Combating Cult Mind Control

Book by Steven Hassan

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Combating Cult Mind Control

Book cover

Author| Steven Hassan
Language| English
Series| Freedom of Mind Press
Subject| Cults, mind control
Genre| Non-fiction
Publisher| Park Street Press

Publication date

| 1988
Publication place| United States
Media type| Print (Hardcover)
Pages| 256 pp
ISBN| 0-89281-243-5
OCLC| 18382426

Dewey Decimal

| 306/.1 19
LC Class| BP603 .H375 1988
Followed by| Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves, 2000

Combating Cult Mind Control is a nonfiction book by Steven Hassan, first published in 1988. The book presents itself as a guide to resisting the mind control practices of destructive cults, and focuses on the research of Margaret Singer and Robert Lifton as well as the cognitive dissonance theory of Leon Festinger. Hassan published a revised edition in 2015 which updated information on organizations that he alleges practice mind control and use social media to increase their influence.

## Summary

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In the preface, Hassan directly addresses readers who know someone in a cult or may be in a cult themselves. He stresses that everyone needs to decide for themselves whether they are in a destructive cult and that if their group is not a mind control cult, it will stand up to criticism and examination.

In the introduction, Hassan expresses discomfort with the term "deprogramming" because, though still widely considered positive by the public, it evokes images of kidnapping cult members against their will, which he no longer supports except in extreme cases. Hassan views another term, "exit counseling," has its own pros and cons. While it is more voluntary, cults also warn their members against exit counseling, and the "exit" can turn off cult members who do not think they are ready to leave the destructive cult yet. In the United Kingdom, exit counseling can refer to someone who aids in end of life care, another point of confusion. Though he is uncomfortable with both terms, Hassan admits he does not have a better replacement and uses both throughout the book.

### Changes in later editions

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In the 2018 30th Anniversary Edition, Hassan changed many instances of mind control to "undue influence." Though this emerged as a legal term, he finds it more helpful because efforts to change the minds of cult members are often not fully effective and much more easily thought of as a type of pressure or influence that makes individuals more likely to agree with cult doctrine than disagree.

Additionally, Hassan adds stories of Mormon and Scientology ex-members, which previous editions had strayed away from for fear of litigation. He notes that, because previous editions did not describe Mormonism or Scientology as destructive cults, the book was not banned by those groups and many members were able to read it.

The 30th anniversary edition begins with Hassan describing his own membership in the Unification Church and eventually deprogramming.

### Cult structure

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Hassan categorizes cults into four groups: religious, political, psychotherapy/educational, and commercial. Most cults have five types of members, depending on their commitment to the cult: top leaders, sub leaders, core members, rank and file members, and fringe members.

Hassan defines mind control as "a system that disrupts an individual's healthy identity development."[1] Identities are composed of beliefs, behavior, thoughts, and patterns of emotions. When cults indoctrinate a member, they replace this authentic identity with an artificial one. According to Hassan, while this can happen quickly, it generally takes days or weeks and can occur even if, at first, the individual fakes the cult identity in order to fit in, without actually believing in cult doctrine.

According to Hassan, modern cults use mind control techniques like neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis to recruit members. Their recruitment techniques continue to improve over time and they now no longer target mostly college. Hassan does not use mind control and brainwashing as synonyms. Instead, he uses brainwashing as a specific type of destructive mind control.[2]

Hassan's four components of mind control are: behavior, information, thought, and emotion. According to his BITE model, if a destructive cult can effectively control one or more components, the others will tend to follow. For instance, restricting information can lead to control of thoughts, which can in turn lead to changed and controlled behaviors and emotions. His BITE model is based on Leon Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, though Hassan added information as a fourth realm of control.

Hassan claims there are three steps to gaining control of someone's mind: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. Unfreezing means "breaking a person down,"[3] changing is when indoctrination is introduced, and refreezing means building someone's new artificial cult identity. According to Hassan, the most important part of refreezing is the denigration of the past self. Cult members must not want to return to their old lives and old identity. This may include giving up on their old hobbies, friends and family, often in a public setting, and confessing their sins to the group. Members may have distorted memories during this phase. Cults often pair new recruits with more seasoned members, instructing the new ones to imitate the older ones in all things. In this phase, cults may use outside cues like a new name, clothes, or language to cement the new identity. New members are also quickly converted into recruiters, as convincing people to believe something actually cements one's own belief in the same thing.

