Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2010, Page 22
The highly influential philosopher Langer (1942) many decades earlier discusses perception
as both a selective and a condensing process. She writes, ―The material furnished by the
senses is constantly wrought into symbols, which are our elementary ideas‖ (1942, p. 42)
―[t]he human brain is constantly carrying on a process of symbolic transformation of the
experiential data that come to it‖ (p. 47) and ―as far as thought is concerned, and at all
levels of thought, mental life is a symbolic process‖ (p. 27). Damasio (1994) writes, ―brain
systems that are jointly engaged in emotion and decision-making are generally involved in
the management of social cognition and behavior‖ (p. xiii). In his 2005 preface to Descartes‘
Error, he writes about a hope he had when it was first written that ―a two-way bridge could
be established between neurobiology and the humanities, thus providing the way for a
better understanding of human conflict and for a more comprehensive account of creativity‖
(p. xiv). He qualifies, ―the intent is not to reduce ethics or esthetics to brain circuitry but
rather to explore the threads that interconnect neurobiology to culture‖ (p. xiv). I believe
the study of cults and creativity is enhanced by considering brain science‘s recent focus on
the interface between body, emotion, cognition, and creativity. I wonder about the
neurological effect of fear and induced phobia (Hassan, 1988, p. 65) on creativity within
―the social psychological state of the bounded choice.‖ Lalich (2004b) states,
…the believer becomes a true believer at the service of a charismatic leader
or ideology. In such a context, in relation to personal power and individual
decision making, [my emphasis] that person‘s options are severely limited as
the devotee lives in a narrow realm of constraint and control, of dedication
and duty. (p. 238)
Neuroscience studies the interdependence of emotion and thought for decision-making as a
component of creativity. The study of cults and creativity in this regard might advance
Damasio‘s hope of bridging neurobiology and culture. I question how the leader‘s
manipulation of cult members‘ emotion and decision-making affects their ―management of
social cognition and behavior‖ on a neural level.
According to online book reviewer James Hitt (2000), neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux (1996)
studies the fear system of the brain and identified the amygdala as ―mediat[ing] between
the stimulus and the fearful bodily reaction. …The amygdala prepares a person‘s body
heart rate increases, stress hormones are released, blood pressure rises, and attention is
focused. The body is geared for freezing, fleeing, or fighting.‖
Jenkinson in this issue writes of the fear in the Love of God Community:
…[I]n time the creative arts were used as a vehicle of torture for the music
group and later the whole community, pushing them to perform more and
more perfectly and punishing and admonishing them if they did not. The
punishments evolved from verbal chastisement, threats of damnation in hell
and God‘s punishment and rebuking sessions, through to beatings with a
hairbrush, progressing to beatings with a bamboo cane.… It was clear that the
group had failed, and an atmosphere of fear very quickly spread from the
music group to the rest of the community, generating a period of dread and
dependency.
Charlton, explaining Damasio‘s thinking that emotions are brain representations of body
states, notes, ―If we experience a state of fear, then our brains will record this body state in
nerve cell activation patterns obtained from neural and hormonal feedback, and this
information may then be used to adapt behavior appropriately‖ (2000, pp. 99-101). In
Descartes‘ Error, Damasio (1994) discusses Gardner‘s (1983) concept of ―social intelligence‖
and suggests a link between decision-making, which relies on both emotion and reason, and
―social intelligence,‖ and connects good decision-making with survival (p. 169). I question
how neuroscienctific language might be applied to what Hassan describes as ―thought
The highly influential philosopher Langer (1942) many decades earlier discusses perception
as both a selective and a condensing process. She writes, ―The material furnished by the
senses is constantly wrought into symbols, which are our elementary ideas‖ (1942, p. 42)
―[t]he human brain is constantly carrying on a process of symbolic transformation of the
experiential data that come to it‖ (p. 47) and ―as far as thought is concerned, and at all
levels of thought, mental life is a symbolic process‖ (p. 27). Damasio (1994) writes, ―brain
systems that are jointly engaged in emotion and decision-making are generally involved in
the management of social cognition and behavior‖ (p. xiii). In his 2005 preface to Descartes‘
Error, he writes about a hope he had when it was first written that ―a two-way bridge could
be established between neurobiology and the humanities, thus providing the way for a
better understanding of human conflict and for a more comprehensive account of creativity‖
(p. xiv). He qualifies, ―the intent is not to reduce ethics or esthetics to brain circuitry but
rather to explore the threads that interconnect neurobiology to culture‖ (p. xiv). I believe
the study of cults and creativity is enhanced by considering brain science‘s recent focus on
the interface between body, emotion, cognition, and creativity. I wonder about the
neurological effect of fear and induced phobia (Hassan, 1988, p. 65) on creativity within
―the social psychological state of the bounded choice.‖ Lalich (2004b) states,
…the believer becomes a true believer at the service of a charismatic leader
or ideology. In such a context, in relation to personal power and individual
decision making, [my emphasis] that person‘s options are severely limited as
the devotee lives in a narrow realm of constraint and control, of dedication
and duty. (p. 238)
Neuroscience studies the interdependence of emotion and thought for decision-making as a
component of creativity. The study of cults and creativity in this regard might advance
Damasio‘s hope of bridging neurobiology and culture. I question how the leader‘s
manipulation of cult members‘ emotion and decision-making affects their ―management of
social cognition and behavior‖ on a neural level.
According to online book reviewer James Hitt (2000), neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux (1996)
studies the fear system of the brain and identified the amygdala as ―mediat[ing] between
the stimulus and the fearful bodily reaction. …The amygdala prepares a person‘s body
heart rate increases, stress hormones are released, blood pressure rises, and attention is
focused. The body is geared for freezing, fleeing, or fighting.‖
Jenkinson in this issue writes of the fear in the Love of God Community:
…[I]n time the creative arts were used as a vehicle of torture for the music
group and later the whole community, pushing them to perform more and
more perfectly and punishing and admonishing them if they did not. The
punishments evolved from verbal chastisement, threats of damnation in hell
and God‘s punishment and rebuking sessions, through to beatings with a
hairbrush, progressing to beatings with a bamboo cane.… It was clear that the
group had failed, and an atmosphere of fear very quickly spread from the
music group to the rest of the community, generating a period of dread and
dependency.
Charlton, explaining Damasio‘s thinking that emotions are brain representations of body
states, notes, ―If we experience a state of fear, then our brains will record this body state in
nerve cell activation patterns obtained from neural and hormonal feedback, and this
information may then be used to adapt behavior appropriately‖ (2000, pp. 99-101). In
Descartes‘ Error, Damasio (1994) discusses Gardner‘s (1983) concept of ―social intelligence‖
and suggests a link between decision-making, which relies on both emotion and reason, and
―social intelligence,‖ and connects good decision-making with survival (p. 169). I question
how neuroscienctific language might be applied to what Hassan describes as ―thought
