Question about 'Unfreezing' from Combatting Cult Mind Control

by doublelife 2 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  doublelife

  I'm on my second reading of the book. In ch. 4 it talks about unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. At the link I've post below, it shows were to find certain WTS articles to prove jws use the mind control techniques in Steven Hassan's book. It covers changing and refreezing but I couldn't find anything on unfreezing. In reading the section on unfreezing in the book, I'm having a hard time understanding how jws use it. Could somebody help me out? How do jws apply the unfreezing technique? If anybody has any WTS articles they could give me, that would be helpful. Thanks.

  http://www.jehovahswitnessrecovery.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=737&start=0
• 

  blondie

  I don't think every cult has to use every technique.
• 

  stealyourface

  http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-cultinfo.html
  About halfway down the page, there is a chart showing the Themes (Lifton), Conditions (Singer) and Stages (Schein) necessary for mind control.

  Information on Dr. Edgar Schein's theory on unfreezing and freezing are discussed here: http://www.rickross.com/reference/brainwashing/brainwashing8.html about a third down the page.

  Unfreezing is the first step in eliciting behavior and developing a belief system that facilitates the long-term management of a person. It consists of attempting to undercut a person's psychological basis for resisting demands for behavioral compliance to the routines and rituals of the reform program. The goals of unfreezing are to destabilize a person's sense of identity (i.e., to precipitate an identity crisis), to diminish confidence in prior social judgments, and to foster a sense of powerlessness, if not hopelessness. Successful destabilization induces a negative shift in global self evaluations and increases uncertainty about one's values and position in society. It thereby reduces resistance to the new demands for compliance while increasing suggestibility.

  What is facinating to me is Schein's description of the 'Destabilization of identity' process, in view of the JW experience.