## Reception

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The book has been reviewed in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Louis Jolyon West writes:

> One is impressed by Hassan's candor in describing his experiences both within the Unification Church and after his departure from it, especially his work as an exit counselor. Beyond its value as an illuminating personal account, this book is an informative and practical guide to cult-related issues. It is recommended both to lay persons who wish to become better informed on this topic and to professionals in health-related fields, clergy, attorneys, judges, and others whose responsibilities bring them into contact with cults, their members, and the families whose lives are affected.[4]

Stephen Barrett, writing for the National Council Against Health Fraud Newsletter, described the book as an "insightful look at the bizarre and dangerous world of cults".[5] Marcia R. Rudin described Hassan's book as a good revision of his previous work, especially the addition of "valuable" personal anecdotes from Hassan himself.[6]

Robert E. Schecter describes Combating Cult Mind Control as a "jargon-free explanation of the nature and effects of mind control" and a "serviceable set of guidelines" about how to assist exiting cults, but he argues that Hassan left out important details such as how "push" factors influence one's vulnerability to being recruited in a cult.[7]

Colorado state counselor Dr. Cathleen A. Mann said Hassan's BITE model "is borrowed material from a 30 year long tradition of social psychological research." She also noted that Hassan himself works for a for-profit, anti-cult institute, as opposed to a non-profit one, and opted to self-publish (through his company's publishing house) Combating Cult Mind Control instead of seeking a more traditional route.[8]

John B. Brown II of the "Pagan Unity Campaign" suggests that Hassan's statement that he had "decided not to participate in forcible interventions, believing it was imperative to find another approach" (p. 114) is contradicted by the statement in the 1988 edition that "Forcible intervention can be kept as a last resort if all other attempts fail."[9]

According to Douglas Cowan, the book utilizes a language opposing "freedom" and "captivity", based on the conceptual framework of brainwashing and thought control, and the alleged abuses of civil liberties and human rights. He writes that these are the precipitating motivation for secular anti-cultists such as Hassan.[10]

Irving Hexham, professor of religious studies at the University of Calgary, writes that Hassan's description of destructive cults (page 37), as "a group which violates the rights of its members and damages them through the abusive techniques of unethical mind control" is not helpful.[11] According to Hexham, "the problem with definitions like this is that they raise more problems than they solve. Before we can decide whether a group is a cult or not, we must first define 'rights,' 'abusive techniques,' and 'mind control.' Hassan attempts to do this, but his explanations are not very helpful."

## See also

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* Anti-cult movement
* List of cult and new religious movement researchers

## References

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1. ^ Hassan, Steven (2018). Combating Cult Mind Control (30th Anniversary ed.). Park Street Press. p. 108.
2. ^ Hassan, Steven (2018). Combating Cult Mind Control (30th Anniversary ed.). Park Street Press. p. 111.
3. ^ Hassan, Steven (2018). Combating Cult Mind Control (30th Anniversary ed.). Park Street Press. p. 125.
4. ^ West, Louis Jolyon (July 1990). "Combating Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan". American Journal of Psychiatry. 147 (7). doi:10.1176/ajp.147.7.943. Archived from the original on 18 August 2003.
5. ^ Barrett, Stephen (1990). "Combating Cult Mind Control". NCAHF Newsletter. 13 (1): 2. ISSN 0890-3417.
6. ^ Rudin, Marcia R. (2016). "Book Review – Combating Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-Selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery From Destructive Cults". International Journal of Cultic Studies. 7: 55–56.
7. ^ Schecter, Robert E. (1989). "Book Reviews – Combating Cult Mind Control". Cultic Studies Journal. 6 (1): 101.
8. ^ Mann, Cathleen (28 August 2012). "Third installment of Steven Hassan's trilogy adds little understanding". Cult News. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
9. ^ Brown, John B. II (13 July 2006). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Anticult Movement: Human Rights Issues. Religion, Globalization, and Conflict: International Perspectives. San Diego State University, San Diego, California: CESNUR. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
10. ^ Cowan, Douglas E. (2003). Bearing False Witness?: An Introduction to the Christian Countercult. London and Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. pp. 22–3\. ISBN 0-275-97459-6 – via Google Books.
11. ^ Hexham, Irving; Poewe, Karla (1997). New Religions as Global Cultures: Making the Human Sacred. Westview Press. p. 27\. ISBN 0-8133-2508-0.

