Download or read book Cults in Our Midst written by Margaret Thaler Singer and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-04-11 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cults today are bigger than ever, with broad ramifications for national and international terrorism. In this newly revised edition of her definitive work on cults, Singer reveals what cults really are and how they work, focusing specifically on the coercive persuasion techniques of charismatic leaders seeking money and power. The book contains fascinating updates on Heaven's Gate, Falun Gong, Aum Shinrikyo, Hare Krishna, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and the connection between cults and terrorism in Al Queda and the PLO.
Download or read book Bounded Choice written by Janja A. Lalich and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2020-11-30 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heaven's Gate, a secretive group of celibate "monks" awaiting pickup by a UFO, captured intense public attention in 1997 when its members committed collective suicide. As a way of understanding such perplexing events, many have seen those who join cults as needy, lost souls, unable to think for themselves. This book, a compelling look at the cult phenomenon written for a wide audience, dispels such simple formulations by explaining how normal, intelligent people can give up years of their lives—and sometimes their very lives—to groups and beliefs that appear bizarre and irrational. Looking closely at Heaven's Gate and at the Democratic Workers Party, a radical political group of the 1970s and 1980s, Janja Lalich gives us a rare insider's look at these two cults and advances a new theoretical framework that will reshape our understanding of those who join such groups. Lalich's fascinating discussion includes her in-depth interviews with cult devotees as well as reflections gained from her own experience as a high-ranking member of the Democratic Workers Party. Incorporating classical sociological concepts such as "charisma" and "commitment" with more recent work on the social psychology of influence and control, she develops a new approach for understanding how charismatic cult leaders are able to dominate their devotees. She shows how members are led into a state of "bounded choice," in which they make seemingly irrational decisions within a context that makes perfect sense to them and is, in fact, consistent with their highest aspirations. In addition to illuminating the cult phenomenon in the United States and around the world, this important book also addresses our pressing need to know more about the mentality of those true believers who take extreme or violent measures in the name of a cause.
Download or read book Crazy Therapies written by Margaret Thaler Singer and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 1996-09-27 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Generally these enthusiastic - and perhaps ill-trained - therapists are themselves convinced of the healing powers of an array of techniques, some dating back far into time, that range from hilarious to hazardous.
Download or read book Cult Proofing Your Kids written by Paul R. Martin and published by Zondervan Publishing Company. This book was released on 1993 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive psychological, social, and evangelical treatment of the growing and insidious cult problem. Martin provides evidence that our schools, families, and even our churches have facilitated the rise of cults and offers suggestions on how these institutions can develop cult education programs and assist in the healing of former members.
Download or read book Losing Reality written by Robert Jay Lifton and published by The New Press. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A definitive account of the psychology of zealotry, from a National Book Award winner and a leading authority on the nature of cults, political absolutism, and mind control In this unique and timely volume Robert Jay Lifton, the National Book Award–winning psychiatrist, historian, and public intellectual proposes a radical idea: that the psychological relationship between extremist political movements and fanatical religious cults may be much closer than anyone thought. Exploring the most extreme manifestations of human zealotry, Lifton highlights an array of leaders—from Mao to Hitler to the Japanese apocalyptic cult leader Shōkō Asahara to Donald Trump—who have sought the control of human minds and the ownership of reality. Lifton has spent decades exploring psychological extremism. His pioneering concept of the "Eight Deadly Sins" of ideological totalism—originally devised to identify "brainwashing" (or "thought reform") in political movements—has been widely quoted in writings about cults, and embraced by members and former members of religious cults seeking to understand their experiences. In Losing Reality Lifton makes clear that the apocalyptic impulse—that of destroying the world in order to remake it in purified form—is not limited to religious groups but is prominent in extremist political movements such as Nazism and Chinese Communism, and also in groups surrounding Donald Trump. Lifton applies his concept of "malignant normality" to Trump's efforts to render his destructive falsehoods a routine part of American life. But Lifton sees the human species as capable of "regaining reality" by means of our "protean" psychological capacities and our ethical and political commitments as "witnessing professionals." Lifton weaves together some of his finest work with extensive new commentary to provide vital understanding of our struggle with mental predators. Losing Reality is a book not only of stunning scholarship, but also of huge relevance for these troubled times.
Download or read book Captive Hearts Captive Minds written by Madeleine Landau Tobias and published by Hunter House Publishers. This book was released on 1994 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Terror Love and Brainwashing written by Alexandra Stein and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-11-03 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by a cult survivor and renowned expert on cults and totalitarianism, Terror, Love and Brainwashing draws on the author’s 25 years of study and research to explain how almost anyone, given the right set of circumstances, can be radically manipulated to engage in otherwise incomprehensible and often dangerous acts. Illustrated with compelling stories from a range of cults and totalitarian systems, from religious to political to commercial, the book defines and analyses the common and identifiable traits that underlie almost all these groups. It focuses on how charismatic, authoritarian leaders control their followers’ attachment relationships via manipulative social structures and ideologies so that, emotionally and cognitively isolated, they become unable to act in their own survival interests. Using the evolutionary theory of attachment to demonstrate the psychological impact of these environments, and incorporating the latest neuroscientific findings, Stein illustrates how the combined dynamic of terror and ‘love’ works to break down people’s ability to think and behave rationally. From small local cults to global players like ISIS and North Korea, the impact of these movements is widespread and growing. This important book offers clarity and a unique perspective on the dynamics of these systems of control, and concludes with guidance to foster greater awareness and prevention. It will be essential reading for mental health professionals in the field, as well as policy makers, legal professionals, cult survivors, and their families, as well as anyone with an interest in these disturbing groups. Students of social and developmental psychology will also find it fascinating.
