Cults prey on the vulnerable and draw people into their cults. A cult is a group of people who come together to worship the same thing, it usually includes one person or a few people as the leaders of the group. People may leave their life behind to be in a cult because of what these leaders promise. They might not even receive the promises, but even if they do, the cult leaves psychological trauma. Cults haven’t just had an affect on people’s lives just currently, cults have been going on since the time of King David in Judah, maybe even farther. Cults can have an affect on a person’s mental and physical health, it may even affect their social life. People join cults for many reasons and, most of the time, they don't have any bad intentions …show more content…
This all relates back to an attachment theory which states that, “an evolutionary adaption fundamental to humans is the drive to seek proximity to a safe other in order to gain protection from threat, thus improving chances of survival” (Stein). The problem within cults that the leader is not only just for protection but the cult leader can be a threat. Cults use a combination of both ‘love’ and fear and when someone in the cult is scared, the cult leader is the only source of relief from fear (Stein). This attachment can also affect the relationship between the cult leader and their own children, they can have similar dysfunctional attachments like the cult leaders to the followers. Even after someone might leave the cult, they may show loyalty to their cult leader because of that dysfunctional attachment (Stein). This is especially so for those who grew up in cults in childhood. Someone who has gone through this is Mary Russell, “When I was eight, in 1954, I was left alone in the house every day for three weeks because I was not well enough to attend school. I remember the associated boredom and loneliness and also a sense of abandonment… There were a number of factors in this neglect: my mother was working, economic conditions were harsh, and child-rearing views less thought through …show more content…
The reason is that cult leaders use techniques that enable them to keep someone in a cult (Jenkinson). A technique they use is pressuring them to repay for what they have given like free food or spiritual enlightenment (Jenkinson). Another technique is they manipulate people who are already committed, they are more likely to do whatever the leader requests (Jenkinson). Role models may also be used because if someone’s role model is in a cult, they are more likely to do what they do, this is also true if the person likes someone in the cult (Jenkinson). Also cults use authority, “Milgram’s studies on obedience demonstrate how easily we comply with requests from an authority figure, ” (Jenkinson). “Other common techniques include provoking phobias and fears to enforce obedience and ensure that members are too frightened to leave, for fear that something awful will happen to them…”(Jenkinson). Cults also use the eight components identified by Lifton are milieu control, mystical, the demand for purity, the cult of confession, the ‘sacred science’, loading the language, doctrine over person, suspending of existence. All of these eventually lead to confusion and loss of identity for people within
Soon they were introduced to the cults which were the gangs of the city. Every cult wanted to be the toughest in the city, causing many of them to lash out against each other. Nnamabia and his friends decided to join one of the cults in the area. However, It was not as easy as they thought it would
“A cult is a religious or semi-religious sect whose members are controlled almost entirely by a single individual or by an organization.” (“What”). Families are forced to leave their homes and life behind by a dream that the cult will take them to bigger and better places. Some of these cults also cost these members their lives. There is always that question of why they do it because it is far from believable. These leaders are manipulators dragging in their pray in like flies. Heaven’s Gate is a cult. People don’t just have their mind set and say “I’m going to go join a cult,” they are looking for a safe haven. They have different beliefs and rituals. A religious cult isn’t just a group of people left to their beliefs, but yet it is a threat to our nation and the people in it. “The mind of the fanatic” wants but more so “needs something to worship, even to the point of annihilation.”(Katherine Ramsland).
The isolated FLDS community consists of about 10,000 people who are sheltered from the realities of the modern-day world. The president and Prophet of the FLDS church is named Warren Jeffs. In order to keep the masses from thinking independently and straying from the ideas of the prophet, Warren Jeffs discourages any access to television, the internet, newspapers, and outside entertainment. By limiting the people’s exposure to outside news sources, Jeffs can control the information the community receives, and therefore alter their perception of events occurring in the world. Members of the FLDS church are taught to hate outsiders and are fed false information about the events and people outside of the compound. The members of the church live within the confines of the church in a commune community where gates and walls keep the people in, and the outsiders out. FLDS women and girls are known to wear extremely modest prairie style dresses with long uncut hair typically worn
The cult sacrifices innocent people for their own self-amusement to appease Satin. Both Oceania and Matamoros attempts to create a perfect society so they can carry out their immoral plans. The totalitarian leaders try to convince the followers/citizens what they want but actually they are victims of constant surveillance, and freedoms restricted.
