Margaret T. Singer, Ph.D., Emeritus Prof. of Psychology, Univ. of CA, Berkeley
THOUGHT REFORM = LANGUAGE + SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCE
In a thought reform program: the self concept is destabilized the group/leaders attack one's evaluation of self SELF.
Two Elements in one's self-concept:
Peripheral Sense: adequacy of public & judgmental aspects, social status, role performance, conformity to social norms.
Central Sense of Self: adequacy of intimate life, confidence in perception of reality, relations w/family, goals, sexual experiences, traumatic life events, religious beliefs, basic consciousness and emotional control.
When you attack a person's self-concept, aversive emotional arousal is created.
6 CONDITIONS THAT NEED TO BE PRESENT IN ORDER TO CONSTITUTE MIND CONTROL:
1. CONTROL OVER TIME Especially thinking time. Use techniques to get a person to think about:
the group,
beliefs of the group as much of their waking time as possible.
2. CREATE A SENSE OF POWERLESSNESS
Get people away from normal support systems for a period of time.
Provide models of behavior (cult members).
Use in-group language
Use of songs, games, stories the person is unfamiliar with or they are modified so that they're unfamiliar.
New people tend to want to be like others (acceptance, feeling part of a group).
3. MANIPULATE REWARDS, PUNISHMENTS, EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO SUPPRESS OLD SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Manipulate: social rewards intellectual rewards.
REWARDS: support positive self-concept for conformity to new thought system.
PUNISHMENTS: attack person's self-concept for non-conformity.
Effects of behavioral modification (reward/ punishment):
DEPLOYABLE AGENT:
1. accept a particular world view,
2. procedures for peer monitoring w/feedback to group,
3. psychological, social & material sanctions to influence the target's behavior.
When there is control of external feedback, the group becomes the only source -- there are no reality checks.
BEHAVIORS REWARDED: participation, conformity to ideas/behavior, zeal, personal changes.
BEHAVIORS PUNISHED: criticalness, independent thinking, non-conformity to ideas/behavior.
PUNISHMENTS: peer/group criticism, withdrawal of support/affection, isolation, negative feedback.
THE PERSON IS DEPENDENT UPON THE GROUP FOR EXTERNAL VALIDATION OF SOCIAL IDENTITY RESULTS:
Confusion, disorientation, psychological disturbances.
Manipulate experience: altered states of consciousness (trance) hypnosis,
Hypnosis: speaking patterns guided imagery pacing of voice to breathing patterns parables, stories with imbedded messages repetition boredom stop paying attention to distractions, focus inwardly to what's going on inside you the use of one's voice to get people's attention focused.
Chanting, Meditation:
Teach thought-stopping techniques Work them up emotionally to a negative state: re-experience past painful events recall negative actions/sin in past life
Then rescue them from negative emotion by giving them a new way to live.
4. MANIPULATE REWARDS, PUNISHMENTS, EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO ELICIT NEW BEHAVIOR
Models will demonstrate new behavior
Conformity: dress, language, behavior.
Using group language will eventually still the thinking mind .
5. MUST BE A TIGHTLY CONTROLLED SYSTEM OF LOGIC:
No complaints from the floor.
Pyramid shaped operation with leader at the top.
Top leaders must maintain absolute control/authority.
Persons in charge must have verbal ways of never losing.
Anyone who questions is made to think there is something inherently wrong with them to even question.
Phobia induction: something bad will happen if you leave the group if you leave this group, you're leaving God.
Guilt manipulation.
6. PERSONS BEING THOUGHT REFORMED MUST BE UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING MOVED THROUGH A PROGRAM TO MAKE THEM DEPLOYABLE AGENTS, TO BUY MORE COURSES, SIGN UP FOR THE DURATION, ETC.
You can't be thought reformed with full capacity, informed consent.
You don't know the agenda of the group at the beginning or the full content of the ideology.
THOUGHT REFORM SYSTEM: Coordinated programs of coercive influence and behavior control.
Use of pop psychology techniques found in sensitivity training and encounters groups.
2nd Generation Thought Reform Systems (attacks on central elements of self):
1. enlist recruit's cooperation, offer something they want (personal growth, salvation, etc.).
2. obtain psychological dominace by making the target's continuing relations contingent upon continuing membership.
3. use seduction by developing bonds and encouraging targets to believe the group can provide something.
4. develop dependency by direct social pressure to influence a decision that the group has special power or knowledge or can solve a problem; the people in the group are made to seem interested in what is best for the target -- then they "up the commitment level".
5. shift the target's social and emotional attachments to individuals who have already accepted high commitment and are conforming to the behavior WHILE decreasing the target's outside relationships.
6. increase the CHANGES in the target's: income employment personal friends/social life finances sexuality.
THIS INCREASES THE THREAT TO THE PERSON IF THEY WANT TO LEAVE THREATS: ARE TO THE INDIVIDUAL'S stability of identity emotional well-being
7. the community standards become the ONLY standards available for self-evaluation.
CULTS AND CULTIC RELATIONSHIPS CULT - the political and power STRUCTURE of a group CULTIC RELATIONSHIP - those relationships in which a person intentionally induces others to become totally or nearly totally dependent on him/her for almost all major life decisions and inculcates in these followers a belief that he has some special talent, gift or knowledge.
PRIMARY IN OUR DISCUSSION OF CULTS IS THE PRACTICE AND CONDUCT OF THE GROUP, NOT ITS BELIEFS.
Further references:
Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism. Robert J. Lifton, M.D., University of N.C., Chapel Hill, 1989 Chapter 22
"Attacks on Peripheral versus Central Elements of Self and the Impact of Thought Reforming Techniques" Richard Ofshe and Margaret T. Singer, The Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 3 #1, Spring/Summer 1986; ICSA
"The Utilization of Hypnotic Techniques in Religious Conversion" Jesse S. Miller, The Cultic Studies Journal,Vol. 3 #2, Fall/Winter 1986
Recovery from Cults. ed. Michael Langone, Ph.D., W.W. Norton, 1994
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