Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1 1985, Page 28
there is a neurophysiological (brain) component to cult conversion (AFF Appel,
1983 Burtner, 1980 Clark, 1979b Conway &Stegelman, 1978 Roche, 1979
Schwartz &Kaslow, 1981 Shubin, 1980 Spero, 1977 West &Singer, 1980).
d. Continuous utilization of ―not thinking‖ (Note 2) practices such as chanting,
Eastern religious (―mind emptying‖) types of meditation (Note 3,) or speaking in
―tongues‖ (AFF Appel, 1983 Buckley &Galanter, 1979 Clark, 1978‘, 1979b
Conway &Siegelman, 1978 Enroth, 1977 MacCollam, 1978 Shapiro, 1977
Singer, 1979 Spero, 1977 Stoner &Parke, 1977 Verdier, 1977 West &Singer,
1980 Yamamoto, 1977).
e. Religious mystical rituals, such as ―deliverance from demons‖ (Note 4) or
initiation into the cult with a renunciation of one‘s past life and/or acceptance of a
new identity/name (Burtner, 1980 Conway &Siegelman, 1978 West &Singer,
1980).
1. Indoctrination into and reinforcement of exclusive, closed ―family‖ system boundaries
(with dedifferentiation between the individual and the cult) via:
a. Doctrinal ―carrots‖ and ―sticks‖ -criticism of the world and family outside of the
cult (with Manichean, paranoid pseudo-logic cf. Galanter, 1983a, p. 988) offer
of salvation and absolute (sacred science/black and white) answers, usually as
flonly we‖ can provide it/thern (Clark, 1977, 1979b Galper in Aversa, 1976
Haack, 1978 Levine, 1980 Levine, 1979 Martin, 1979 Stoner &Parke, 1977
West &Singer, 1980) and suppression of doubt via forced listening (cf. Galper in
Aversa, 1976 Schwartz &Zemel, 1980 Verdier, 1977 Yamamoto, 1977) and
not allowing, or otherwise dissuading, idiographic expression (Clark, 1979b
Enroth, 1977 Etemad, 1978 Shapiro, 1977) or questions (Blackwell,
1980 Clark 1979b Enroth, 1977, 1979 Levine, 1980 Levine, 1979 MacCollam,
1979 Roche, 1979 Rothbaum, 1980 Stoner &Parke, 1980 Verdier, 1977).
b. Selective group reinforcement and punishment, i.e., the systematic application of
operant conditioning techniques using the rewards and punishments of peer
pressure to promote compliance to closed system rules and promote
dedifferentiation of ego boundaries (Blackwell, 1980 Clark, 1979a, 1979b
Enroth, 1977 Etemad, 1978 Galanter, 1983a Heller, 1982 Isser &Schwartz,
1980 MacCollam, 1979 Roche, 1979 Schwartz &Isser, 1980 Schwartz &
Kaslow, 1979, 1981 Spero, 1977, 1982 Stoner &Parke, 1977 West &Singer,
1980 Yamamoto, 1977).
The conversion process. In distinguishing two primary types of conversion, Salzman (1966)
saw the psychopathological type as being more abrupt than the maturational conversion.
Conway &Stegelman (1978), however, believed cult conversion could come through either
sudden transformation or a more gradual process, albeit the gradual conversion also ending
in an abrupt moment of transformation which they called the point of ―snapping.‖
Those who advocate a gradual process. contend that the individual recruit typically does
make voluntary choices to participate in the cult activities at various points along the way,
but that the induction of dissociation and dedifferentiation via isolation and thought
reform tactics disallows any serious consideration of the overall process (cf. Galanter,
Rabkin, Rabkin, &Deutsch, 1979 Gilmartin in Sage, 1976 Levine, 1980 MacCollam, 1980
Schwartz Kaslow, 1981). The cult milieu control tactics, therefore, promote disengagement
of the critical evaluative functions of the brain, which results from the individual‘s inability to
process an onslaught of conflicting information while under sensory bombardment and while
separated from his/her usual frames of reality/reference (Conway &Siegelman, 1978, p.
