This image powerfully reminds me that false information circulating on social media and elsewhere keeps the truth from emerging.

Undue Influencers

How would you know if you’ve been brainwashed? Can you remember when someone pressured you to act or think a certain way? Did you give in to it? Most of us have, on occasion, though not to the point where our behavior became extreme. It is hard to self-evaluate and easy to push back when friends and family say you’ve been blindsided.

Authoritarian leaders are challenging to assess because much of their teachings may be beneficial and help us grow. The difficulty arises when the chief instills dependency and indoctrinates followers that harm themselves and others. The Jamestown killings are a dramatic example of self-harm at the direction of the head. The Rajneesh movement in the 1980s and ’90s ended with paranoid followers attending services surrounded by armed guards. Among other things, their leaders poisoned a salad bar in the Dalles, Oregon. January 6th occurred because Donald Trump claimed the election was rigged and inspired followers to storm Congress, harming citizens and legislators rather than trusting the Constitution.

Dr. Steven Hassan, an expert on undue influence, knows what it’s like to be taken in, having been a member of the Moonies. He now helps people free themselves of what he calls a form of unethical hypnosis, a tactic used by authoritarian leaders. His goal is to empower reality testing. Hassan focuses on four categories to evaluate the way someone has been unduly influenced: information, thought, behavior, and emotion. Behavior explores how manipulative leaders regulate and dominate member actions through strict rules, rewards, punishments, and limiting individual autonomy. Thought focuses on the psychological techniques that promote conformity by shaping beliefs and attitudes and suppressing critical thinking. Information examines the flow of censorship and propaganda restricting members’ access to outside perspectives. Emotion considers how followers are manipulated to foster dependency and loyalty through love-bombing, guilt, fear-based indoctrination, and implanting the notion that members are on a higher platform than those outside the group.

Authoritarian leaders control gatherings and the media by isolating their members from outside opinions. Their techniques weaponize members into engaging in antisocial behavior. When followers are bombarded with false information, they become afraid to leave the group and lose friends. Their standing within the group makes them feel like they are among the chosen people.

Years ago, a distraught father begged me to let his daughter attend an OMSI camp, though the session was full. He and the twelve-year-old had been very close until he allowed her to go to a religious camp for a week with a friend. Rather than a wholesome outdoor experience, she was programmed to accept the group’s form of Christianity. The young campers spent days at revival meetings that continued until after midnight. They used tactics that embarrassed, belittled, and scared the children into compliance. Not only were they brainwashed, but they were instructed on how to deal with their parents on returning home. After only five days, she became a believer who distrusted her father. Though I enrolled the girl in camp, and she spoke to a psychologist who deprogrammed cult members, the man’s relationship with his daughter was never the same. Blind faith can be a potent force when not put in perspective.

When confronted by a friend who says you were taken in, it’s easy to get your hackles up and disregard the messenger. But it’s worth taking a moment to ask yourself three questions.

• How would I know if I was wrong?
• Do I believe my mind is un-malleable?
• Am I afraid of changing my beliefs?

To be free of undue control, you must be willing to detach yourself from the constant reinforcing influences. Step back to examine to what extent your behavior, information, thoughts, and emotions were influenced. Seek out people who left the group and find out why. Think back to when you first joined the group and ask what you expected and how it differs today. Look deeply into how the leader operates and question if you’ve been brainwashed to distrust critics.

I’ve witnessed chaos in several organizations caused by individuals more interested in power than the group’s welfare. In each instance, the organization’s leadership was systematically undermined. The leader controlled their department while using the organization’s resources that furthered personal interests, ignoring the impact on the larger group. A dangerous situation was created that tore the organization apart. You can see it occurring in Congress when extreme factions threaten control and stop legislation from moving forward.

Local schools, churches, neighborhood groups, municipal governments, social justice organizations, and our families are where we practice democracy in a pluralistic society. By respecting divergent opinions and compromises for the good of the whole, we can sidestep stress,  anger, strife, and even war.

I look forward to your comments below.

I’m pleased to announce The Water Factor: A Rightfully Mine Novel received an honorable mention at the New York Book Festival to add to its awards. The novel examines the emotions and consequences of those who seek personal advantage over the good of society. Though a work of fiction, there is much to be gained by exploring what happened when water became a commodity rather than a right. Corporations that benefit at the expense of the masses affect all of our lives, yet there are pros and cons to their actions. This is your chance to peer into the near future to a time of water scarcity controlled by water cartels. The Water Factor is a Firebird International Award winner for best dystopian novel and a Literary Titan recipient for best thriller.  It is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Ask your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram. Please leave a review on Amazon after reading. 

EMERGING is a 31” by 48” acrylic painting on canvas, available including shipping in the Continental US for $895. Contact me for information at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com

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References:

Website (2024)BITE Model of Authoritarian Control. Freedom of Mind Resource Center.Retrieved from https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model-pdf-download/

Smith, T. (2021) Experts in Cult Deprogramming  Step In To Help Believers in Conspiracy Theories.NPR Heard on All Things Considered. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2021/03/02/972970805/experts-in-cult-deprogramming-step-in-to-help-believers-in-conspiracy-theories

Website (2023) Cult Intervention. People Leave Cults. Retrieved from https://www.peopleleavecults.com/services/cult-intervention-process

Hassan, S. (2023) Beyond Cult “Deprogramming” Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-of-mind/202303/beyond-cult-deprogramming Hassan, S. (2022) How to Free our Minds with Cult Deprogramming Expert Dr. Steven Hassan. Center for Humane Psychology. retrieved from https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/51-how-to-free-our-minds