Cults a form of hypnosis?

[10cents]

Hi!

So are these cults a form of mass hypnosis? Like those in Japan and that shoot-out in the US. A lot of these cults often have intelligent members so it's not logical for them to follow such irrational behavior.

Thanks.

[hypno-therapist]

It sure is possible. I spent some time looking into cults and found that this is plausible, but more research needs to be done. Two ministries that certainly stuck out to me was Jim Jones, The Peoples Temple and John Arnott's (who I have met personally) Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship.

My original investigation highlighted a cause of concern at the rates of depression and mental health issues that follows may be experiencing and if there was a direct connection.

What are your thoughts?

[Paddy Landau]

[crunkyjens]

I believe that both cases can be present. The cult somewhat caused depression, but also someone in a depressed state would have vulnerability to the cult. A lot of time people who are depressed just want to fit into a group, so they therefore will seek out a group of people, i.e. a cult. Although a lot of times I think they not be fully comprehending the cult's status or believe that they are a cult into they delve furthur into it. If that makes any sense.

So I think both issues can be present at the same time.

[Gandalf]

[brandon05]

I think the people that are the so called leaders of cults do practice some form of hypnosis. I think they do prey on people that are lacking something in their life and the cult attaches onto that and goes from there. A lot of people would be able to look at a cult for what it is but those are not the people that tend to join. It is more the ones that need to believe in something or someone to make what they are lacking in their life better that they believe in what they are being told.

[katharina]

[R1986]

It could be considered some form of hypnosis probably. Cults of personality usually take advantage of people's mental weaknesses in order to help them feel good and like they belong to a proper cause even if it's a horrible one that must wouldn't agree with.

[katharina]

[beams]

What Jim Jones did was definitely a shock to everyone who was alive then and it still brings a shock to the people who read about it now. Personally, there's this phenomenon called the "foot-in-the-door" phenomenon which I think could have caused Jim Jones to have so many followers. This phenomenon occurs when you first agree to do something small which turns out to be something bigger. In Jim Jones' case, his followers have to give up something first. And as you stay in the cult, you give up something bigger and bigger. The followers don't notice this because everytime their sacrifices increase, it only increases a little at a time. Plus, I believe the followers also experienced insufficient external justification. They believed that the sense of belongingness they felt from the cult was enough to justify their sacrifices, and later on their life, when in fact it isn't. Jim Jones used the subjectivity of the human mind to get more and more followers.