Thread by @CultExpert

When people hear about "brainwashing" and "mind control," they sometimes (incorrectly) assume that destructive influence like this ONLY OCCURS in outrageous large cults with fringe leaders.

Not true.

Just look at the case of R. Kelly.

R. Kelly is JUST as much of a cult leader as Ron Hubbard or David Koresh. Kelly's psychological profile fits the cult leader profile and if you study what he's done to his victims, you quickly see how similar HIS conduct is to well-known cult leaders.

Let me first say that I DON'T have any first-hand contact with any of his victims. I'm only going off of mainstream reporting, but it seems VERY evident to me from everything reported, this is a classic case of undue influence.

Let's first EXPLAIN how mind control works:

Most people think mind control is an ambiguous, mystical process that CANNOT be defined in concrete terms, but it certainly can. There are a SPECIFIC set of methods & techniques that can influence HOW a person thinks, feels, and acts. Cult leaders and groups employ these tactics.

After MY cult experience, I poured over the seminal work of of Robert Jay Lifton, Margaret Singer, Edgar Schein, Louis Jolyon West, and others who studied brainwashing in Maoist China as well as cognitive dissonance theory by Leon Festinger.

I developed my BITE Model.

BITE stands for:

Behavior Control
Information Control
Thought Control
Emotional Control

Click through the images below to understand the specific methods that cults use to recruit and maintain control over people. 👇

Now listen to these clips from former victims. Can you name ALL the types of control R. Kelly exerted over his victims from the BITE Model?

(Feel free to comment for all to see. Discussion is good. :)

Does this remind you of any other cults? Which ones?

It is of paramount importance to society that we all LEARN about undue influence. This type of authoritarian control DOESN'T JUST show up in weirdo cults they make documentaries about. It shows up in abusive one-on-one relationships and even in some predatory businesses.

By LEARNING about undue influence , we are in a sense INOCULATED against its destructive power. We are FAR LESS likely to end up in situations like this and will be able to better protect loved ones as well.

Education is like a VACCINE against undue influence.

I implore ALL of you (especially my friends in the media!) to dig into this topic. It really is the NUCLEUS of SO MANY of our major problems. Whether it be political manipulation, or predatory advertising, or abusive relationships, THIS is the topic we ALL need to understand. 🙏