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By Hollie Potter I N D I V I D U A L R E S E A R C H – C U LT S
W H AT I S A C U LT ? • A cult is a social group/organization that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs. • In the English language, the word ‘cult’ refers to a set of religious devotional practices within a religion. However, in today’s society the word ‘cult’ has an extremely complex and negative association, insinuating ‘excessive and abnormal devotion’. • Due to well known cults such as the KKK, Heaven’s gate and Rajneeshpuram, many people also view cults as dangerous, corrupt and immoral. Through this, much controversy has risen from the public to whether ‘cults’ are harmless or sinful. • Majority of cults will follow a totalitarian structure; this means that there will be specific person they worship. The members of the cult will see this person as their God and leader and would sacrifice themselves and others in order to become closer to them, they truly believe they can connect with the divine due to their higher powers. • Most cult leaders, such as Charles Manson, David Koresh and Jim Jones, are proven to be narcists, with no remorse in abusing their power to indoctrinate and mislead vulnerable people into a society of long nights, labour and sexual misconduct.
T H E D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N R E L I G I O N A N D C U LT S Religion The group worships a higher source of power rather than a single person. There is a shared, sincere belief system. Cult They rush you into joining and discourage or disallow questions. Followers are encouraged to worship a specific group leader. Leaders dictate in great detail all aspects of followers’ lives. • The differences between a cult and a religion have changed throughout history, therefore, making it difficult to identify what separates these groups. The main beliefs are consistent with basic mainstream standards for human dignity. Appropriate forms of conduct between people are defined. An understanding of evil is established, especially how it impacts humans. There are sacred ritual acts. • Having said this, there are certain characteristics that can help people recognise the difference. Followers are personally monitored to ensure they’re following guidelines. Methods of control are used to keep members close.
R E C RU I T M E N T • Cults aim to recruit people with an impaired judgment, they often seek targets that are at their most vulnerable, e.g., dealing with divorce, death of loved one, serious illness, etc. • They will then begin to befriend their target and compliment them excessively, mostly flattering their insecurities. Sometimes, members will also lure new people in through forming a relationship with them, enabling them to believe they are special. • Another technique they will use is surveying people in their local area and trying to find anyone with similar beliefs or someone who looks easy to manipulate. • Once approached, they will invite their new recruitments to visit the rest of the cult, this will ensure that they can get them isolated from the outside world. • They will refrain from leaking any information that would allude to the true core beliefs of the cult as they need their possible new members to fall for the image they are feeding.
B R A I N WA S H I N G ? • Brainwashing is a phycological form of emotional abuse, it tricks the victim's brain into believing the ideas and beliefs the abuser is enforcing on them. • Many argue whether cults use brainwashing as a tactic to maintain their members. • Significant research would suggest this is true, down below are some techniques a cult would use to brainwash recruits and members. • Love bombing - a form of emotional manipulation in which a person, often a narcissist, overwhelms someone with affection, flattery, gifts, and praise in order to win over their attention. In effect, they gain the authority to control and manipulate even further their victim. • Peer pressure – the competition of being in a group can increase the need for excessive devotion as they want to prove their loyalty. This extends the level of extremes they are willing to go to in order to show their love and sacrifice. • Verbal abuse – the use of harmful words to demean, frighten, or control someone, this behaviour can often escalate to physical abuse where the victim will be physically violated and harmed.
R O B E R T L I F T O N – T H O U G H T R E F O R M A N D T H E P S Y C H O L O G Y O F T O T A L I S M Robert Jay Lifton is an American psychiatrist and author, well known for his studies of the psychological causes and effects of wars and political violence, and for his theory of thought reform. He was an early proponent of the techniques of psychohistory. In 1961 Lifton published a book that entailed of the 8 marks of mind control. It concluded of 8 techniques such as … • Milieu Control - the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large. • Mystical Manipulation - The manipulation of experiences that appears spontaneous but is, in fact, planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders to demonstrate divine authority, spiritual advancement, or some exceptional talent or insight that sets the leader and/or group apart from humanity, and that allows a reinterpretation of historical events, scripture, and other experiences. Coincidences and happenstance oddities are interpreted as omens or prophecies. • Demand for Purity - The world is viewed as black and white, and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here. • Confession- Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders. • Sacred Science - The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or all humanity, is likewise above criticism. • Loading the Language - The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. • Doctrine over person - Members' personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group. • Dispensing of existence - The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious, and must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also. •
C U LT S W I T H I N T H E F I L M I N D U S T RY Cults are hugely represented within the film industry and have been popularized through the use of horror and thriller films. • Films including the theme of cults have been around for a fairly long time now, even as early as the 40s with the classic noir thriller “The seventh victim” from director Mark Robson. • Some well-known films based on cults are … • Midsommar (2019) • The house of the devil (2008) • The master (2012) • Some well-known documentaries include … . Wild Wild Country (2018) . Holy Hell (2016)
M I D S O M M A R • Our opening sequence takes a huge influence from the film Midsommar, directed by Ari Aster, as it reflects the horrors and moral justifications of a cult. • The film itself has a very specific aesthetic in which we will not follow, however, it is interesting to see such a contrast between the dark subject matters and the light and floral colour palette presented. I think this shows how cults feed a perspective and image to their recruits that do not depict the reality of the situation. It deceives the audience and creates question and enigma. • It perfectly encapsulates the essence of a cult and the delirious manner we want to achieve within our own opening sequence.
