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Cults' recruiting methods

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There has been a growing awareness of cult behavior on the internet. There has been a growing concern among parents. The principal of the high school received numerous calls and emails from parents to understand how to recognize these groups and how to prevent their children from joining these groups. The principal asked you to make a presentation at an impromptu parent meeting.

Tihs job searches the Internet for information on cults and briefly reviews their beliefs and analyzes their target audience. How does the cult try to recruit people? Using principles of social psychology, I discuss how adolescents may be especially susceptible to this type of recruitment effort.

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There has been a growing awareness of cult behavior on the internet. There has been a growing concern among parents. The principal of the high school received numerous calls and emails from parents to understand how to recognize these groups and how to prevent their children from joining these groups. The principal asked you to make a presentation at an impromptu parent meeting.

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Every cult can be defined as a group having all of the following five characteristics:

1.
It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members

2.
It forms an elitist totalitarian society.

3.
Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma.

4.
It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds recruit people.

5.
Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.

The target audience for Cult are:

Intelligent.
Idealistic.
Well educated.
Economically advantaged.
Intellectually or Spiritually curious.
Any age.

Reference: http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/faq.html

How does Cult try to recruit people?

Cults use sophisticated mind control techniques that will work on anyone, given the right circumstances. Those who think they are immune are only making themselves more vulnerable. The assault is basically on your emotions, not on your intellect.

The two basic principles of psychological coercion used by Cult are:

If you can make a person BEHAVE the way you want, you can make that person BELIEVE the way you want.
Sudden, drastic changes in environment lead to heightened suggestibility and to drastic changes in attitudes and beliefs.

First, the cultist will approach a potential member (i.e. anyone) with some sort of "new" teaching. For example, for the pseudo-Christian cults out there, usually the Bible will be brought out to back up these new teachings and claims. This is a very effective method on someone who is unfamiliar with the Bible (and is actually listening and ...

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