* v
* t
* e

Opposition to new religious movements

Concepts|

* Anti-cult movement
* Christian countercult movement
* Cult
* Deprogramming
* Doomsday cult
* Freedom of religion
* Heresy
* Heterodox teaching
* Mind control
* New religious movement

Secular groups|

* APA Task Force on Deceptive and Indirect Methods of Persuasion and Control
* Center for Religious Studies in the name of Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons
* Cult Awareness Network
* Cult Information Centre
* Cultists Anonymous
* International Cultic Studies Association
* The Family Survival Trust
* Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network
* National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales
* People's Organised Workshop on Ersatz Religion

Secular individuals|

* Jean-Marie Abgrall
* John Gordon Clark
* Steve Eichel
* Martin Faiers
* Leon Festinger
* Carol Giambalvo
* Steven Hassan
* Ian Haworth
* Galen Kelly
* Stephen A. Kent
* Masaki Kito
* Janja Lalich
* Michael Langone
* Saul V. Levine
* Casey McCann
* Jesse S. Miller
* Sayuri Ogawa
* Ted Patrick
* Tsutsumi Sakamoto
* Rick Ross
* Chris Shelton
* Margaret Singer
* Eito Suzuki
* Alain Vivien
* Cyril Vosper
* Louis Jolyon West
* Lawrence Wollersheim

Religious groups|

* Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry
* Christian Research Institute
* Dialog Center International
* Dialogue Ireland
* Evangelical Ministries to New Religions
* Institute for Religious Research
* Personal Freedom Outreach
* Midwest Christian Outreach
* New England Institute of Religious Research
* Reachout Trust
* Spiritual Counterfeits Project
* Watchman Fellowship
* Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center

Religious individuals|

* Johannes Aagaard
* Graham Baldwin
* Robert M. Bowman Jr.
* Harold Busséll
* Gérard Dagon
* Maurice Davis
* Alexander Dvorkin
* Ronald Enroth
* Mike Garde
* Robin Garbose
* Norman Geisler
* Jan Groenveld
* Hank Hanegraaff
* Reinhart Hummel
* Roger Ikor
* Bob Larson
* Paul R. Martin
* Walter Ralston Martin
* Robert Passantino

Governmental organizations|

* 610 Office
* European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism
* Centre contre les manipulations mentales
* Union nationale des associations de défense des familles et de l'individu
* MIVILUDES
* Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France

Individuals in government|

* Nicolas About
* Serge Blisko
* Georges Fenech
* Ford Greene
* Stephen Mutch
* Catherine Picard
* Kenneth Robinson
* Paul Rose
* Tom Sackville
* Nick Xenophon

Historical events|

* About–Picard law
* Anti-Mormonism
* Assassination of Shinzo Abe
* Governmental lists of cults and sects
* Mass suicide of Heaven's Gate
* Jason Scott case
* Arrest of Apollo Quiboloy
* Persecution of Baháʼís
* Persecution of Falun Gong
* Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
* The Prohibited and Unlawful Societies and Associations Act
* Tokyo subway sarin attack
* Waco siege

Publications|

* All Gods Children (book)
* Another Gospel
* Bounded Choice
* Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control
* Captive Hearts, Captive Minds
* The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions
* Churches That Abuse
* Combating Cult Mind Control
* Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion
* Cults in Our Midst
* Cults of Unreason
* Deadly Cults
* The Incendiaries
* The Kingdom of the Cults
* The Making of a Moonie
* Misunderstanding Cults
* The New Vigilantes: Deprogrammers, Anti-Cultists, and the New Religions
* On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left
* Recovery from Cults
* Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change
* Strange Gods: The Great American Cult Scare
* Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism
* Twisted Scriptures
* When Prophecy Fails
* The Wrong Way Home
* Zealot: A Book About Cults

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