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Cults in social psychology
What makes people join cults
What makes people join cults
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Cults have existed throughout history since the beginning of time. A cult is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a “system of religious worship with a devoted attachment to a person, principle, etc.” Over the past thirty years numerous religious cults have caused “ tens of thousands to abandon their families, friends, education’s, and careers to follow the teaching of a leader they will never meet”(Beck 78). Opinions vary as to why people are drawn to cults. “Martin Marty, professor of religious history at the University of Chicago, attributes the growth of cults to the frustrations of seemingly rootless people”(U.S. News and World Report 23). Marty’s classification of a rootless person is a person who is overly frustrated by modern life and is at a loss for direction. Often the rootless individual will “short-circuit and try to hook their lives to any guiding spirit” (U.S. News and World Report 23). The psychological classification of people who join cults are those who feel neglected by their society. ”Cults are picking up on these people who feel their interests have been overlooked” (U.S. News and World Report 23). The sociological studies on cults and those who join them have found “that many of the converts are young people, often without strong family ties, who are unsuccessful in dealing with life’s problems and are seeking instant solutions supplied by others” (U.S. News and World Report 23). The People’s Temple was religious cult founded and lead by Jim Jones, based in Jonestown, Guyana. The converts belonging to Peoples Temple may have joined for various reasons differing from one another, yet the one common bond they all shared was Jim Jones. They loved Jim, they feared Jim, and eventually they died for Jim . Jim Jones was “a self-proclaimed messiah in a polyester suit, a man who played God from behind mysterious dark glasses that gave his followers the impression that he was omniscient”( Axthelm 54). Born in 1931 in Lynn, Indiana to James Thurmond and Lynetta Jones, he was looked upon by his parents as a gift from Saint Francis. Jim’s father was white and an active member of the Ku Klux Klan. His mother was part Cherokee which lead Jim in later years to refer to himself with pride as an “ All-American mongrel” The Jones family was financially in the lower class. Jim’s father fell sick and died early in Jim... ... middle of paper ... ...fortunately, when a person is given that much power and control over a large group of people their decisions as well as reasoning can become altered. In the case of Jim Jones his power lead to an enflamed ego, which led to a greed, not only of loyalty but of money. Money then lead to drug use, and in the end, drug use led to insanity. Those who are gifted with the ability to influence others have a huge responsibility. They must recognize what they have as a gift and not abuse what God has given them. Jim Jones is a person who had this gift as well as good intentions, yet he could not balance and keep in perspective that what he was doing was to benefit the world, not to benefit himself. Work Cited 6. Steele, Richard. “Life in Jonestowns.” Newsweek 4 Dec. 1978: 62-66. 1. Author unknown. “The Bizarre Tragedy in Guyana.” U.S. News & World Report 4 Dec. 1978: 21-31. 2. Axthelm, Pete. “The Emperor Jones.” Newsweek 4 Dec. 1978: 54-60. 3. Beck, Melinda. “The World of Cults.” Newsweek 4 Dec. 1978: 78. 4. Oblsson, Tb. “The Cult of Death.” Newsweek 4 Dec. 1978: 38-44. 5. Mathews, Tom. “Special Report.” Newsweek 4 Dec. 1978: 50-52.
Since Major League Baseball all-star Ken Caminiti openly admitted to Sports Illustrated to have used steroids during his career, steroid use as a muscle and performance enhancer has been uncovered and become a big issue Major League Baseball is wrestling with. The “ongoing and delicate subject, baseball’s dirty, little secret that is no secret anymore,” is a huge and growing problem (Curry B20). Now that light has been shed on the issue, critics are beginning to realize the magnitude of this problem and do not like it. Steroids are a cheating virus that is spreading quickly. Users cheat other players, themselves, the fans, and the game itself. Action must be taken to rid Major League Baseball of this virus before it takes over the game.
Once the Rev. Jim Jones was a popular figure and something of a religious celebrity in San Francisco. He participated in fashionable charity events and perhaps most importantly could turn out the vote or do whatever else was necessary through the well-oiled machine composed largely of his church members.
The church of Scientology has been the subject of controversy since its inception. Its methods and beliefs have attracted the attention of scholars from around the world. The church has been under government investigation and has endured a countless amount of lawsuits (Reitman 14). It is also a hot topic by the media with several endorsements by some of the most recognized Hollywood celebrities. However, the main topic of debate regarding the Church of Scientology is its status as a religion. Some members claim that the church has helped them overcome their struggles and that they are happier people, while others condemn it as a dangerous cult (Sweeney). The church of Scientology is a religious group whose purpose is to retain their members with the promise of spiritual enlightenment. Its controversial history, beliefs, and practices reveal the church’s commitment to keep its members.
The Peoples Temple was an American, Christian cult under the leadership of reverend Jim Jones. The cult was started in Indianapolis, Indiana, preaching anti-racist sentiments, and attracting many African Americans. Subsequently, they moved to San Francisco, where they
In conclusion, the entire aura of the Heaven’s Gate cult seems like something straight out of a late night TV movie. Like most millennialist groups, members held a firm belief in an oncoming apocalypse and that only an elect few would achieve salvation. The spread of their doctrine on the Internet brought about widespread concern over the power of the web. The argument has subsided, however, with the passage of time. I, for one, find the supposed link between the Internet and cult activities rather absurd. Extreme gullibility and brainwashing, I believe, would be the only ways a recruit would ever accept such an outlandish set of beliefs.
