Manipulating Minds: The Use of Persuasion and Coercion in Cults, Authoritarianism, and Trumpism- Part 1
Part 1 of a 5-Part Series
Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash
Dear Reader: While my Substack posts normally come to your inbox no more than weekly, I'll be posting twice a week until November 5 because this particular series relates to a phenomenon that plays an integral part in the US election. After that date, I'll return to weekly posting. I hope you can tolerate two posts a week for just the next three weeks. Thanks for reading!
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I. The Cult
A. What is a Cult?
B. How do you know it’s a cult?
C. Are they all bad? Can cults be beneficial?
II. Persuasion and Coercion
A. What is persuasion?
B. What is the distinction between persuasion and coercion?
C. How does persuasion work?
D. What makes us vulnerable to persuasion?
E. Common coercive tactics
III. How We Can Protect Ourselves
A. How can we become alert to this type of coercion when it is being used?
B. What can we do if we see people around us taken in by these groups? How can we help them?
IV. Authoritarianism, Fascism, Totalitarianism and Cults
A. What’s the difference between authoritarianism and fascism?
B. What’s the difference between authoritarianism and totalitarianism?
C. Does the coercion used in cults differ from that used in authoritarian and fascist groups?
D. Is Trump a cult leader and are his followers in a cult?
V. Conclusion
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We live in “interesting times.” Fascism is growing around the world, including here at home. Within these fascist elements are groups which seem to feed the fascist flame, authoritarian-type groups we might even think of as cults. Cults and fascists fit like hand and glove. Given the current trend, it makes sense to examine the relationship between cults and authoritarian regimes at this point in time.
I have a decades-long interest in cults and in particular the use of persuasion—I wrote an academic research paper about that very topic years ago—and that interest has intensified in recent years as a result of the rise of authoritarianism and fascism, which, in their insidious use of coercion, are in many ways similar to the way in which cults function.
When it became obvious to me about eight years ago that some were attempting to steer our government into an authoritarian direction, I was immediately struck by the similarity between cult followers and Trump followers of various stripes, and the correlation between the use of coercion by cult leaders and by Trump. I confess it took me a bit longer to realize that the Trump movement was quite possibly just that: a cult.
In fact, several groups which I believe qualify as cults have arisen in our country which support and contribute to the current rise in authoritarianism and fascism in our country, and, in an unusual turn, those groups have apparently joined forces in what we might refer to as Trumpism in an effort to enforce their brand of fascism on our country and its citizens.
As many in our country and others around the world now seem to be under the sway of a malignant authoritarian influence, becoming aware of the tactics used by these groups is a service both to those who might be vulnerable, as well as to those who might be unaware that they are already under the sway of these groups. And, of course, it is essential to the future of democracy in our country that we be aware of, and confront, these forces so that we can counter them.
Come along with me as I take a look at what a cult is, how it functions, and how it attracts and controls followers. We’ll see how people might be drawn into a cult, how we can help them, how we can avoid being drawn into a cult ourselves, and ultimately how we might disempower those organizations. Knowledge is power!
Most importantly, we’ll explore at their primary tool, persuasion, and its evil twin, coercion. Even the most accomplished and intelligent of people can be attracted to a cult. And after they’re enmeshed in the group, it is a very short step to being indoctrinated and immune to outside influence. And once that happens, it is very, very hard for them to receive information or logic that comes from outside the cult due to the nature of that programming, or to communicate authentically with those who are not in the cult.
And what about people we know who are in a cult, or in a cult-like organization? How do we communicate with them? How do we help them see the light? Is that even possible? Once someone is in the grasp of a cult, is it possible for them to see that they are, in fact, in a cult? If you’ve ever spoken to someone you know who is in a cult or a cultish organization, you know how difficult it is to reach them or to have a conversation with them, particularly about that organization or their participation in it.
Many of us are concerned about how we might help those who have come under the influence of these groups, when coercive tactics used by these groups by their very nature cripple the use of logic by the individuals involved. I would like to point out exactly how these tactics are used and why they are so effective. And why it does absolutely no good to use logic or normal persuasive arguments with those at the effect of them.
We’ll look at the negative forms of persuasion—coercion, mind control and brainwashing—and see what makes them different from benign persuasion. Also, we’ll gain some clarity regarding unhealthy persuasion: how to recognize it and avoid succumbing to it. And finally, we’ll take a look at our current situation in the US, specifically with regard to a certain extreme right-wing group (there is actually more than one!) that has infiltrated our government and see how it stacks up against the definition of cult with regard to the use of negative persuasion.
