Glossary of Wog Words #2

Chapter 2: Cultic Mind Control, Thought Reform & Coercive Persuasion Definitions

The following glossary of terms is the second installment of a series of posts humbly offered as an aid to Scientologists who may be struggling to leap over the language barriers between the various different camps who find fault with the Church of Scientology.

This post will also be used as supplemental material for supporting upcoming entries on this micro blog that explore the subject matter further, and as such the blogger felt the topic deserved a introductory preamble beforehand.

Proceed with caution

Just like the word "cult" can be a tough nut to crack for members of a destructive group that are heading down the path of becoming informed, the words "mind control" and "brainwashing" and the forms of abuse in which they manifest can be a frighten hurdle to own up to.

The reason being is horror stories of POW ordeals and MKULTRA fiascos has attached a certain stigma to the words "mind control" and "brainwashing" that infers something being done under physical restraint and with much force.

However, in terms of established academic standards of cultic studies and research into abusive groups "mind control" and "brainwashing" is seen a synonymous with "coercive persuasion" and "thought reform," which infers a more subliminal form of abuse being done subconsciously and over time. Therefore, when approaching this type of subject matter from an educational perspective former victims of destructive cults are encourage to see "mind control" and think "coercion" as an intermediate step of digesting the material without the shock and awe impact the more flamboyant buzzwords can induce.

This approach allows for a better dissection of the definitions for this area of formal study where a distinction can be made between the general definition of "mind control" and the more targeted definition of "cultic mind control". Therefore, as shown in the glossary document at the bottom of this post, cultic mind control is the more contextually accurate term for understanding the forms of psychological abuse the Church of Scientology is inflicting on its members.

For further insights into the specifics of this distinction, check out the information from Spiritwatch Ministries featured on the backlink of this post that eloquently answers the question: What Is Cultic Mind Control?

Come prepared

Another important aspect to keep in mind when trying conquer the acceptance factor of what was done to you while under the influence of coercive persuasion is that it basically boils down to one thing: devious and subversive forms of abuse.

It is not necessarily torture, nor is it in your face force to do something you adamantly refuse to be apart of. Rather, coercive persuasion (and its many synonyms) is simply mental conditioning secretly done over time to inflict abuse on members without them even realizing its happening.

Thus, a basic understanding of abusive relationships and the ways in which abuse surfaces in escalating fashion to violent behavior when a deeply personal relationship feeds it, can almost be considered a prerequisite area of the learning curve in regards to building a better understanding of the abuses inflicted on members by destructive cults.

The Power & Control Wheel is a particularly helpful tool in understanding the overall pattern of abusive and violent behaviors, which are used by an abuser to establish and maintain power and control over his/her victim. One of the most blatant or obvious ways is through physical or sexual violence. However, there are many other ways one can exert power (such as emotional, financial, verbal abuse). These are the tactics that can be harder to see can be used independently or in combination with the physical violence.

The power and control wheel diagram shown below is a condensed version of this widely respected model, excerpted from the Friends of Abused Families website and originally developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project. Although the emphasis is towards identifying domestic abuse, there are many other variations of this wheels for other applications and it still holds a great deal of relevance for a general understanding of abusive relationships. For more information, see the full document mirrored in Exit Zone Dox collection of resources.

Power and Control Wheel

Once a former cult member can begin to see the correlations between the characteristics of abusive relationships in the above diagram, and the characteristics of a cult covered in a previous post, the unsavory realization of how abuse was subliminally inflicted on them by the Church of Scientology should be a bit easier to swallow.

Brace for impact

Once the prerequisite need for a basic understanding of abusive relationships and forms of abuse is surpassed, the next step on the road to cult recovery via educational means is to become knowledgeable on the subject of cultic mind control, coercive persuasion, brainwashing, thought reform...

Lions and tigers and bears OH MY!

Yeah we know - scary stuff to confront at the onset, but there is decades of research and scholarship on these subjects that have been proven to aid the healing process with minimal study. Hopefully, the following addition to the Exit Zone's Wog Word Glossary will help make the journey down this road of discovery an easy series of steps to a greater awareness of the coerced influences a destructive group exerts on its members.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts that will attempt to map out a guideline of recommended reading and additional resources for aiding folks on the self-education road to cult recovery.

"The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off."

- Gloria Steinem

For more definitions commonly used on this blog, check out the related Glossary label readily available on the sidebar. Also, see the Exit Zone Glossary Classifications post for further explanation on how these definitions are categorized.

Click the title of this post or ob any other entries on this micro blog to visit the related link for a given announcement.

Cult Awareness: What Is A Destructive Group?

In Wendy Ford Wolfberg's 1993 classic handbook Recovery from Abusive Groups, a vast amount of ground is covered regarding how to recover from the damage done to a person involved in a destructive cult in a very straightforward yet eloquently buffered manner.

This book is a must-read for anyone recently out from under the omnipresent influences of the Church of Scientology, who is at the stage of coming to terms with the ruin brought about by pursuing their religious beliefs and the harm done to their psyche by coercive tactics. The author is a former cult member herself, and the material is presented in the form of a courseware style guide that maps out a path to fully healing oneself from the trauma of abuse. She does this by providing a set of constructive exercises combined with a recipe for recovery with three main ingredients: Time, Discipline, and Courage.

Mrs. Wolfberg's text is readily available online in a professional PDF format from the FREE ICSA Archives (via shared googledocs), and is partially featured on her website at Woflberg.net. You can also purchase a hard copy from ICSA (aka American Family Foundation) Bookstore, although that area of ICSA's snazzy new website appears to be somewhat under construction as of this post.

