Research Request, Persuasion, Pseudo-Psychological Training Courses, FLDS, Kingdom of God Global Church
Rachael Reign, founder of Surviving Universal UK (SUUK), is running an anonymous cult mapping survey to better understand people's experiences of high-control and coercive groups in the UK. The findings will be used to inform policy and provide up-to-date insight into the scale and nature of cults in the UK. If you've been affected or have knowledge to share, you can take part here: https://forms.gle/hnSf8uwP9zLQ4L8P8
IJCAM: Cults and persuasion: Submission as preference shifting, Luigi Corvaglia
"The literature on mind manipulation is often spoiled by the specious use of the metaphor of "brainwashing". This is sometimes done under the guise of emphasising the irrationality of manipulation and showing that it lies outside the realm of science. This paper will instead show how the findings of experimental psychology and behavioural economics lead to the identification of a process of change in thinking and behaviour that can be described in scientific terms. This process is achieved through a slow self-selection of recruits and an equally gradual increase in requirements. The classic Milgram experiment is a suitable instrument for explaining this. The framing effect identified by Tversky and Khaneman, which is so important in marketing, can bring about counterproductive decisions in a context that makes them reasonable for those who make them. This is to show that there is nothing magical or metaphysical about mind control, as long as it is understood as a process of conditioning that works through progressive selection and leads to an increase in conformism in a closed environment. Instead, the idea of rational choice, on which the defence of manipulative cults is based, is displaced from the scientific realm."
"In this article, Luigi Corvaglia critiques the simplistic framing of cult influence as either "brainwashing" or "free choice." Drawing on psychological research and real-world cult behavior, he presents a nuanced model of gradual persuasion and preference shifting. Cult membership, he argues, is shaped through cumulative, socially reinforced decisions influenced by cognitive biases, emotional salience, and bounded rationality—not through magic or total autonomy. The paper reframes cult behavior as scientifically understandable and ethically pressing."
Lorita Tinelli Psicologa: The Seduction of the Ineffective: A Scientific Deconstruction of Pseudo-Psychological Training Courses
How the Wellness Industry Exploits Cognitive Biases to Sell Infallible Certainties at the Expense of Evidence
"In an era characterized by growing complexity, economic uncertainty, information overload, and a generally competitive climate, the human need for stability, control, and self-improvement reaches historic peaks.
It is in this fertile humus that a multi-billion dollar industry thrives: that of personal and professional training, which promises quick fixes, simple keys to success, and profound existential transformations.
These programs, often offered in the form of intensive courses and seminars, unfold in contexts that mimic the aesthetics of science without adopting its substance, leveraging deep and universal needs: the desire for belonging, the fear of being inadequate, the search for purpose.
The need for certainty makes the individual vulnerable to the allure of the promise of an absolute truth: a clear path to finally becoming free and happy."
" ... Warren had over 80 wives in what he called "spiritual" marriages. Many of his former wives have spoken out against the convict, including Briell Decker, who was his 65th wife.
After escaping the organization, Decker spoke to The Guardian in 2018 about her experience marrying him at 18 years old, describing him as "creepy."
"When Warren was around, I'd go into hiding," she said. "If I didn't, I'd have to be part of the temple stuff that he was doing," elaborating that meant sex acts.
However, one of Warren's wives continues to defend his innocence. Naomie Jeffs — who was considered his "favorite" wife — was first married to Warren's father when she was 18 and he was 83, becoming his 17th wife, according to Oxygen. A month after Rulon's death in 2002 at age 92, Naomie married Warren.
She later became his scribe, taking notes during his ceremonies and sermons, as well as from recordings of his day-to-day activities. She described the role as 'an honor.'
Naomie stands by her belief that Warren is innocent."
"Family members say they were cut off from communicating with their loved ones by the Kingdom of God Global Church.
On Wednesday, the FBI raided a home in the exclusive Avila Community, north of Tampa, that is associated with the church.
The federal government says church leaders controlled where and when the workers slept, when and what they ate, what they wore, how they spoke, and when they could go to the bathroom.
David John is the lead pastor at the Impact Church in Detroit and says one of his family members was taken in by the Kingdom of God Global Church."
Documents filed in federal court say workers were forced to put in long hours in call centers to raise money to support the lavish lifestyles of church leaders.
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