One of the most chilling and mysterious issues that has to do with human relationships is, without a doubt, the subject of sects and how leaders of sects can exert so much influence among their followers. If we talk to you about Charles Manson , David Koresh or L. Ron Hubbard, surely you are known for the control and power they exercised over their "disciples". Even one of these leaders of sects even today, and after death, continues to exert much influence on the world.
Our question, in today's article, is what makes people feel attracted to these leaders of sects? What do they offer, what do they offer? And also very important, once captured, why is it so difficult to get out of those sects? Let's investigate a little more in the way that these people manage to exert such an effect on people.
How are leaders of sects and what do they offer?
There is a common ingredient in almost all sects that are known; the figure of charismatic leader . That is the key to being able to build a community around that figure. Cults leaders are people who can convince others that they have what they need: spiritual answers, comforts or simply a method of making their mind accessible.
People who become followers of a sect also have some features in common. They are usually people looking for a way to calm your insecurities , your anxieties and your fears . For those problems, sects usually have many advantages and many answers, because they can make promises that no other group can match. That will happen as long as the leaders of sects are convincing enough.
The psychologist at the California Institute of Technology, Jon-Patrik Pedersen, believes that these promises may include:
"Complete economic security, peace of mind, perfect health and eternal life."
We will explain all this with the case of Ian Haworth. For Ian everything started when his recruiter, one of those leaders of sects, asked him for a small favor, something that seemed totally harmless; I filled out a brief survey. From there the recruiter played with Ian's insecurity and making him think that he could have a greater purpose in life. I asked him questions like
"Is not it time you consider giving something back to your community instead of taking it away, as others do?"
From there, his effort focused on making him feel inferior due to issues such as quitting smoking, promising him that he could help him quit. Shortly after his relationship with this person, Ian had already promised him his money, time and work.
Ian explains that the success of the methods of recruitment that led him to the sect were not due to lack of will or mental problems. He says he was perfectly capable of making rational decisions, indeed, according to the facts, he was incredulous and skeptical.
"The easiest people to recruit are those who have minds with alerts and questions and who want to discuss issues with other people," Ian explained in an interview.
"Take a person of strong will and strong mentality and put it in a cult setting, and the techniques used will fragment a person very, very quickly."
Surely that is the key to all this. Maybe the strong minds They are the ones that make it easy. The one who is used to doubting himself could be more alert and realize that a person is trying to manipulate it.
5 methods of cult leaders to manipulate
The recruitment we already see what procedure it has but, once inside, how do leaders of sects get the members not to leave? There are 5 guidelines that all leaders of sects follow to ensure that their members continue to believe in them. It's basically based on minimize the strength of the disciples , either lowering their self-esteem, exhausting their bank accounts or silencing voices that could question leaders. Without needing a pre-established order, the five points are:
1. Isolation: The first thing leaders of sects do is cut ties with friends and family. With this they manage to distance them from possible influences that distance them from the cult while they force them to depend more on the new group.
2. Obedience: This is obvious. The leader always demands extreme obedience, that is part of the domination over the inmate.
3. Labor: Endless work is a form of domination because they avoid questioning the goals and thinking processes of leaders. Besides that if the members of the sect they are exhausted, they will hardly be able to resist.
4. Money: If the leaders of sects dominate the entire economy of their recruits, they prevent them from having the means to escape.
5. Ostracization: The objective is to leave the members of the sect with the feeling that the only worthwhile thing is the vision of the community, especially that of the leader.
Entering a sect is not a game , and often it can seem that it is easy to leave them because we assume that we will always keep the self-control of our life. However, many testimonies about this type of cults have given us clues as to how difficult all this is. That is why if you ever suspect that someone in your environment may have problems of this type, you should try to find help as soon as possible.
We hope you have been interested in our article on sect leaders. Do you leave us any comments with your opinions on the subject and perhaps your experiences? We will be happy to read you!