...cult. When my father lost his job, our family lost many of the comforts that we once took for granted due to a reduced income. Money became a very large issue and with it came many limitations on wants and desires that were so accessible before my father had lost his job. Furthermore, the loss of his job brought about immense shame for my father. Yet, rather than become embarrassed over my father losing his job and sad due to the fact that I could no longer have as many material possessions, I came to accept the different lifestyle. By letting go and accepting, room was made for new experiences, joys, understandings, and lessons. For instance, I now appreciate things that I took for granted in the past and realize the lack of necessity for materialistic objects and desires and I feel that as a result, I have become a more appreciative human being as a whole.
A cult can use fear and they can also use the threat of being separated from their families to control their members. Sometimes they use a person’s family against to control them by threatening to separate them from all family members if they decide to leave the religion. David Koresh and Alena Padgett are examples of some people that have been affected by cults in one way or another. David Koresh was the leader of a cult, and Alena Padgett was murdered by two cult members. There are many reasons why people join cults such as religion, they are seeking family and friends, to hide from what they consider “evil” forces.
Regardless of the consequences or danger that comes with joining a gang, it can provide a sense of belonging, security and for others give them a family they might have never had. Gangs have been around for many years, far and wide, around the world, and in every country, state, or city there is most likely guaranteed to be a local gang whether it be a small one or a larger one. There are legitimate and reasonable reasons for getting involved in a gang, gangs are not inherently bad, but are instead in a way tainted by the people in charge of said gang and those who follow them, gangs can have good aspects but this does not outweigh the bad nor does it provide a significant payoff relating to the consequences of the bad aspects of gang life. People join gangs not because they want but because they think it will get them the things they've long desired for whether it be a family, acceptance, friends or power.
It's also been shown that lack of parental involvement and early academic failure can also result in seeking out the camaraderie of a criminal gang. Oftentimes, boredom can result in joining as can the excitement of belonging to a gang. In many cases, young men and women feel like they have no choice but to join because
He believes that low self-esteem and poor relationships with family members, especially with parents, are some of the attributes of gang recruits. Teens involved in violence are also at risk of becoming gang members. Teens that do not have adult figures in their lives are also at risk. Teens that associate with gang members and other delinquents have a tendency to join gangs. Teens that perform poorly in school, and are lacking in skills, or interests that keep them occupied could also go down that road.
While many argue that joining a cult would do the opposite for people feeling alone, cult members usually find a deeply rooted community among the other members that works to make them feel more accepted by the other members. The people who join cults usually believe that the acceptance they find in these groups is something absent from everyday society. By allowing the discrimination of cult members, one furthers this feeling of isolation and affirms their initial feelings about society. One of society’s main issues throughout history has been the fight against discrimination whether that be focused against the Irish, Jewish people, African Americans, or, recently, women.
An Investigation Into Cult Dynamics So why exactly do people join cults? Many people simply believe that those who choose to join them must be weak, weird, and emotionally unstable or perhaps are some sort of religious nut case, this is however simply not the case (How Cults Work). The truth is that cults have had a long time to practice and refine the recruiting process and thusly have turned it into a fine craft.
A cult is a structured group, most of whose members demonstrate unquestionable loyalty to a dynamic leader. The cult leader governs most, if not all, aspects of the lives o...
of the reality of the world. Secondly, by means of psychological and social control techniques, it makes its members virtually unable to resist its influence and authority. Cults are often isolationists, to gain and maintain control over members physically. intellectually, financially, and emotionally. Deprivation in the form of sleep or food is often used, and is sometimes combined with constant indoctrination.
Throughout our history, cults have become a prevalent part of our society. More and more cults are forming every day. Although not all of them are dangerous, some can perform practices that are toxic to their members. Cults use fear and control to gain more and more members. Once members join a cult, they are forced to perform the practices that the cult leaders require. It is through these practices that cult leaders convince their members to stay in the cult. Through mind control and scare tactics, cults have become a very powerful and dangerous part of our society.