Download or read book Combatting Cult Mind Control written by Steven Hassan and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the psychological techniques cults use to indoctrinate their members and discusses deprogramming.
Download or read book Cults written by Marc Galanter and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1999 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifteen years of research inform this study of cults and cult behavior, an analysis that explores the psychology of cult member's minds, how cults operate, and the development of several specific cults.
Download or read book Spying in Guru Land written by William Shaw and published by Trafalgar Square Publishing. This book was released on 1994 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Cult of Trump written by Steven Hassan and published by Free Press. This book was released on 2020-09-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A masterful and eye-opening examination of Trump and the coercive control tactics he uses to build a fanatical devotion in his supporters written by “an authority on breaking away from cults…an argument that…bears consideration as the next election cycle heats up” (Kirkus Reviews). Since the 2016 election, Donald Trump’s behavior has become both more disturbing and yet increasingly familiar. He relies on phrases like, “fake news,” “build the wall,” and continues to spread the divisive mentality of us-vs.-them. He lies constantly, has no conscience, never admits when he is wrong, and projects all of his shortcomings on to others. He has become more authoritarian, more outrageous, and yet many of his followers remain blindly devoted. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert and a major Trump supporter, calls him one of the most persuasive people living. His need to squash alternate information and his insistence of constant ego stroking are all characteristics of other famous leaders—cult leaders. In The Cult of Trump, mind control and licensed mental health expert Steven Hassan draws parallels between our current president and people like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Ron Hubbard, and Sun Myung Moon, arguing that this presidency is in many ways like a destructive cult. He specifically details the ways in which people are influenced through an array of social psychology methods and how they become fiercely loyal and obedient. Hassan was a former “Moonie” himself, and he presents a “thoughtful and well-researched analysis of some of the most puzzling aspects of the current presidency, including the remarkable passivity of fellow Republicans [and] the gross pandering of many members of the press” (Thomas G. Gutheil, MD and professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School). The Cult of Trump is an accessible and in-depth analysis of the president, showing that under the right circumstances, even sane, rational, well-adjusted people can be persuaded to believe the most outrageous ideas. “This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand the current political climate” (Judith Stevens-Long, PhD and author of Living Well, Dying Well).
Download or read book Cults Inside Out written by Rick Alan Ross and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A look at the world of cults and information about the intervention process.
Download or read book Let Our Children Go written by Ted Patrick and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Factual stories about a former civil servant from California whose life's mission is to rescue young people who have fallen prey to pseudo-religious cults.
Download or read book Agnes at the End of the World written by Kelly McWilliams and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2020-06-09 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handmaid's Tale meets Wilder Girls in this genre-defying novel about a girl who escapes a terrifying cult only to discover that the world Outside has succumbed to a viral apocalypse. Agnes loves her home of Red Creek—its quiet, sunny mornings, its dusty roads, and its God. There, she cares tirelessly for her younger siblings and follows the town's strict laws. What she doesn't know is that Red Creek is a cult, controlled by a madman who calls himself a prophet. Then Agnes meets Danny, an Outsider boy, and begins to question what is and isn't a sin. Her younger brother, Ezekiel, will die without the insulin she barters for once a month, even though medicine is considered outlawed. Is she a sinner for saving him? Is her sister, Beth, a sinner for dreaming of the world beyond Red Creek? As the Prophet grows more dangerous, Agnes realizes she must escape with Ezekiel and leave everyone else, including Beth, behind. But it isn't safe Outside, either: A viral pandemic is burning through the population at a terrifying rate. As Agnes ventures forth, a mysterious connection grows between her and the Virus. But in a world where faith, miracles, and cruelty have long been indistinguishable, will Agnes be able to choose between saving her family and saving the world?
Download or read book Escaping Utopia written by Janja Lalich and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-01 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We think of cults as bizarre, inexplicable, or otherworldly places that only strange people inhabit, but cults and other abusive and high-demand groups (and relationships) are actually quite commonplace. In fact, the behaviors, social pressures, and authoritarian structures that create cults exist to a greater or lesser extent in every human relationship and every human group. In the first in-depth research of its kind, the author interviewed sixty-five people who were born in or grew up in thirty-nine different cultic groups spanning more than a dozen countries. What’s especially interesting about these individuals is that they each left the cult on their own, without outside help or internal support. In Escaping Utopia: Growing Up in a Cult, Getting Out, and Starting Over, the authors craft Lalich’s original and groundbreaking research into an accessible and engaging book, the first of its kind focusing on this particular population.
Download or read book Freemasonry written by Jack Harris and published by Whitaker House. This book was released on 2015-10-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Millions Deceived in a Secret Cult A former “Worshipful Master” of a Masonic lodge, Jack Harris authoritatively speaks about one of the most deceptive cults in the United States today. This secret organization has entangled ministers, elders, deacons, trustees, Sunday school teachers, and people all over the world in a web of lies and satanic rituals--all of which are veiled with the language of the Bible! Revealed in this book are… The origins and history of Freemasonry Its basic doctrines and goals The secret of passwords and oaths The “supreme Masonic word” The satanic symbolism and rituals Freemasonry is a false religion. It teaches that men can approach God, not through the finished work of Jesus Christ, but through their own abilities. Discover how you can share the light of Christ with those living in the darkness of Freemasonry, and how they can be set free from its deception.
Download or read book Savage Messiah written by Paul Kaihla and published by Doubleday. This book was released on 1993 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
