What we can learn from cults

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much the psychology of cults is connected to the mob-like thinking we’re seeing everywhere. It’s almost like a form of mass psychosis—or, when someone is intentionally attempting to capture an audience with a particular narrative—mass hypnosis. Or, what I call: Minds traps.

Either way, we have individuals who have been captured by an ideology or a particular way of thinking to the point that their independent and critical thinking mechanisms are placed on hold. The psychological factors between that and cult indoctrination are really not that different.

It expands further into conspiracy theorist type thinking too. Researchers have found that there tend to be three preconditions that take someone from skeptic to conspiracy theorist:

1. Isolation - The person might have lost their job, gotten divorced, lost their children/family, etc. Many people truly lack community these days, which factors into a lot of social issues we’re seeing.

2. Alienation - The sense that society has abandoned them somehow, for example socioeconomically.

3. Distrust in institutions - Trust in institutions is at a disturbing low currently, but for those who dive too deeply into the rabbit hole, this distrust tends to be rooted in something more personal, like a misdiagnosis or some other bad experience that broke the person’s trust.

There are a number of psychological and social factors that make individuals more vulnerable to cults, high-control group, and cult-like thinking/causes.

• Individuals without a sense of purpose might get it from such groups and are thus attracted to them.

• Pursuit of validation. When you’re part of the “in group,” flattery and agreement are things that play to the individual’s needs.

• Desire for belonging. Whether you’re part of a cult or a political party, or cause—the people you’ve combined forces with are now your “tribe.” Even if your views change, it’s difficult to leave that group behind, which is why many people never leave and refuse to change their minds. For them, the community formed around a belief is part of their identity. The fear of social rejection or isolation can contribute to resistance against changing their minds.

• Further, those who become tribelized, just like with cults, are highly limited when it comes to being exposed to diverse perspectives. They only tend to seek out what confirms existing bias, and are trapped in an echo chamber, so it becomes easier to ignore dissenting views.

• Whether in the political realm, or the pursuit of a “guru,” individuals tend to be drawn in by strong, charismatic authority figures who provide a structure. There tends to be a reluctance to question them, and their behavior, even when clearly bad, gets justified away somehow.

• It’s difficult to live with too many “grays” and nuances. Often people need clear, simple, and definitive answers to complex questions. It relieves ambiguity, which many find deeply uncomfortable. So they buy into ideas more deeply, more wholeheartedly, which makes it incredibly difficult to change their perspectives.

• A lack of critical thinking skills or an inability to evaluate information objectively may make individuals more susceptible to manipulation and control.

• Someone who is married to an idea, no matter how much the facts don’t support it, often experiences cognitive dissonance, a psychological discomfort when faced with information that contradicts their beliefs. This discomfort can lead to defensive mechanisms to protect their established worldview.

• Emotional investment plays a role too. Like with cult members, individuals may be so deeply and emotionally invested in their belief that changing them would threaten their emotional stability. So they resist.

So now that we have a better understanding of how “mind traps” and their similarity to cult indoctrination, it seems clear that the way out is to use similar “deprogramming” techniques that have been used on cult members.

One major aspect to note is that often cult members feel like they’ve got nowhere to turn when grains of doubt sneak in, particularly since they have been so attacked by the outside world and often their friends/family have turned from them—so when someone accepts them without judgement, they are more likely to turn to them. That’s why encouraging the individuals to just share their thoughts and beliefs, and building trust, is one of the most impactful approaches. You can listen to them and validate their feelings and experiences without agreeing with them. Being dismissive or judging creates defensiveness, and shuts down conversations. It only makes them double down on existing ideas.

Instead, ask them questions that encourage critical thinking within them. Ask them to put themselves into another person’s shoes and consider how the other person might view things from their perspective. How would that other person evaluate the evidence?

It’s critical that they understand how common manipulation tactics are used. You can do that by asking them how they’d go about manipulating someone to convince them of their ideas, and point out some other tactics used by OTHER groups. Perhaps they will eventually connect the dots. It’s important that instead of you providing them with the answers, you ask open-ended questions that lead them to think for themselves.

This may sound counterproductive, but steelmanning their own argument is a wonderful technique. It will build more trust, and strengthen their own position so that it’s more rooted in logic, facts, and reality. It will also allow you to encourage them to take a look at additional information that might expose them to more perspectives, ideas, and sources.

But, ultimately, being there for them to talk about anything means that they feel like they have a support system outside of their ideological group. Their support can provide emotional reassurance and a sense of belonging outside of whichever toxic group they currently identify with.

The question is: How do we scale that?

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