56).
there is a neurophysiological (brain) component to cult conversion (AFF Appel,
1983 Burtner, 1980 Clark, 1979b Conway &Stegelman, 1978 Roche, 1979
Schwartz &Kaslow, 1981 Shubin, 1980 Spero, 1977 West &Singer, 1980).
d. Continuous utilization of ―not thinking‖ (Note 2) practices such as chanting,
Eastern religious (―mind emptying‖) types of meditation (Note 3,) or speaking in
―tongues‖ (AFF Appel, 1983 Buckley &Galanter, 1979 Clark, 1978‘, 1979b
Conway &Siegelman, 1978 Enroth, 1977 MacCollam, 1978 Shapiro, 1977
Singer, 1979 Spero, 1977 Stoner &Parke, 1977 Verdier, 1977 West &Singer,
1980 Yamamoto, 1977).
e. Religious mystical rituals, such as ―deliverance from demons‖ (Note 4) or
initiation into the cult with a renunciation of one‘s past life and/or acceptance of a
new identity/name (Burtner, 1980 Conway &Siegelman, 1978 West &Singer,
1980).
1. Indoctrination into and reinforcement of exclusive, closed ―family‖ system boundaries
(with dedifferentiation between the individual and the cult) via:
a. Doctrinal ―carrots‖ and ―sticks‖ -criticism of the world and family outside of the
cult (with Manichean, paranoid pseudo-logic cf. Galanter, 1983a, p. 988) offer
of salvation and absolute (sacred science/black and white) answers, usually as
flonly we‖ can provide it/thern (Clark, 1977, 1979b Galper in Aversa, 1976
Haack, 1978 Levine, 1980 Levine, 1979 Martin, 1979 Stoner &Parke, 1977
West &Singer, 1980) and suppression of doubt via forced listening (cf. Galper in
Aversa, 1976 Schwartz &Zemel, 1980 Verdier, 1977 Yamamoto, 1977) and
not allowing, or otherwise dissuading, idiographic expression (Clark, 1979b
Enroth, 1977 Etemad, 1978 Shapiro, 1977) or questions (Blackwell,
1980 Clark 1979b Enroth, 1977, 1979 Levine, 1980 Levine, 1979 MacCollam,
1979 Roche, 1979 Rothbaum, 1980 Stoner &Parke, 1980 Verdier, 1977).
b. Selective group reinforcement and punishment, i.e., the systematic application of
operant conditioning techniques using the rewards and punishments of peer
pressure to promote compliance to closed system rules and promote
dedifferentiation of ego boundaries (Blackwell, 1980 Clark, 1979a, 1979b
Enroth, 1977 Etemad, 1978 Galanter, 1983a Heller, 1982 Isser &Schwartz,
1980 MacCollam, 1979 Roche, 1979 Schwartz &Isser, 1980 Schwartz &
Kaslow, 1979, 1981 Spero, 1977, 1982 Stoner &Parke, 1977 West &Singer,
1980 Yamamoto, 1977).
The conversion process. In distinguishing two primary types of conversion, Salzman (1966)
saw the psychopathological type as being more abrupt than the maturational conversion.
Conway &Stegelman (1978), however, believed cult conversion could come through either
sudden transformation or a more gradual process, albeit the gradual conversion also ending
in an abrupt moment of transformation which they called the point of ―snapping.‖
Those who advocate a gradual process. contend that the individual recruit typically does
make voluntary choices to participate in the cult activities at various points along the way,
but that the induction of dissociation and dedifferentiation via isolation and thought
reform tactics disallows any serious consideration of the overall process (cf. Galanter,
Rabkin, Rabkin, &Deutsch, 1979 Gilmartin in Sage, 1976 Levine, 1980 MacCollam, 1980
Schwartz Kaslow, 1981). The cult milieu control tactics, therefore, promote disengagement
of the critical evaluative functions of the brain, which results from the individual‘s inability to
process an onslaught of conflicting information while under sensory bombardment and while
separated from his/her usual frames of reality/reference (Conway &Siegelman, 1978, p.
56).
