps, photocopy and pin up the

page in a prominent place. Before joining a group,

check if it has such features and if it does, avoid it.

NEUTRAL FRIENDS should accompany you if you

choose to attend an open meeting. Do not allow

yourselves to be separated. Compare notes after the

meeting as a reality check. Do not immediately

assume that ‘spontaneous’, ‘coincidental’ or

‘miraculous’ events at the meeting are genuine.

27

DO NOT PARTICIPATE in hypnosis, intensive

meditation, repetitive chanting, extended fasting,

sleep or rest deprivation, group confessions or other

disorienting practices, unless you are willing to bear

the risks.

AVOID LONG RETREATS involving such activities.

When going on a retreat, find out what activities are

scheduled. Make sure you can leave early if you have

to. Some cults take recruits to remote locations so they

can’t leave easily by themselves.

DO NOT COMMIT to anything straight away; always

ask for a day to think it over by yourself. Be prepared

to break off a commitment or relationship if you feel

you are being emotionally blackmailed. You may not

feel good about doing it, but it isn’t good to be

manipulated either.

BE VIGILANT for any tell-tale signs of cult activity.

When in a group, check to see if things are not what

they seem; if people seem insincere, following a

script, overly guarded when asked questions, or take

the lead from an authority figure. Remember that

cults always put up a facade to newcomers, and you

may need to do some research or ask probing

questions to find out what they’re really up to.

28

Conclusion

A grey area exists between cults and mainstream

groups. As a result, it would be difficult to legislate

against cults without undesirable restrictions to basic

freedoms of religion and other civil liberties. Similar

ethical and legal problems arise in the case of families or

friends ‘deprogramming’ cult members by coercive

means, such as detaining them against their will.

Cults exploit freedoms of religion, speech and

assembly to openly recruit in the streets, campuses and

the media. Cults are a feature of daily life in any open

society. Our only protection against them is recognition

of our own vulnerability, and awareness of the hidden

agendas and techniques behind cult recruitment and

indoctrination. That is why public education is so

important in the fight against cults.

Cult leaders often have personality disorders such as

psychopathy or paranoia, or may even be mentally ill.

These problems tend to worsen in a cult environment, in

which followers are constantly mirroring the leader’s own

beliefs. The leader’s growing delusions feeds back into

the cult, taking it further to an extreme and perhaps

violent end. This cycle of violence is a recurring pattern,

leading to mass suicides in the People’s Temple and

Heaven’s Gate, and mass murders by violent cults. For

29

each atrocity that makes the headlines, there are many

cases of cult abuse that go unreported.

The responsibility for keeping people out of cults

rests with each one of us. Without naming names or

being judgmental, we can warn others of the potential

dangers of cultic manipulation. We can ask our local

educational institutions to include a cult awareness

program in orientation week, since cults often recruit on

campuses. We can organize public talks on cults and

lobby against special treatment for them, such as tax

exemptions.

Above all, we can try to ensure that those near and

dear to us are not vulnerable, by informing them about

the issues. You can start by emailing this free e-book to

your friends, or uploading it to your blog or social media.

Thank you for passing this on!

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Further Reading

Aronson, E., & Mills, J. (1959). ‘The Effect of Severity of

Initiation on Liking for a Group.’ Journal of Abnormal and

Social Psychology, 59: 177-181.

Asch, S. E. (1951). ‘Effects of Group Pressure Upon the

Modification and Distortion of Judgment.’ In H.Guetzkow

(ed.) Groups, Leadership and Men. Pittsburgh, PA:

Carnegie Press.

Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Influence: Science and Practice (4th

ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Haney, C., Banks, W. C. & Zimbardo, P. G. (1973). ‘Study

of Prisoners and Guards in a Simulated Prison.’ Naval

Research Reviews 9: 1-17. Washington, DC: Office of

Naval Research.

Milgram, S. (1963). ‘Behavioral Study of Obedience.’

Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 67: 371-378.

Simeon, D. (2008). Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization

Disorder and the Loss of the Self. USA: Oxford University

Press.

Tobias, M. L. & Lalich, J. (1994). Captive Hearts, Captive

Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Abusive

Relationships. Alameda, CA: Hunter House.

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About the Author

Ben Gibran is a researcher and writer with an interest in

the philosophy and social science of communication. He

holds an MA (Honors) from the School of Culture and

Communication at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Cults are potentially harmful for what they do

rather than their beliefs. They manipulate

situational influences to exert a high degree of

control over members. Involvement in a cult may

disrupt a member’s education, career, finances,

social life or family ties. Extreme cults are able to

persuade members to cause harm or break the law.

The techniques used by cults are also used in a wide

range of less extreme settings.

This book aims to raise your awareness of the

effects of situational influences on decision-making,

regardless of their origin. Much like a vaccine, your

awareness of environmental factors increases your

immunity to them, and your ability to make more

objective decisions. The warning signs of cult

activity are also outlined in this book, along with

advice on helping cult members and ex-members.

The aim is not to cast judgement on particular

groups, but to help readers make well-informed

decisions for themselves.

THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR SALE. THE AUTHOR GRANTS

PERMISSION FOR COPIES TO BE MADE FOR NON-

COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTION ONLY, NO CHANGES TO

FORMAT ARE ALLOWED. SEE INSIDE FOR LICENSE DETAILS.