Thread by @futuristguy

TUTORIAL: SCALE & MANIPULATION FORMS LEADING TO A TOTALIST CONTROL CULT. I'm in year 14 of a 15-year research project on identifying + dealing with malignant people & toxic systems. I started by analyzing dynamics of spiritual abuse, but this turned out to be the door to more. /1

Organic & organizational systems emerged as frameworks upon which all else hangs, & the questions that have driven my work in more recent years relate to the road by which an entire society can end up in a situation of "totalist psychology" control. In other words, a "cult." /2

The way I've developed to show how this happens is through a system of 3 intertwining forms of manipulation--of individuals, of institutions, & of ideologies--that create dynamics leading to "high-demand" (i.e., cultish) small group, network or organization, or larger society. /3

The following overview slides captures some of the basic information about those 3 forms of manipulation, & how they serve as necessary pillars for total-control systems. Other slides at link expand on details, illustrations, & organizational scale. /4

futuristguysfieldguides.wordpress.com/2018/06/01/fie…

And, in case you were wondering, Years 14 & 15 complete the research writing on deconstructing toxic systems. After that, I plan to spend 2 years on (re)constructing safe and sustainable systems. And after that, I've got a few surprises up my sleeve for what might be next ... /5

INDIVIDUAL CONDITIONING uses manipulation tactics designed to get people into the system, keep them involved, and make manipulation the native system in which next generations are reared. /6

INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL involves working within one organization to dominate its purpose (Why are we here?), mission (Whom do we benefit & how?), vision (How will the future look because we are here?), & values (What are our goals & what means are legitimate to obtain them?). /7

THE PYRAMID OF RESPONSIBILITY shows how I picture layers of responsibility for toxic control in an organization. The higher up on the pyramid, the more culpability--& where there should be more severe consequences in accountability for harm done. /8

futuristguymedia.wordpress.com/pyramid-of-abu…

SCALE: THREE LEVELS OF INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL. As the size of the victim group being controlled increases, so does the range of ways manipulation invades life. Expansion requires more resources/support from outside people by linking into a platform with sibling organizations. /9

IDEOLOGICAL CONFORMITY tactics work to replace whatever reasoning & conscience people originally had w/ a different paradigm, i.e. "lifestyle operating system." Converts are often dedicated to a new-to-them ideology; those raised in it from childhood have trouble escaping it. /10

"TOTALIST PSYCHOLOGY" SYSTEM is another term for "cult" & not necessarily religiously based--though adherents may embrace it w/ religious faith & fervor. It can center around political theory, philosophy, theology, or celebrity. Key is a paradigm that demands full obedience. /11

Robert Jay Lifton--sometimes called "the grandfather of trauma psychology"--interviewed former political prisoners of Mao's Cultural Revolution. From their experiences, he extracted 8 criteria for what constitutes totalist psychology control system, i.e. "sociological cult." /12

We'll probably see some level of each tactic when we research toxic family systems, teams, organizations, societies, paradigms. Then, issues for survival involve counteracting how tactics poison people & resilience in making meaning after trauma. 13/end

futuristguy.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/the…