COLUMBUS STATE UNIVERSITY CULTS: A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE HONORS COLLEGE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR HONORS IN THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCES BY JONICA V, CARLTON BEST COLUMBUS, GEORGIA 2018 I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all of the professors at Columbus State University for pushing me to being the student that I am. I would like to thank Dr. Natalia Temesgen for serving on my thesis board and finding a way to come to my defense despite having to take care of a sick child. I would like to personally thank Dr. Diana Riser and Dr. Aisha Adams for being some of the most influential professors I have ever met. Thank you for being critical of my work and really helping me in my classes by taking the time to help me with concepts and work in your office hours. You both have helped my writing style drastically improve. I would also like to personally thank Dr. Brandt Smith for being my thesis advisor. You have helped me so much throughout my college career. Thank you for not only helping me in the psychology department, but also with medical school advice, CV advice, military advice, and personal advice in regards to working, studying, school, and motivation. I would also like to thank Dr. Cindy Ticknor for being the powerful leader of the honors college. You have helped a lot of students realize, reach, and achieve their full potential. I would also like to thank my parents, Arnold and Lonesca Carlton for helping me throughout school and telling me not to give up. All of you have been so influential in my career as a college student and have made me feel like an unstoppable force. II ABSTRACT Cults are communities that are seen as odd or strange. Lack of research done on cults makes it a phenomenon in society. With the help of evolutionary, social, and cognitive psychology, this phenomenon was analyzed and the behavior of the cult and its members were explained. Analysis of cults showed that there is an evolutionary need for them, for they are used as a means for social bonds and resources. Next, the identity of cult members was analyzed using a conveyor belt type method starting with social-identity followed by self-categorization and ending with deindividualization. Cult members then make decisions using a funnel-type of model starting with the charismatic leader, followed by propaganda, and then bounded rationality. Finally, forms of social influence like obedience conformity, and compliance keep members in the group and psychologically prevent them from leaving. After evaluating cults, I came to the conclusion that they are no different from any other group; the same psychological theories used to explain the behavior of other groups largely applies to cults, making them an average group from a psychological perspective. Keywords', cults, influence, groups, psychology iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.i ABSTRACT.ii INTRODUCTION.1 THE NEED FOR CULTS.7 PROTECTION OF THE CULT. 10 FOLLOWING THE CULT LEADER.14 RELUCTANCE TO LEAVING THE CULT.21 DRAWING THE LINE ,25 CULTS 1 Cults: A Psychological Perspective A cult is defined as a small group of people who have similar religious beliefs or routines that others view as bizarre or sinister (Oxford English dictionary, 2018). A cult is also a group or movement with a shared pledge to an extreme ideology that is typically embodied by a charismatic leader (Lalich, 2017). Not much is known about cults. The lack of research and exploration of cults makes it a topic many are ignorant about. Part of this obscurity is also due to the changing of the definition of the word over time. With an inconsistent definition, cults have become an interesting topic. Many do not know why people would join a cult; their motivations, actions, and behaviors are different. Evolutionary, social, and cognitive psychology can explain some of the behaviors and demeanors of cult members. With these, it is possible to analyze why members join, why they are easily influenced, and why they stay. Models created in this paper help convey this reasoning using a conveyor belt method of identity and a funnel of decision making. Delving into the history of the terminology of the word along with some notable cults in history will give an improved understanding on cults in general. The goal of this thesis is to analyze the phenomenon of cults through the lens of evolutionary, cognitive, and social psychology. The Evolution of the Word “Cult ” The word cult originates from early seventeenth century from the Latin word cultus meaning worshiped, inhabited, and cultivated (Oxford English dictionary, 2018). From the nineteenth century to the present, the word “cult” began to be associated with any religion or denomination other than Christianity; even more so, it was used to describe the different beliefs of folk groups including the Druids in the eighteenth century (Newcombe, 2014). The exclusion CULTS 2 of Christianity in the definition of cults was created after Constantine made Christianity the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Coinciding with the original religious use of the word, the modern-day adoption of the word involves a group that has charismatic leader who may be ‘worshipped’. In the same sense there is