psychology conditioning of a cult member?

by ZeroZen 5 Replies latest social relationships

  • ZeroZen
    ZeroZen

    What do you think of the psychology conditioning of a cult member? How is Religious addiction, spiritual abuse different from a drug problem? If the person was dealing with a drug problem eating disorder, PTSD, emotional problem etc. would you want to help the person out? It may take awhile for the person to admit he/she has a problem since they would think the non JW has the problem.

  • Lady Zombie
    Lady Zombie

    In general, people join cults because they are at a time in their lives when they're in a search mode.

    "Do I have a purpose? If so, what is it?"

    "Is there a god?"

    "Are people good or evil by nature?"

    When people are vulnerable due to existential crises, they're easy marks for culs. A person is sad because they just lost their husband/wife in death and along comes a JW who seems to have all the answers. Blamo! Snared like a rabbit.

    Intelligence has nothing to do with it. When a person has a crisis of the psyche, demographics have nothing to do with i.

    Humans are also intrinsically interested in what is true. When a cult like the JWs come along and state that they have the truth and are willing to give it freely, the temptation is there to investigate. Blamo!

    This is why all cults, not just JWs, are dangerous.

  • mattbetrayed
    mattbetrayed

    jws think that they have the power of God behind them they say that they welcome being brainwashed how do you deal with that you have to wait for them to see that it is no more than just a cult and belive me God through the power of christ does show the right minded the way out to leave them

  • ZeroZen
    ZeroZen

    How would a member realize they have a problem? If someone challenged them they may just go deeper into the cult

  • megs
    megs

    ZeroZen, like a drug-addict, many do not see it as a "problem". My friend's nephew is a serious drug addict, but tells everyone that they "just don't get it", it's the same with a cult... The outsider does not "understand" the "truth" like they do. And truly, if you point out things, that may just push them in deeper and they become more fervent in their devotion.

  • Lady Zombie
    Lady Zombie

    That's when the brainwashing kicks in. All cults do it.

    The cult tells the victim that they are righteous because they're a member of the cult. God is smiling on them. Then, they tell the victim that since they have god's blessing, other people will hate them and will try to turn them away from the cult. With the JWs, they tell people that since they "have the truth now," they're now hunted by Satan and only they can keep them safe. They'll tell the victim that Satan will use their own family to turn them away from "the truth." This puts the cult victim in a paranoid state. They start seeing Satanic attacks everywhere. They'll think, "The JWs must be right because tthey warned me that this would happen!" So they burrow in further into the cult.

    Jim Jones and David Koresh said the same thing to their followers.

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