Under the Introduction section of Wendy's book, she features the following information to answer the important question: What is a Destructive Group?   This material was reprinted from a Cult Awareness Network (CAN) brochure that was widely distributed prior to Scientology's hostile take over of the organization that helped so many people escape and recover from destructive cults.

Marks of a Destructive Group

The marks of a destructive group are as follows:

1.  Mind Control (undue influence): manipulation by use of coercive persuasion or behavior modification techniques without informed consent.

2.  Charismatic Leadership: claiming divinity or special knowledge and demanding unquestioning obedience with power and privilege. Leadership may consist of one individual or a small core of leaders.

3.  Deception: recruiting and fundraising with hidden objectives and without full disclosure of the use of mind controlling techniques [group psychology]; use of "front groups."

4.  Exclusivity: secretiveness or vagueness by followers regarding activities and beliefs.

5.  Alienation: separation from family, friends, and society, a change in values and substitution of the cult as the new "family," evidence of subtle or abrupt personality changes.

6.  Exploitation: can be financial, physical, or psychological; pressure to give money, to spend a great deal on courses or give excessively to special projects and to engage in inappropriate sexual activities, even child abuse.

7.  Totalitarian Worldview (we/they syndrome): effecting dependence, promoting goals of the group over the individual and approving unethical behavior while claiming goodness.

Techniques of a Destructive Group

The techniques of a destructive group are as follows:

1.  Group Pressure and "Love-Bombing" discourages doubts and reinforces the need to belong through use of child-like games, singing, hugging, touching, or flattery.

2.  Isolation/Separation causes an inability or lack of desire to verify the reality of information provided by the group.

3.  Thought-Stopping Techniques introduce recruits to meditating, chanting, and repetitious activities which, when used excessively, induce a state of high suggestibility.

4.  Fear and Guilt induced by eliciting confessions to produce intimacy and to reveal fears an secrets, by creating emotional vulnerability through overt and, covert threats, and by alternating punishment and reward.

5.  Sleep Deprivation encouraged under the guise of spiritual exercises, necessary training, or urgent projects.

6.  Inadequate Nutrition sometimes disguised as a special diet to improve health or advance spirituality, or as rituals requiring fasting.

7.  Sensory Overload forces acceptance of complex new doctrines, goals, and definitions to replace old values by expecting recruit to assimilate masses of information quickly with little opportunity for critical examination.

Not all of these techniques need to be present simultaneously for a mind control environment to be operative.

Harmful Effects of a Destructive Group

The harmful effects of a destructive group may include:

1.  Loss of free will and control over one's life.

2.  Development of dependency and return to child-like behavior.

3.  Loss of spontaneity or sense of humor.

4.  Inability to form intimate friendships outside the cult or enjoy flexible relationships.

5.  Physical deterioration and abuse.

6.  Psychological deterioration (including hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, disorientation, and dissociation).

7.  Involuntary, de facto servitude or exploitation.

Not all of these harmful effects will be experienced by everyone who has a destructive group experience.

For additional insights on Recovery from Abusive Groups by Wendy Ford Wolfberg, checkout the ICSA book review from Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, 1993.

Click the title of this post or ob any other entries on this micro blog to visit the related link for a given announcement.

Glossary of Wog Words #1

Chapter 1: Basic Internet-savvy Vocabulary

The following glossary of terms is the first installment of a series of posts humbly offered as an aid to Scientologists who may be struggling to leap over the language barriers between the various different camps who find fault with the Church of Scientology.

For additional information on the purpose behind this series of posts, and further explanation of the "Type of "Lingo" classification in the embedded document below, please refer to the previously posted Exit Zone Glossary Classifications.

A hardcopy version in PDF format that isn't so hard on the eyes will eventually be made available in the Exit Zone documents collection on Scribd once more entries are posted, and indexed for greater ease of references at the bottom of the Resources page.


For more definitions commonly used in the Scientology activism and reformation communities, check out the related Glossary label readily available on the sidebar. (More posts like this one coming soon!)

Click the title of this post or ob any other entries on this micro blog to visit the related link for a given announcement.

Exit Zone Glossary Classifications

With an aim towards spanning the language barriers that current members of the Church of Scientology often struggle with when they first venture out of scieno-speak indoctrination and seek answers on the internet in response to their growing doubts...

An upcoming series of posts entitled the "Glossary of Wog Words" will soon be launched here on the Exit Zone blog.

Unlike all of the other Scientology-related glossaries on the web that define scieno-speak terms for the un-initiated to understand the world inside the CofS, our glossary will cater to helping the initiated understand the outside world from within the bubble that cults tend to enveloper their members in to filter outside influences.

The list of terms included will be classified by type of lingo or language standard being defined, according to the following list.

Type of Lingo - Glossary Classifications
 

• General ::  General-purpose definitions of common vernacular meaning of words as it relates to the subject matter and content on this microblog.
• Sci-speak ::  Scientology’s own internal form of language that's essential knowledge for interpreting their doctrines and teachings.
• Web-speak ::  Common pop culture slang or familiar technical terms used by those who are internet-savvy.
• Anon-speak ::  Common subculture slang terms that are often derived from memes or offensive language being neutralized with satire.
• Clinical ::  Standard medical, academic and/or scientific terms.
• Universal ::  Specific-purpose definitions widely excepted as the norm by the world-at-large.

The glossary will be published in installments, usually accompanying an important announcement or another post of some significance. The segments will be released such that the home page of this microblog (set to show 2 posts per page) will show a feature article on top, and the supplement glossary post as /b/ackup underneath.

If you find this glossary series helpful and wish to see other words defined, feel free to add comments on any given post with the Glossary label to relay your requests & suggestions.