Page 98 of Killing Mind
For a second she thought she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.
‘Then I’ll take a moment to explain a few things to you. People are more vulnerable to social influence when they are made to think, sense and feel differently than usual. The human affinity for close-knit groups is an innate trait. We don’t even realise how much we want to belong to something that is bigger than ourselves, which is a simple trait to exploit. A new member is poised between reward for closeness and punishment for alienation. Each minor episode of reward and punishment, on moving closer to the group or further away, is a learning experience.’
‘Like training a dog?’ Kim asked.
‘You’re learning, Inspector. You see there are common mechanisms of group influence. Firstly, they have a shared belief system which comes from the leader of the group. They sustain a high level of social cohesiveness, and they impute a charismatic leader with divine knowledge or leadership.’
‘Eric thinks of Jake as a god,’ she stated.
‘Which is a view we couldn’t shake him from, regardless of what we told him. Jake Black could murder a whole classroom full of kids and Eric would think they deserved it.’
‘Eric doesn’t seem to like anyone except Jake. Even his own mother is the enemy,’ she said, recalling the last words Eric said to her.
‘Group members are intensely concerned about each other’s well-being; shared beliefs bind members together. When one joins a group like this they give up the opportunity for independent decision-making. New members are always accompanied by someone. It’s their special person without even realising it, a close bond forms between them.’
Kim thought of Tiffany and Britney. She was sure Tiff had the sense to see what was going on.
‘These groups promote distress and then offer relief. The world is going to end, but not if you join with us. The world is a shit and dangerous place, but we’ll take care of you. Most newbies are recruited by invitation to workshops, to creative classes. Many young people are looking for something. Mind control involves little or no overt physical abuse. The individual is deceived and manipulated. There’s a circle; behaviour, thoughts and emotion. If you can change one the others will follow.’
‘I don’t get it,’ Kim said.
‘Okay, imagine controlling behaviour through environment: food, sleep, jobs, schedule. Having to ask permission for everything. You’re eating and working with the same people. You’re given a buddy. There are punishments: cold showers, fasting, being forced to stay up all night.
‘Leaders can’t command someone’s inner thoughts, but they know if they command behaviour, hearts and minds will follow. Same with thoughts. They train members to block out information that is not critical to the group. They practice thought stopping of negative emotions. Chanting and meditating all play their part. When thoughts are controlled feelings and behaviours are controlled too, but by far the cruellest and the hardest to unlock is emotional control.
‘A leader has the ability to manipulate the range of a person’s feelings. Members are taught to fear outside enemies: fear punishment. They’re kept off balance, praised then punished. Some can be made to have a panic reaction to the thought of leaving. There is an elitist mentality. There is strict obedience and people are manipulated through fear and guilt.’
‘What about people who decide to leave?’
Kane shook his head vigorously.
‘Actively, and I mean actively, discouraged. Anyone who leaves shows that the system is broken. How can they be unhappy and how was that not fed back to the relevant people so that it could be addressed?’
‘Is that why no one will talk about them?’ she asked.
‘Once a member is gone they are dead to the whole group. No one is allowed to dwell on it or examine their reasons. It may lead to others having doubts about the whole movement. Their rooms will be cleared and any evidence of their time will be removed. No reminders of failure. Never forget that a cult only has two objectives: recruit and make money. That’s it.’
‘But how do people not see this?’ Kim asked, frustrated.
‘For a start they don’t really want to. You really want me to tell you how unhealthy the pizza is when it tastes so good?’ he asked, referring to their earlier conversation. ‘Groups engage new members by creating an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance. They then build a wall between them and us. The group’s behavioural norms structure all areas of members’ lives: work, sexuality, socialisation, et cetera.’
Kim thought about the ‘no relationship’ rule at the Farm.
‘It’s all designed to keep control. Outsiders are shunned and all activities are carried out with other members. You see, membership is characterised by levels of sanctity so that a member is continually striving to achieve a higher level of acceptance by conforming all the more with the group’s expectations. All information into the group is managed, boundary control is exercised and suspicion towards all non-members is exaggerated.’
‘Does all of this come from one man?’ Bryant asked.
‘The personality of the leader is important as cult structure is authoritarian. Charisma is less important than skills of persuasion and ability to manipulate. Most cult leaders are male and self-appointed. They claim to have a special mission or special knowledge. All cults make the claim their members are chosen, select or special.
‘Eventually, the group expects members to devote increasing time, energy and money to the cause. They dictate what members wear and eat, when and where they work, sleep and bathe as well as what they should believe or think. They promote black and white thinking. All or nothing. Isolation and food are the cult’s most common mechanisms of control and enforced dependency.’
‘Rice and beans?’ Kim asked.
‘The most basic rations are reserved for underperformers. It’s a clear message that hits at our basic need to survive.’
‘That’s what we found in both Sammy’s and Tyler’s stomachs.’
He didn’t look surprised.
