he most extreme form of social influence can be seen in the process by which cults recruit, indoctrinate and retain members, sometimes forever. Unlike all of the other types of influence we have presented here that focus on eliciting a relatively specific change in how you think, feel or act with regard to some issue or product, the ultimate goal of religious and social-political cults is to own you. They want you to disengage from your former family and friends, your school and job, your hobbies and personal interests to become a true believer willing to sacrifice all that for the good of this new group. In the extreme, cults provide a “total situation” in which members live, interact, and work, and the cult becomes the new substitute family and friendship network. Regardless of the initial reasons for joining the group, which may be laudatory, like curing world hunger or AIDS, or poverty, in actually most members become workers assigned to menial jobs to make money for the cult or become recruiters to attract new members. By cutting off all contacts with your former life, you disengage from any lifeline back “home.” Cults often instill phobias of terrible things that will happen to you and others you care about if you ever leave.

The influence process is one of indoctrination into and identification with this new group. One is expected to live a life according to the strict rules and mandates of the group, perhaps giving up sex or anything the group leaders want to control. The process is not different from the influence strategies and tactics outlined above, only it is more intense and repeated over time, building more and more complete control over all aspects of members’ lives. We know that cults seek to recruit young people who are in transition stages of their lives, school drop outs, foreign students on a visit to a new country, those who have recently lost their jobs or their marriage or relationship is on the rocks. We should also mention that cults are big business and many are thriving and growing in numbers. You don’t read much about them in the media because many have teams of expensive lawyers who bring lawsuits against one or any agency critical of their practices.

The best source of information about how to resist cult mind control tactics and break the bonds that can bind anyone to cult comes from the two books by Steven Hassan (See References). Steven was a high-ranking member of a cult for many years, and is now a counselor helping people to readjust to life after having been indoctrinated into a cult. Check out his web site:

http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/responsibility/mind.htm

©2006-2008, Philip G. Zimbardo