I. THE CULT
A. What is a cult?
What exactly is a cult? That’s an important question for our times, isn’t it? There are certainly groups in our country now that seem to fit that term. There are other organizations that might seem cultish, but they don’t fit our image of cults, which might look more like the Hare Krishnas chanting in airports, the mass weddings of Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church, or the unfortunate flaming demise of David Koresh’s followers. Since most cults are not quite so obvious in their public persona, how do we determine if a group is a cult?
(Please note that in Europe the word sect is often used to refer to what we in America think of as a cult, whereas the word sect in America is a benign reference to a subdivision of a religious group. I’m using the word cult in the American sense here.)
Simply put, a cult is a group or organization, typically led by a charismatic or self-appointed leader, a) which requires adherence to beliefs and actions that are different from those generally accepted in society, b) which requires devotion or loyalty to its leader, and c) which controls its members using coercive methods.
Cults can be found in productivity and awareness training (LGATs, or Large Group Awareness Trainings), new religious movements, meditation groups, spiritual groups, self-improvement groups, traditional or established religious groups, political groups and educational groups. In other words, they’re everywhere. Don’t assume that you can recognize a cult by the trappings; they often seem perfectly normal at first glance.
For our purposes here, cult will be used to indicate a group delineated by (1) an authoritarian structure, (2) leadership by a charismatic figure, and (3) use of coercive tactics to control, attract or keep followers. I’ll use the term cultish to refer to groups that have many cult factors but are not clearly cults.
B. How do you know it’s a cult?
People generally have strong feelings about cults, and that’s due in large part to a few sensational events which have been brought about by some very harmful cults. When people think of cult, the images that often come to mind are of dead Kool-Aid®-poisoned bodies in Jim Jones’ camp, flames and gunfire at the Branch Davidian’s compound in Waco, or the Charles Manson Family’s brutal murders of Sharon Tate and others. However, those groups represent the most negative and the most clearcut of cults. There are many organizations which have “cultish” qualities, and which are not as sensational, but still have negative consequences. What constitutes a cult is just not as clear-cut as we might hope. There are many shades of gray in the cult world.
While there are some organizations that most would agree are cults, having all or nearly all of the characteristics of cults—e.g., the Jim Jones Peoples Temple—there are many organizations that possess some of the characteristics of a cult, but have enough positive characteristics that there is not a clear-cut consensus on whether or not they are cults. In other words, it could be debated convincingly on either side.
It is these organizations in which I have the most interest, as I feel that their influence, and the potential for coercion of those who are not served by their participation in these groups, is the most insidious and unseen, and therefore the most dangerous.
I’m going to talk about the methods of coercion used in these groups, as I believe the understanding and awareness of these techniques renders them ineffective. In other words, if you know that wolves often wear sheep’s clothing, you are more apt to look at a sheep with a discerning eye and be on guard against wolf behavior.
And although the determination of whether a group is a cult is almost never black and white, I propose that it can determined subjectively by a preponderance of characteristics using a weighted system I devised, which I’ll share later on in this article.
C. Are they all bad? Can cults be beneficial?
To see a cult as all bad would be tempting, but most of them have positive traits, as well, or they would not be able to attract followers. Cults are often formed for the purpose of propagating a teaching that provides an apparently useful focus—regardless of what its true intent might be—and since people often need a sense of purpose, this can be very attractive. There are some positive qualities or practices in all of these groups, even the worst of them. Meditation, mantra repetition (focusing the mind intently on a word or phrase), and chanting, taken on their own, are often beneficial, and service is a wonderful thing, too. Being in a group surrounded by people who are committed to a higher purpose and who accept you can feel pleasant and uplifting, even when other aspects of the groups are unhealthy. Most of these groups have at least one positive or beneficial practice or characteristic that most people would enjoy or benefit from.
Also, many of the negative characteristics of cults could also be positive characteristics in a different setting. It is the context, i.e., an authoritarian structure in which coercion is present, that makes the groups negative rather than positive and categorizes them as cults. Simply having a few benign traits doesn’t render these organizations harmless, or non-cults. If they use deception, manipulation or coercion, if intend to they make people dependent and obedient, or if their purpose is to increase the size, wealth or power of the organization or leader, rather than to benefit the participating individual, they are still cults and therefore ultimately harmful.
What is unhealthy is the degree of coercion and the authoritarian structure of the groups that ultimately strips the participants of their innate power and stifles their healthy participation in life.
To continue reading this series, click here to go to Part 2.
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