present-day application of the word that is extended to refer to a group of people with an overzealous interest in a celebrity, non-mainstream band, game, book or movie (Newcombe, 2014). The interest in the topic becomes an obsession or way or life. Some of these fanatical groups may elevate the figure they admire to a godly standard. Cults who do this take on the category of a religious cult. In fact, many religions began as cults, but as they grew larger in society they became known as bona fide religions rather than cults. For example, Christianity was a cult of Judaism before it became one of the largest religions in the world. Religious cults fall into just one of the many categories of cults. Categories of Cults Cults often have some mission, practice or objective: different aims are what groups them into categories. Categories of cults are contingent upon the groups’ actions, beliefs, ideologies and members. Among the categories are doomsday cults, destructive cults and religious cults to name a few (“Cult”, n.d.). Some cults like ‘The Family’, led by Charles Manson, are harder to place in categories. This cult masterminded a series of murders in Hollywood over a two-day period (Dubrow-Marshall & Dubrow-Marshall, 2017). Despite the goal of starting a race war, the cult is placed in the religious cult category because Manson’s followers worshipped him. Although there are many categories, cults will often overlap in classification. This is due to an intertwining of views and lifestyle of cult members. For example, the Peoples Temple was a cult led by Jim Jones; it involved different beliefs in social ideas and religions; the cult also ended in CULTS 3 a mass murder-suicide (Osherow, 2013). Due to the destructive nature of the cult and the religious affiliation, the cult is deemed both a destructive cult and religious cult. Despite there being many categories of cults, some categories are more common than others. For example, most cults are known as religious cults because they worship some deity or prominent figure. Sometimes, this figure is also a part of the cult like in the Branch Davidians and The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). Although some categories are named something other than religious, they do follow this type of pattern and hierarchy. Racist Cults Racist cults often practice prejudice, discrimination, and hatred towards a group that is of a different race than the cult members (“Cult”, n.d.). They may gather in rallies to speak about their mission against other races, discuss their hatred for other races in group meetings, or even commit illegal acts against people of other races which may be seen as hate crimes. Besides their beliefs and ideals, members also share their image. For example, a racist cult that is known to many Americans is the Ku Klux Klan. Not only does this group share the ideas and beliefs that non-Aryans are inferior, but most of their members are Aryan (of Indo-European background) or Caucasian. Another racist cult is the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. This organization is an American, black nationalist cult. Although it may have the same moniker as the Black Panther Party from the civil rights era, the New Black Panther Party has very different goals and ideals. These include placing a bounty on George Zimmerman, the man who murder Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old back teenager; along with threats to kill those who follow Judaism and to kill Caucasians. This is now deemed as both an anti-Semitic and anti-Caucasian cult (Martin, 2011). CULTS 4 Doomsday Cults Doomsday cults refer to groups who believe in some sort of apocalyptic end or who choose to bring about some sort of calamity in society (“Cult”, n.d.). These groups usually acquire numerous resources to prepare for some sort of drastic end. The resources may include money, food, weapons, or medicine. One prime example of a doomsday cult would be the Aum Shinrikyo. This cult founded by Shoko Ashara was originally dedicated to practicing yoga and other meditating techniques. The group incorporated elements of early Indian Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity into their practice (Aptitude for Destruction, 2005). In addition to these religious doctrines, Ashara also fused the prophecies of Nostradamus, a physician and prophet, into his practices. However, like with most other cults, the group’s ideologies began to grow darker and more crazed. Ashara soon predicted a catastrophic judgement day termed “Nuclear Armageddon”. He preached to both his followers and outsiders that if they did not join or remain in Aum Shinrikyo, they were doomed. The continued to follow the doomsday pattern with several incidents including several suspected assassinations, holding members against their will, and the murder of a member who tried to escape. The cult’s activities came to a halt when it executed a chemical attack in Tokyo across five different subway trains injuring somewhere between 6,000-7,000 people (Aum Shinriko, 2005). This occurrence led to the police raids that uncovered different chemical warfare agents, materials to create drugs, and prisoners. During this time, many cult members were arrested, and just this past year (in July 2018) twelve members including Ashara were executed by hanging.