Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2010, Page 51
to symbolize. Deep involvement in oppressive groups such as the music cult Perlado
presents might be described as traumatic in part because of the cult members‘ decreasing
capacity to symbolize musically.
American philosopher Suzanne Langer (1942, p. 26) states,
The great contribution of Freud to the philosophy of mind has been the
realization that human behavior is not only a food-getting strategy, but is also
a language that every move is at the same time a gesture. Symbolization is
both an end and an instrument.
She develops Freud‘s belief in ―the fundamentally symbolic function of the mind‖ (p. 51) and
writes, ―the power of using symbol makes [man] lord of the earth‖ (p. 26).
I suggest that individuals who without conscious knowing are baited into highly coercive
cults may be stripped of the right and often the will to symbolically organize their
experience through language. Ironically, in this way the switch moves the cult member to a
position of slave, far from ―lord of the earth.‖
Langer distinguishes between two kinds of symbol within language. ―Discursive‖ symbols
are part of language proper are fixed in meaning allow for definition and translation and
communicate ideas, thoughts, and the like in a sequential and logical manner.
―Presentational‖ symbols express emotions, feelings, and desires that relate to inner life and
are often described as ―unspeakable‖ because of the simultaneity of layers of experience.
Langer‘s major argument is that presentational symbolism, and metaphor in particular, is
the central verbal means of communicating affects (Rycroft, 1968). She states that
―Outside of this domain,‖ referring to the rational, ―is the inexpressible realm
of feeling, of formless desires and satisfactions, immediate experience,
forever incognito and incommunicado‖ and this is what therapy seeks to help
the patient formulate and/or experience. (Langer, 1942, p. 86)
and
Metaphor is our most striking evidence of abstractive seeing, of the power of
human minds to use presentational symbols. Every new experience, or new
idea about things, evokes first of all some metaphorical expression. As the
idea becomes familiar, this expression ―fades‖ to a new literal use of the once
metaphorical predicate, a more general use than it had before. (p. 141)
I suggest that loaded language is an example of internalized metaphor faded by rote use,
and that cultic environments block the creation and development of personal metaphor and
thus the essential means of communicating emotion.
The cult leader‘s attempts to diminish use of discursive and presentational symbolic
language other than in the form of loaded language highlights the dehumanization of the
individual in cults. Unable to symbolize as a means to create subjective meaning, the cult
member defensively dissociates to protect against the fear of self-annihilation that often
results from being unable to think or feel for him/herself. (Winnicott, 1963). The cost of this
defense, however, may be dear. Besides generating humor, dreams, metaphor, play, and so
on, the unconscious functions to defend the subject from consciously feeling or thinking
about anything psychically uncomfortable (Freud, 1923 Civin, 2003 Newirth, 2003).
Dissociation, for example, defends against feelings such as loss, anxiety, guilt, shame, and
isolation through the mechanism of splitting, which enables the denial of such feelings.
Splitting occurs on a continuum from pathological to normal. At the most defensive end,
pathological splitting is reflected in total projective identification at the nondefensive end,
normal splitting facilitates the exchange of projected split-off feelings, thoughts, and the like
that reflect trial projective identifications, hence allowing the subject to get to know
to symbolize. Deep involvement in oppressive groups such as the music cult Perlado
presents might be described as traumatic in part because of the cult members‘ decreasing
capacity to symbolize musically.
American philosopher Suzanne Langer (1942, p. 26) states,
The great contribution of Freud to the philosophy of mind has been the
realization that human behavior is not only a food-getting strategy, but is also
a language that every move is at the same time a gesture. Symbolization is
both an end and an instrument.
She develops Freud‘s belief in ―the fundamentally symbolic function of the mind‖ (p. 51) and
writes, ―the power of using symbol makes [man] lord of the earth‖ (p. 26).
I suggest that individuals who without conscious knowing are baited into highly coercive
cults may be stripped of the right and often the will to symbolically organize their
experience through language. Ironically, in this way the switch moves the cult member to a
position of slave, far from ―lord of the earth.‖
Langer distinguishes between two kinds of symbol within language. ―Discursive‖ symbols
are part of language proper are fixed in meaning allow for definition and translation and
communicate ideas, thoughts, and the like in a sequential and logical manner.
―Presentational‖ symbols express emotions, feelings, and desires that relate to inner life and
are often described as ―unspeakable‖ because of the simultaneity of layers of experience.
Langer‘s major argument is that presentational symbolism, and metaphor in particular, is
the central verbal means of communicating affects (Rycroft, 1968). She states that
―Outside of this domain,‖ referring to the rational, ―is the inexpressible realm
of feeling, of formless desires and satisfactions, immediate experience,
forever incognito and incommunicado‖ and this is what therapy seeks to help
the patient formulate and/or experience. (Langer, 1942, p. 86)
and
Metaphor is our most striking evidence of abstractive seeing, of the power of
human minds to use presentational symbols. Every new experience, or new
idea about things, evokes first of all some metaphorical expression. As the
idea becomes familiar, this expression ―fades‖ to a new literal use of the once
metaphorical predicate, a more general use than it had before. (p. 141)
I suggest that loaded language is an example of internalized metaphor faded by rote use,
and that cultic environments block the creation and development of personal metaphor and
thus the essential means of communicating emotion.
The cult leader‘s attempts to diminish use of discursive and presentational symbolic
language other than in the form of loaded language highlights the dehumanization of the
individual in cults. Unable to symbolize as a means to create subjective meaning, the cult
member defensively dissociates to protect against the fear of self-annihilation that often
results from being unable to think or feel for him/herself. (Winnicott, 1963). The cost of this
defense, however, may be dear. Besides generating humor, dreams, metaphor, play, and so
on, the unconscious functions to defend the subject from consciously feeling or thinking
about anything psychically uncomfortable (Freud, 1923 Civin, 2003 Newirth, 2003).
Dissociation, for example, defends against feelings such as loss, anxiety, guilt, shame, and
isolation through the mechanism of splitting, which enables the denial of such feelings.
Splitting occurs on a continuum from pathological to normal. At the most defensive end,
pathological splitting is reflected in total projective identification at the nondefensive end,
normal splitting facilitates the exchange of projected split-off feelings, thoughts, and the like
that reflect trial projective identifications, hence allowing the subject to get to know
