Download The Comet and Its Tail - International Cultic Studies Association

The Comet and Its Tail:
Cultic Studies from Afar
A Presentation to the October 15-16 2004
AFF (Now ICSA) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia
Printed in
ICSA E-Newsletter
Vol. 4, No. 1
February 2005
Introduction
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In this paper I will look at the field of cultic studies from a distance,
focusing on broad issues, rather than the details that usually occupy us.
My thesis is that the field is mainly concerned with unethical influence,
that is, how one person or a group tries to influence—to change—another
person or group in ways that warrant condemnation, or at least critical
examination.
Those of us in the field direct most of our attention toward extreme
instances of unethical influence, toward what are often called, "cults,"
although, as I have contended elsewhere, this term leaves much to be
desired, even though we seem stuck with it.
These extremes—the comet's head, so to speak—give the field its name.
However, especially in recent years, inquirers, paper writers, and
conference speakers have noted the connections between at least what
some people see as unethical methods of influence and events, practices,
and other phenomena in interpersonal settings that aren't extreme and
that don’t occur in groups typically thought to be "cults" or "cultic." These
areas of attention are, to carry the metaphor forward, the "tail of the
comet." Let us examine this comet and its tail.
What Are We About
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When AFF (American Family Foundation – in December 2004 renamed
"International Cultic Studies Association," ICSA) was founded in 1979, its name
reflected the primary concern of the organization's first board of directors—to
help families concerned about a relative (usually a son or daughter) committed
to a group that the family perceived to be deceptive, controlling, or otherwise
harmful to their loved one.
These groups were typically called cults, and their methods were compared to
the "brainwashing" notions that became popular after the Korean War.
The original board sought to approach this problem scientifically, so research
and professional training have always been important components of AFF's
work.
Obviously, successfully helping families meant that there would be former
group members who needed help readjusting to mainstream society. This
became AFF's second pillar and, during the past 15 years, the primary focus of
our assistance efforts as more and more "walkaways" sought information from
us ("walkaways" are people who come out of groups—the vast majority—without
a family-sponsored or other intervention).
AFF has also devoted energy to preventive education, although the amount of
effort has varied depending upon funding resources. The primary goal of
preventive education efforts has been to make people more aware of the ways in
which they can be manipulated to make choices they wouldn't ordinarily have
made.
What are We About - II
• Even in the early days of AFF, some workers in the field were
acutely aware of the far-reaching ethical, legal, and social
ramifications of what we were observing. Dr. John Clark, for
example, used to call cult conversions "the impermissible
experiment." Certain groups, in his view, were trying to
change personalities by using methods that no psychology
department would condone as an experimental protocol.
These attempts to restructure identity, though impressive on
the surface, were more pseudo than real. However, the
maintenance of the altered pseudo-identity created great
psychological stress, which accounted in part for the high
turnover in such groups and for the high distress level among
those who left.
• The criticisms of these methods and the groups that employed
them ran head-on into defenses based on notions of religious
freedom. This collision draws our attention to fundamental
questions affecting all democratic societies, for example:
Legal/Social Implications
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How should society reconcile competing
rights, obligations, and grievances?
How should society respond to harm
resulting from religiously based practices?
How can society avoid negative backlash
to extreme abuses – make remedy
proportionate to harm?
How can society prevent abuses of the
legal system by unfairly stifling criticism?
Key Terms
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unethical influence
conversion
manipulation
mind-control - thought reform - brainwashing
exploitation
cult
charismatic group
new religious movement – alternative movement
psychological abuse
harm
Overlapping Group Types
Charismatic Groups
Harm
Psy abuse
Thought Reform
Charismatic Religious Groups
NRMs
Types of Concerns
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Psychological
Ethical/Moral
Theological
Social
Method, Intent, & Effects
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Choice-Respecting Methods
Invitation
Self-Development
InfluencerCentered
Intent
InfluenceeCentered
Intent
Exploitation
“Comet’s Head”
Compliance-Gaining Methods
Caretaker
Conclusions
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Complexity & subjectivity of evaluations
• We should treat the word cult as a theoretical type or
benchmark, NOT as an organizing structure that selects
only information that confirms a stereotype."
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4 areas of concern are distinct, though may
overlap
Appreciate extent of individual variation
“Extraction” vs. “Conflict Resolution”
Ethical bottom line: Did A improperly influence B?
• Some things are wrong, regardless of whether or not
they hurt none, a few, some, most, or all people.
Appendices
Singer's Six Conditions for
Thought Reform
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Keep the person unaware of what is going on and how she
or he is being changed a step at a time.
Control the person's social and/or physical environment;
especially control the person's time.
Systematically create a sense of powerlessness in the
person.
Manipulate a system of rewards, punishments and
experiences in such a way as to inhibit behavior that
reflects the person's former social identity.
Manipulate a system of rewards, punishments, and
experiences in order to promote learning the group's
ideology or belief system and group-approved behaviors.
Put forth a closed system of logic and an authoritarian
structure that permits no feedback and refuses to be
modified except by leadership approval or executive order.
Lifton’s Eight Themes for Thought
Reform
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Milieu Control
Mystical Manipulation
Demand for Purity
Confession
Sacred Science
Loading the Language
Doctrine over person
Dispensing of existence
Psychological Abuse
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Dishonoring MAID (opposite of
Respect)
• Mind
• Autonomy
• Identity
• Dignity
Definitions
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An ideological organization held together
by charismatic relationships and
demanding total commitment. (Zablocki)
Cult (totalist type): A group or movement
exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or
dedication to some person, idea, or thing
and employing unethically manipulative
techniques of persuasion and control
designed to advance the goals of the
group's leaders, to the actual or possible
detriment of members, their families, or
the community.