Farber, Harlow, & West (1957) coined the term \u201cDDD syndrome\u201d to describe the essence of Korean war thought reform with prisoners of war: debility, dependency, and dread. Lifton (1961), who also studied thought reform employed in Chinese universities, demonstrated that the process did not require physical debilitation. Contemporary cultic groups, which do not have the power of the state at their disposal, have more in common with this brand of thought reform than with the POW variety, in that they rarely employ physical coercion. In order to control targets, they must rely on subterfuge and natural areas of overlap between themselves and prospects. As with all Korean era thought reform programs (those directed at civilians and at prisoners), however, contemporary cultic groups induce dependent states to gain control over recruits and employ psychological (sometimes physical) punishment (\u201cdread\u201d) to maintain control. The process, in my view, can be briefly described by a modified \u201cDDD syndrome\u201d: deception, dependency, and dread.<\/p>\n
Although the process here described is complex and varied, the following appears to occur in the prototypical cult conversion:<\/p>\n
— A vulnerable prospect encounters a cultic group.<\/p>\n
— The group (leader[s]) deceptively presents itself as a benevolent authority that can improve the prospect\u2019s well-being\u00b7<\/p>\n
— The prospect responds positively, experiencing an increase in self-esteem and security, at least some of which is in response to what could be considered \u201cplacebo\u201d The prospect can now be considered a \u201crecruit\u201d.<\/p>\n
— Through the use of \u201csharing\u201d exercises, \u201cconfessions,\u201d and skillful individualized probing, the group [leader(s)] assesses the recruit\u2019s strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n
— Through testimonies of group members, the denigration of the group\u2019s \u201ccompetitors\u201d (e.g., other groups, other practices), the tactful accentuation of the recruit\u2019s shameful memories and other weaknesses, and the gradual indoctrination of the recruit into a closed, nonfalsifiable belief system, the group\u2019s superiority is affirmed as a fundamental assumption.<\/p>\n
— Members\u2019 testimonies, positive reinforcement of the recruit\u2019s expressions of trust in the group, discrete reminders about the recruit\u2019s weaknesses, and various forms of group pressure induce the recruit to acknowledge that his\/her future well-being depends upon adherence to the group\u2019s belief system, more specifically its \u201cchange program.\u201d<\/p>\n
— These same influence techniques are joined by a subtle undermining of the recruit\u2019s selfesteem(e.g., by exaggerating the \u201csinfulness\u201d of experiences the recruit is encouraged to confess\u201d), the suppression or weakening of critical thinking through fatiguing activity, near-total control of the recruit\u2019s time, trance-induction exercises (e.g., chanting), and the repetitive message that only disaster results from not following the group\u2019s \u201cchange program.\u201d These manipulations induce the recruit to declare allegiance to the group and to commit to change him\/herself as directed by the group. He or she can now be considered a convert embarking on a path of \u201cpurification\u201d, \u201cenlightenment\u201d, \u201cselfactualization\u201d, \u201chigher consciousness,\u201d or whatever. The recruit\u2019s dependency on the group is established and implicitly, if not explicitly, acknowledged. Moreover, he\/she has accepted the group\u2019s authority in defining what is true and good, within the convert\u2019s heart and mind as well as in the world.<\/p>\n
— The convert is next fully subjected to the unrealistically high expectations of the group. The recruit\u2019s \u201cpotential\u201d is \u201clovingly\u201d affirmed, while members testify to the great heights they and \u201cheroic\u201d models have scaled. The group\u2019s all-important mission, e.g., save the world, justifies its all-consuming expectations.<\/p>\n
— Because by definition the group is always right and \u201cnegative\u201d thinking is unacceptable, the convert\u2019s failures become totally his or her responsibility, while his or her doubts and criticisms are suppressed (often with the aid of trance-inducing exercises such as meditation, speaking in tongues, or chanting) or redefined as personal failures. The convert thus experiences increasing self-alienation. The \u201cpre-cult self\u201d is rejected; doubts about the group are pushed out of consciousness; the sense of failure generated by not measuring up to the group\u2019s expectations is bottled up inside. The only possible adaptation is fragmentation and compartmentalization. It is not surprising, then, that many clinicians consider dissociation to lie the heart of cult-related distress and dysfunction (Ash, 1985).<\/p>\n
— The convert\u2019s self-alienation will tend to demand further psychological, and physical, alienation from the non-group world (especially family), information from which can threaten to upset whatever dissociative equilibrium the convert establishes in an attempt to adjust to the consuming and conflicting demands of the group. This alienation accentuates the convert\u2019s dependency on the group.<\/p>\n
— The group supports the convert\u2019s dissociative equilibrium by actively encouraging escalating dependency, e.g., by exaggerating the convert\u2019s past \u201csins\u201d and conflicts with family, by denigrating outsiders, by positively reinforcing chanting or other \u201cthoughtstopping\u201d activities, and by providing and positively reinforcing ways in which the convert can find a valued role within the group (e.g., work for a group-owned business, sell magazines on the street).<\/p>\n
— The group strengthens the convert\u2019s growing dependency by threatening or inflicting punishment whenever the convert or an outside force (e.g., a visit by a family member) disturbs the dissociative equilibrium that enables him or her to function in a closed, nonfalsifiable system (the \u201cdread\u201d of DDD). Punishment may sometimes by physical. Usually, however, the punishment is psychological, sometimes even metaphysical. Certain fringe groups, for example, can at the command of the leadership immediately begin shunning someone singled out as being \u201cfactious\u201d or possessed of a \u201crebellious spirit.\u201d Many groups also threaten wavering converts with punishments in the hereafter, for example, being \u201cdoomed to Hell.\u201d It should be remembered that these threats and punishments occur within a context of induced dependency and psychological alienation from the person\u2019s former support network. This fact makes them much more potent than the garden-variety admonitions of traditional religious, such as \u201cyou will go to hell if you die with mortal sin.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The result of this process, when carried to its consummation, is a person who proclaims great happiness but hides great suffering. I have talked to many former cultists who, when they left their groups and talked to other former members, were surprised to discover that many of their fellow members were also smilingly unhappy, all thinking they were the only ones who felt miserable inside.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
— from\u00a0Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse<\/em>, Michael D. Langone, ed., W.W. Norton, 1995.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Farber, Harlow, & West (1957) coined the term \u201cDDD syndrome\u201d to describe the essence of Korean war thought reform with prisoners of war: debility, dependency, and [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7480\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matthewremski.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}