Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2003, Page 34
that she recognized another plausible explanation for why she had permitted herself to be
exploited by the cult leader.
The author worked with another woman who was involved with an isolationist
psychotherapy cult in the Northwest. The group preached hatred of men and, by extension,
of society. Through the use of group processes, every single member of this cult discovered
that she had been sexually abused by her father and cut herself off from the family.
Another patient, who had experienced a gang rape while in college, decided to attend a
group for rape survivors in New York City. After getting a brief history of this patient,
including a history of depression and of an eating disorder, the group therapist asked her if
she had been sexually abused in childhood. This patient had no memory of such abuse. The
therapist informed her that she had all the ―classic symptoms‖ of someone who was
sexually abused and that she probably had repressed those memories.
As Freud (Freud, 1921), Lifton (Lifton, 1961), Ofshe and Singer (Ofshe, R. and Singer, M.T.,
1986) and Hassan (Hassan, 1988) explain, an authority figure can have tremendous
influence over group members. The process whereby this influence can be attained will now
be examined.
Authority Figure Influence on Group Members
In 1921, upon publishing Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, Freud was among
the first to study the powerful influence that group leaders can have over group members.
In his paper, Freud referred to the contagious and regressive nature of groups described by
LeBon and McDougall, but he added the dimension of intra-psychic cathartic shifts that
could occur in groups. Freud described the similarity of such groups as the Catholic Church
and the army with the hypnotic situation. In all of these situations, there is a leader and one
or more followers. The follower obeys the leader and gives up his own superego and ego
ideal as he identifies with the leader‘s superego. Freud also compared the psychological
changes occurring in group members to changes that occur to those who fall in love. In both
cases, the ego can disregard the previous standards of the superego, because it gains a
sufficient amount of narcissistic support and gratification of instinctual wishes elsewhere.
After the Korean War, under assignment by the U.S. Army, Lifton Singer, West, and others
studied the effects of mind control techniques on the returning POWs. They described how
these soldiers had been influenced to accept communist ideology while captive. They
explained how these techniques of coercive persuasion went beyond normal group
influences described by Freud through the use of deliberate manipulation processes that
increased guilt, shame, and anxiety in the POW‘s (Singer and Ofshe, 1990). These mental
health professionals were the first to describe the fact that some of the same mind control
dynamics are used in modern day cults. Today there is a recognized body of literature by
mental health professionals about mind control techniques used in cults.
Of course, in addition to examining the coercive techniques, the clinician must examine the
vulnerability of the cult recruit. Individuals become vulnerable to cults at times of stress,
particularly during periods of transition (e.g., when dealing with loss of a relationship or
employment). The large majority of people who join cults do so in late adolescence or early
adulthood. With puberty, there is an increase in the sexual and aggressive drives. Along
with this, there is a revival of oedipal feelings and, therefore, there is a need for distancing
from the oedipal objects of childhood. Parents are de-idealized and healthy young adults
attempt to develop a vision of the world that is different from their parent‘s view. Also,
during this time, there often is physical distance from the family. This distance and the
concomitant feelings of separateness it engenders may trigger pre-oedipal anxiety and/or
depression. Additionally, there are specific personality dynamics of late adolescence which
were first described by Anna Freud—intellectualization, asceticism and idealism—which
make adolescents vulnerable to cults (Freud 1966). Furthermore, the adolescent superego
that she recognized another plausible explanation for why she had permitted herself to be
exploited by the cult leader.
The author worked with another woman who was involved with an isolationist
psychotherapy cult in the Northwest. The group preached hatred of men and, by extension,
of society. Through the use of group processes, every single member of this cult discovered
that she had been sexually abused by her father and cut herself off from the family.
Another patient, who had experienced a gang rape while in college, decided to attend a
group for rape survivors in New York City. After getting a brief history of this patient,
including a history of depression and of an eating disorder, the group therapist asked her if
she had been sexually abused in childhood. This patient had no memory of such abuse. The
therapist informed her that she had all the ―classic symptoms‖ of someone who was
sexually abused and that she probably had repressed those memories.
As Freud (Freud, 1921), Lifton (Lifton, 1961), Ofshe and Singer (Ofshe, R. and Singer, M.T.,
1986) and Hassan (Hassan, 1988) explain, an authority figure can have tremendous
influence over group members. The process whereby this influence can be attained will now
be examined.
Authority Figure Influence on Group Members
In 1921, upon publishing Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, Freud was among
the first to study the powerful influence that group leaders can have over group members.
In his paper, Freud referred to the contagious and regressive nature of groups described by
LeBon and McDougall, but he added the dimension of intra-psychic cathartic shifts that
could occur in groups. Freud described the similarity of such groups as the Catholic Church
and the army with the hypnotic situation. In all of these situations, there is a leader and one
or more followers. The follower obeys the leader and gives up his own superego and ego
ideal as he identifies with the leader‘s superego. Freud also compared the psychological
changes occurring in group members to changes that occur to those who fall in love. In both
cases, the ego can disregard the previous standards of the superego, because it gains a
sufficient amount of narcissistic support and gratification of instinctual wishes elsewhere.
After the Korean War, under assignment by the U.S. Army, Lifton Singer, West, and others
studied the effects of mind control techniques on the returning POWs. They described how
these soldiers had been influenced to accept communist ideology while captive. They
explained how these techniques of coercive persuasion went beyond normal group
influences described by Freud through the use of deliberate manipulation processes that
increased guilt, shame, and anxiety in the POW‘s (Singer and Ofshe, 1990). These mental
health professionals were the first to describe the fact that some of the same mind control
dynamics are used in modern day cults. Today there is a recognized body of literature by
mental health professionals about mind control techniques used in cults.
Of course, in addition to examining the coercive techniques, the clinician must examine the
vulnerability of the cult recruit. Individuals become vulnerable to cults at times of stress,
particularly during periods of transition (e.g., when dealing with loss of a relationship or
employment). The large majority of people who join cults do so in late adolescence or early
adulthood. With puberty, there is an increase in the sexual and aggressive drives. Along
with this, there is a revival of oedipal feelings and, therefore, there is a need for distancing
from the oedipal objects of childhood. Parents are de-idealized and healthy young adults
attempt to develop a vision of the world that is different from their parent‘s view. Also,
during this time, there often is physical distance from the family. This distance and the
concomitant feelings of separateness it engenders may trigger pre-oedipal anxiety and/or
depression. Additionally, there are specific personality dynamics of late adolescence which
were first described by Anna Freud—intellectualization, asceticism and idealism—which
make adolescents vulnerable to cults (Freud 1966). Furthermore, the adolescent superego
