Organizations that use the tactics of mind control are usually started and/or headed by a psychopath, a highly charismatic and revered leader. As well as using mind control techniques within their organization, psychopaths also use them within their personal relationships.
Within this blog the term 'mind control' will represent the body of practices used within a cult, or high control group, to gain conformity and to keep people within, and faithful to the organization, but it can be applied with some adjustment to interpersonal relationships.
The word cult is typically associated with a harmful religion (In my opinion all religions are cults to some degree), but it can be applied just as equally to a business, a social club, a form of government, or as said, an abusive controlling relationship. Some of these human susceptibilities and inclinations based on human frailties are even exploited pervasively, yet more subtly, in advertising.
The human mind due to its social wiring is highly susceptible to cults. We have evolved to seek the belonging and protection of a group and to listen and take directions from that group's leaders. Tribal formation, cohesion, conformity and cooperation were the key to early hominid success and survival. We all yearn to belong, and take much comfort and security in the idea that what we belong to is safer, stronger, and better than everything else. This need for security, to belong and get along with a group, and to extol that group is a powerful force in the human psyche (The team loyalty displayed by sports fans (fanatics) comes to mind). In the ancient world hominids alone on their own died quite rapidly. We are wired to hang out in groups.
Cults usually promise their adherents security, love, belonging, special status, and chosen standing with god, within the group, or against the world. High control groups have special appeal to many people who desire the security of direction and being told how to be in every step and facet of their life. Members believe themselves to be within a chosen group; one of a chosen people. The group extols itself, professing that it seeks lofty goals and higher ideals. Its main goal is that of making things better in the world, awakening people to the truth, being a force for good, and helping other people (especially others within the 'us' of the group). Ultimately its most lofty goal is usually saving the world. Saving the world may even involve ridding the world of opposition groups who are usually vilified (Think radical Islam).
A person under mind control doesn't realize that they're under mind control. Any hint of such is heavily suppressed by cognitive mechanisms. Their very identity is heavily tied to, and embedded within the group. To leave the group would be akin to cutting off a limb, or tearing out their heart. The group has made them everything they are, everything that is good about them. The organization via its mind control tactics has completely sucked them in.
All that said, here then are the top 10 signs you may be part of an organization (or relationship) practicing mind control:
10 - Sanctioned Information. Your organization does not allow scrutiny or fact checking outside organizationally approved materials or sources. Association with people or other groups adverse to or challenging the organization is forbidden. According to the group the main goals and positions of outside sources are lies and deceit. They only seek to hurt you. We seek to protect you.
Intellectual inquiry is highly corralled within "approved" sources and conflated with emotional seeking. Intellectualism, and science is badmouthed. Intellectuals are criticized for thinking too much and getting caught up in pride and critical thinking. The best way to keep a person in is to keep them ignorant, teach them to be willfully so, and to emphasize feeling over thinking.
09 - Submission to Leaders. You are instructed and encouraged to go to your leaders and organizational representatives to answer any and all concerns, or contradictions. This includes historical, doctrinal, or governing questions. Confession to leaders of sins is encouraged, maybe even scheduled. Answers to your doubting usually include that the group is special or chosen in some way and it's your job to realize that, and your failing if you don't. Members of your group are said to be elite and better informed when compared with people outside the group. Group members may be taught that they possess hidden knowledge and will reap special blessings or status via faithfulness and service to the group. You are told to serve the group, and to obey, respect, revere, and follow your leaders unquestioningly.
08 - Happiness Found Only Within. You may be unhappy in your organization but cannot see yourself leaving as an option, ever, for any reason. Your unhappiness when expressed is said to be due to your own failings at living up to the teachings or culture of the organization. You are taught there is no happiness, ever, outside the group, and that your life will crumble to ruins and misery should you choose to leave. The organization is the only way you will ever truly find happiness. You have been taught that serious even eternal consequences will result should you leave or question the doctrine or the organization. You are told how lucky and blessed you are to be in the organization. You are chosen. You are also told to spread your happiness and share positive accounts, both within the group and outside the group, about the benefits of your membership in efforts to promote the group and recruit people into the group. This telling your own story of happiness further indoctrinates (convinces) you that you are happy, the group is wonderful, and your happiness and true joy is due to your membership in the organization.
07 - Dismissal of Contrary Facts. You dismiss documented substantiated facts which may challenge your beliefs or your group because quite frankly they scare you. The truth is hurtful to your embraced delusions. If you do consider the facts and contradictions, you practice mental gymnastics to explain them in a way that makes sense within your organizational views, usually in a rationalized or justified way. These explanations seldom make as much rational sense when compared to the opposing facts which require no mental contortions. These convoluted explanations fail the test of Occum's razor, where the simplest or shortest, least convoluted explanation is usually the correct one.
Again, the truth is hurtful to your delusions. As such you avoid and dismiss it to avoid pain. Dismissal can often include ridicule and shaming. A good dose of mockery, either by you, or of you in your consideration of opposing viewpoints, can shut down critical thinking and make your mind fall right in line, no questions asked.
05 - Performance and Behavior = Worthiness and Status. You must change your behavior in order to become worthy to receive the positive feelings and correct answers to your questions, to be given privileged, maybe even secret information, or to rise in status within the group. This performance may even be measured monetarily. In some cults such as Scientology promotion within the group is purchased.
