I got this book hoping that it would provide me with scientific evidence that would help me develop a more informed opinion on the controversial issue of brainwashing.  Unfortunately, Taylor points out that it is ethically impossible to conduct controlled brainwashing studies, so I did not find the specific evidence I was looking for.  What the book does provide, however, is a detailed discussion of what science can tell us about how we come to believe what we do, and how influence attempts can impact that process. 

Taylor’s discussion of influence techniques is thorough, ranging from advertising and education through systematic techniques used by cult leaders to the physical abuse used on American prisoners during the Korean War.  By diving into neuroscience to detail how concepts and ideas are established in the brain, Taylor offers insight into how different kinds of manipulation attempts try to change how people think about the world around them.  Her discussion of how skilled manipulators work to link strong emotion to a new idea in attempt to bypass the critical thought processes that would make people stop and think is particularly important for people interested in cultic issues. 

Click here to check out this book.

Harvard psychology professor Dan Gilbert spoke at TED2004 on some of the principles in his book, Stumbling on Happiness.  He discusses a number of very interesting ideas, including the fact that we are generally poor predictors of what truly does make us happy.  Towards the end of the talk, he discusses how people who have restricted freedom and fewer choices are often happier than people who have unlimited choices.  If true, this might explain some of the appeal of cult-like groups.

Dan Gilbert

Marjoe Gortner was just four years old when he began his lengthy career as an Evangelical preacher.  He was very good at it, but when he returned to the circuit as an adult after a break from his parents, it was as a businessman rather than a believer.  Eventually, the conflict between his true feelings and his work became too great to sustain.  He then chose to do one final tour with a documentary film crew in tow, exposing the shadier side of the Evangelical movement as he did so.  The resulting film (which won an Acadamy Award in 1972) is fascinating on so many different levels it’s hard to count.  Marjoe is a very charismatic person who freely reveals the tricks of his trade, and watching him work a room after he’s explained his methods is a powerful education in the art of persuasion.  Seeing the impact that he has on people despite his own beliefs raises a lot of questions; Marjoe claims no responsibility for the spontaneous healings and transformations that occurred within his flock, but it’s clear that many people got their money’s worth despite his less than pure intentions.   This is an important film for anyone interested in the power, influence and corruption of spiritual leaders.  It’s available from Neflix. 

In this thought-provoking book, Dennett seeks to subject religion to the examination of scientific inquiry.  The questions he raises include whether or not religion improved our evolutionary fitness in the past, and whether religion has a more positive or negative impact on our lives today.  While he only briefly addresses the issue of cults, many of the issues he discusses about the human relationship to religion in general will be helpful for people seeking to understand the dynamics of cults.  The book raises more questions than it answers, but it makes a compelling argument for applying critical thinking to matters of faith, and will give readers seeking to expand their own understanding of religion a lot to work with.

This site is a great resource for any and all things cult-related.  They have an enormous database of articles posted online and also publish a print journal called the Cultic Studies Review. 

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