How Cult Programming Really Works
It’s not just a matter of charisma and luck. Indoctrination is a precise art.
by: E.B. Johnson
There’s this pervasive idea that only stupid people fall into cults, but that’s simply not true. The cult is an insidious and intelligent manipulation, which relies on shifty and shady techniques in order to coerce its members into conforming. Understanding how cult programming works is important, but so is building the skills we need to identify and avoid those cults when they appear in our environments. In this way, we can protect ourselves, but also ensure that we remain entirely in control of the fulfilling lives we’re building.
How cult programming works.
Cult programming isn’t so much about “brainwashing” as it is about specific and targeted indoctrination. When you are brought into the cult, the slide is slow and subtle. They take their time changing the way you see things. Bit-by-bit, pieces of information are omitted and you are socially isolated by being forced into dependency on other members of the cult. A sense of dread is created, and when that happens. *Flick* The switch is flipped, and it becomes hard (if not impossible) to escape.