For worthiness and promotion within the group your behavior must always be in line with faithfulness to the organization and its teachings. If you doubt or question, it is because of your sin or unworthiness, or your poor performance. Heightened commitment to the organization and its teachings is often given as the way to answer your doubts or questions. Service to others is often given as the answer to your discontent, and a way to shut down critical thinking. You hold a title and/or responsibility within the organization. Members of the group are kept busy. This busyness helps to stop questioning by keeping the person connected to a cause, and embedded and identified with the group, and gives the person time little time to think.
Performance of rituals and observances, especially those which restrict behavior, are good at keeping people focused on physical commitment.
04 - The Adversary. You fear "anti" material because you think "the adversary" will deceive you should you give it attention. It is all told to be a cunning scheme of disinformation and lies. You are taught by the organization that "the adversary" is behind any information that is counter to the organization or its claims. You are not to affiliate or sympathize with the enemy. You are certainly not to investigate their claims. The adversary may be another inferior group (business, country, religion), apostates from your group, science (facts), a political party, law enforcement (the government), another race or tribe, The new world order, Satan ... the list is large. This adversarial thinking solidifies the group into an Us verses Them mentality.
03 - Emotions. You think and are taught that emotional experiences are signs for truth, and the better way to "know" truth - if it feels good and makes you happy it is true. Intellectual rational thought that employs critical thinking is discouraged in favor of emotional thought and feeling. The most extolled and reinforced feelings are happiness, peace, and joy. "Happiness is obtained from and within the organization which springs from following faithfully in it". This message is pounded home on a constant basis. There are songs, chants or mantras that are vocalized and expected to be vocalized to show alignment and allegiance to the group. These positive group identifying activities with their positive messages are repeated frequently within a group setting to solidify "truth" and cohesion. Oft repeated phrases are common. "I know this group is true" "So and So is a true leader" "we are all enlisted...happy are we". On the other side of emotions, guilt, shaming, and fear are pervasively employed to win compliance.
02 - Leaving = Sin. You don't think anyone could ever have a legitimate reason for leaving the organization. Those who choose to leave are weak, hiding or ignoring their personal sin and error, or not living in a way that the spirit of truth or the illustrious enlightened group can reach or correct them. Anyone who leaves always does so by their own mistake(s) or fault. They are never thought rational for doing so, but rather maligned to be immoral, ignorant, weak, proud, wicked, or deceived. They are lost to Satan or the adversary/enemy. Their subsequent speaking against the group is proof of this.
01 - Persecution. You are encouraged to think that there is a worldwide conspiracy against your group - persecution comes from mean spirited and jealous "outsiders" who don't understand, or who work for "the adversary". You are taught that people who belong to the organization will always suffer persecution and criticism from outsiders. This opposition is proof that the group is chosen because jealous outsiders are bent on tearing it down. If we weren't God's true organization Satan wouldn't be fighting so hard against us. If we weren't so special other organizations wouldn't be trying so hard to take us down. Promoting persecution, perceived or real, helps coalesce the group by establishing a common enemy - it's us vs them, a mainstay of group psychology.
00 - Bonus. You may be under mind control if you find anything in the previous list familiar, offensive, or threatening.
To quote the words of Jesus, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free [but first it will make you angry] ... he who hath ears to hear [it] let him hear".
Many things which are true are hard to hear by those caught in error. Jesus knew that the truth can be offensive. Much of what he said was against and offensive to the prominent religious and political organizations of his time. He was tried and crucified over that offense. His 'hanging' offense was sedition against Rome, not for proclaiming himself divinity, although they (the Jewish establishment) didn't like that either.
The truth is not always kind, flattering, or reinforcing. These are the truths we most readily deny. The truths we most readily accept are those which are uplifting, flattering, or offer some form of comfort. Ignoring facts which don't feel good is not a balanced approach to truth, and the best way to be caught in error. The best way to find the truth is to be open to being wrong or deceived, and when shown to be so, willfully abandoning those wrong ideas.
Above all else I wish you the truth, even if that truth is painful for awhile. Once on the outside of the error and looking back in you will realize just how much the truth has truly set you free...and how much happier you are without what you gave up.
The first, best, and really only way to help someone out is to be kind, loving, and compassionate. Give them tiny bite sized hints at the clues that something might be amiss, and let them chew on it as they can. Watch for when they are ready for their next bite. They need to pursue the information themselves. Let them ask the questions themselves. If you pursue them coercively the amygdala gets all excited, reasoning gets shut down, and the flight or flee response is in force. People cannot think logically or rationally when they feel threatened.
The information in this post is mostly contained in the books, Releasing the Bonds, and Freedom of Mind, by Steven Hassan. For more detailed information see his website, specifically the BITE model for mind control which lays out how control takes place along the following areas:
Behavior
Information
Thought
Emotion
Steven Hassan's BITE Model of Cult Mind Control
Also this YouTube video, at the 3:00 minute mark, gives a very good explanation of how the bite model works
How to Avoid Deception
Here is another brief video which describes the tactics used by High Control Groups (cults)
Cult Tactics and Mind Control - B.I.T.E.
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