Social Psychology Lesson 7 Cults Name:________________________________________
Opener:
Lecture Notes:
Originated from the word _______________________________
A system of beliefs and behaviors that make a person part of a group
Typically has a _____________________________________ today
cultic relationship: a person _____________________________________________ others to become totally or
nearly totally dependent on him or her for almost all major ______________________________________
Difficulty of defining cults precisely:
One person’s cult is another person’s____________________
Europeans call them _________________________
“cult” is a pejorative term, usually used by one group to _____________________________.
What is the difference between a “cult” and a “social movement,” or an “extremist group” or a “club.”
A CULUTRE of beliefs, a way of living
Which, if any, of the following are cults?
CONTROL over others is the defining characteristic of a modern day cult.
Brainwashing
Can people be “brainwashed.”? There is no ____________________________________ that allows people to be programmed, deprogrammed, or reprogrammed like a computer.
A cult convert has to be a ____________________________________ in his/her conversion. He or she
may not be aware of a __________________________, but he or she has to ___________________ with the process.
Cults use the same basic techniques of persuasion as other persuaders, but in addition, they rely on
many _________________________________________
Cults employ many strategies at once;
__________________________________________________________________________
Cults control the _____________________________________of members as well (that is why cults
often live away from the rest of society in a _____________________________________
Robert Lifton’s Marks of Mind Control
1. _____________________________________ : control of the environment, communication, access to information
2. _____________________________________ : the leader gets to reinterpret events and history as she/he sees fit.
3. _____________________________________ society is corrupt, members must be purified. The desire to
become mentally and physically pure makes members susceptible to _________________________________
_________________________________________used by the leader.
4. _____________________________________ : control of _____________________________________;
members must confess any wrongdoing to the leader, including ____________________________infractions
5. _____________________________________ : reliance on dogmatic principles; the leader has all the
_____________________________________Only the leader is privileged to know the _____________________
6. _____________________________________ : reliance on ____________________________ phrases and
language; serves to ________________ members from the outside world and constrict members’ ____________
7. _____________________________________ : the cause’s doctrine takes ______________________ over the
individual. Members’ character and identity have to be __________________________
8. _____________________________________ : Outsiders are ___________________________ unless they join
the group. Members fear being ___________________________from the group.
Recruitment
Windows of_____________________________________: targets are most susceptible during an
_____________________________________crisis (divorce, death of loved one, serious illness, etc.)
target’s ________________________ may be confused, impaired
target is looking for an _____________________________________
Befriending the target
_____________________________________ strategies (compliments, flattery, especially about sources of insecurity)
Lure of forming a _____________________________________relationship
Invitation to attend a meeting or retreat
isolation from ______________________
control over ____________________
Difficult to ____________________
Deception: withholding the ______________________________ of the group, withholding the ______________ of befriending another, etc.
Psychological Persuasive Techniques
Unconditional ________________________________
“love bombing,”group hugs, etc.
Meditation, chanting, and other _____________________________ techniques
Peer group pressure
Pressure to conform, be ________________________
Verbal______________________
Cults as Power Structures
Four interlocking dimensions make up the framework of a cult’s ________________________________
Charismatic Authority
Transcendent Belief Systems
Systems of Control
Systems of Influence
Warning Signs of a Cult
The group is focused on a living leader to whom members seem to display zealous, ________________________
The group is preoccupied with bringing in ___________________
The group is preoccupied with bringing in __________________
Questioning, doubt, and dissent are__________________, or even __________________
__________________ techniques like chanting, speaking in tongues
denunciation sessions are used to __________________about the group or its leadership
The leadership dictates in great detail how members should t__________________ (permission to come and go, where to live, how to discipline children, etc.
The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status. The leader is considered the __________________
Extra-biblical revelation: __________________directly to the group’s leader.
The group exhibits a polarized __________________mentality. Outsiders are evil and must be shunned.
The group’s leader is not accountable to any authorities, inside or outside of the group
The group teaches that its ends justify the means (such as collecting money for phony charities)
The leadership induces guilt, fear, in group members in order to __________________
Members’ subservience to the group causes them to cut ties with family and friends, and to give up __________________goals in the interests of the group
Social encapsulation: Members are encouraged to __________________with the group exclusively
TED Ed – Why do people join cults?