Jim Jones was one of the famous person, who was respected by people of United States of America in the 1950’s and 60’s. Jim Jones was one of the American Sect Leader and Community Organizer. He was born on May 13th 1931, in a small town in Indiana, United States of America. He was born to a poor family and was not treated well by the people. His father a drunkard and mother had to work a lot to run the family. From his childhood, he started doing strange things. Looking at all the strange things he did, people thought to think he was weird.
The conflict theory states that religion perpetuates social inequalities and comforts a person’s misery (Henslin 434). Of course, the functional perspective views religion as fundamental in reaching universal human needs: purpose, emotional comfort, social solidarity, and everyday guidelines (Henslin 429). Religion may provide a base to those who look for guidance and an afterlife or reward to work towards. Indeed, people may look to cults to gain solidarity but may soon find distress and isolation. In current events, Donald Trump has played the role of a charismatic leader. While encompassing a narcissistic personality and being charged with sexual assault on multiple occasions, he became President-elect in 2016. Donald Trump gripped the fear of the current political system in order to gain attention and praise from the silent majority. The way he promotes himself and speaks also invokes fear within Americans. Overall, by recognizing cult-like behavior, it will help people make informed decisions and become more aware of groups and/or leaders that bolster an extreme form of religion or
Jim Jones and his infamous cult entitled, “The People’s Temple,” holds an interesting value to social psychology. Jonestown is a topic that can relate back to many sociology terms and ideas. Jonestown can be related to social deviance, the effect of American culture on social groups, labelling theory, charismatic authority, and even shows how societal history often repeats itself. American society during the late 60’s-70’s is what led to the creation of Jonestown. Jonestowns downfall provided a lot of insight to the American public of how society needed to change, proving that the deaths of about 900 people weren’t for nothing.
Furthermore, the film is highly inclusive, giving the viewer thorough detail not only about the religious organization, but also Jones himself. To start off, the film gives detail of Jones’ upbringing, how he behaved as a child, and certain psychological traits that could potentially explain why the incident happened. For instance, it was stated within the film that Jones grew up in a very poor family. His father, James Jones was an alcoholic, leaving his mother to provide for the family alone. As a result of his dysfunctional home-life, Jones grew to be
Not all cults are the evils the public makes them out to be; they are not necessarily spotless institutions, however. When one thinks of a cult, they imagine death, brainwashing, and simple human robots following the reincarnation of the devil. Not all cults end in mass suicide, violence, or terror; many religions once started as cults and have thrived since. However, some cults end in the expected display of death, confusion, and regret. Heaven’s Gate, led by Marshall Applegate, is one such example.
Jones was born on May 13, 1931, in Crete, Indiana. He was the son of James Thurman Jones, who was a disabled World War I veteran, and Lynetta Jones, who worked a wide variety of jobs. Jones was left to himself as his mother was working most of the time and his father care for him much. For many years, one of his neighbors would take him to visit her church. Jones began his own religious investigation when he was around the age of 10. He would visit churches in the small town of Lynn he lived in with his family and became friends with a Pentecostal minister for some time. Jim Jones was a very observant child, Jones would take what he had learned at these different churches and started to preach to other children in his community. He was a very intelligent student, especially when it came to public speaking, but he had very few friends. His overpowering religious beliefs turned some people away from him, and he, in turn, disliked many usual teenage boy activities, such as sports, and told that he believed it to be sinful behavior, just as dancing or drinking (Jim Jones
The “gold rush” could soon become the “asteroid rush”. Mining space is something that has never been conducted behind NASA, but behind private companies this is a new venture that can be explored. Although, the technical aspects still need to be worked out and the thought of mining asteroids is ludicrous, this is a very feasible option. Many companies have already constructed a plan on how they could mine these asteroids. In an interview with Elon Musk, he discusses how mining asteroids will one day be able to sustain the space economy. When Musk refers to the space economy he is referencing his idea and plan of one day colonizing Mars along with constant interplanetary travel. “Others [asteroids] are substantial and potentially packed full of water and various important minerals, such as nickel, cobalt, and iron. One day, advocates believe, those objects will be tapped by variations on the equipment used in the coal mines of Kentucky or in the diamond mines of Africa. And for immense gain: According to industry experts, the contents of a single asteroid could be worth trillions of dollars” (Shaer). The thought of wiping out the entire United States debt with one or two successful excavations of an asteroids should be enough to gain public support of privately funded space programs. Although private, these companies will need immense public support. In order to gain billionaire investors and find people willing to risk their life to pioneer space, people want a plan. Private companies such as Blue Origin and SpaceX have provided the world with numerous plans on how we can commercialize space on our journey to discover more of the vast
Jim Jones is known today for the cruel and unlawful acts he forced upon hundreds of innocent people. This date in history “remains the only time in which a U.S. congressman was killed in the line of duty.” “On November 18, 1978, People’s Temple leader Jim Jones” ordered an abundance of people to commit a “suicide act” by drinking poisoned fruit punch (Rosenberg).
Cults entice people whom by nature want to belong to a group and make it hard for them to leave by altering their thought processes. Those in the psychology field have defined what makes up a cult, have determined what draws individuals in and have recognized the effects that a cult can have on
of the reality of the world. Secondly, by means of psychological and social control techniques, it makes its members virtually unable to resist its influence and authority. Cults are often isolationists, to gain and maintain control over members physically. intellectually, financially, and emotionally. Deprivation in the form of sleep or food is often used, and is sometimes combined with constant indoctrination.