Not thinking critically, mostly. I think that a lot of cults get members because there are plenty of people around who are dissatisfied with traditional religion but want a religious experience, and here comes this guy promising good stuff and making it easy. Make them feel good, tell them stuff that might be kind of out there but still fits somewhat within what's culturally accepted, apply a bit of reward and punishment to keep them in the flock, and presto, you have a cult.
A big part of it is carefully picking the people you pitch to, and how you do it. Pick on people that haven't had a lot of support in life, or who have lacked structure, or feel isolated. Shower them with attention, encourage them to be superficially warm to each other (lots and lots and lots of group hugs can feel like heaven to lonely people), make them feel like they're in an elete. Then you start emphasizing how people who aren't in your clique are hostile, they're negative, they're disapproving. They don't want you to be happy (we do!) they don't support you (we do!), they're lying to you (we don't lie! we love you!), etc. After that it's a short step to "We're with God, so THEY must be with SATAN".
Once things have started getting crazy, you have a choice: one, admit they're crazy, admit that you've been hanging with them, and saying their crazy things, and try to face your family and friends; two, deny all evidence to the contrary and hope that if you believe it REALLY REALLY HARD you'll be right and proven that you haven't been doing the crazy.
One thing that quite a few cults do well is gradually turn up the craziness so that it seems like a normal progression instead of the trip to the nuthouse that it is. By the time you get there, you have so strongly fallen for their pitch hook, line, and sinker that evidence to the contrary is not something that you have to deny and hope that you're right, you know absolutely that you're right and they're part of the evil outsiders. Bonus points if the progression to insanity is revealed as priveleged knowledge known only to an elite few.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-19 09:34 pm (UTC)What I should've asked was, what condition do they have to be in?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-20 12:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-20 01:26 am (UTC)Then you start emphasizing how people who aren't in your clique are hostile, they're negative, they're disapproving. They don't want you to be happy (we do!) they don't support you (we do!), they're lying to you (we don't lie! we love you!), etc. After that it's a short step to "We're with God, so THEY must be with SATAN".
Once things have started getting crazy, you have a choice: one, admit they're crazy, admit that you've been hanging with them, and saying their crazy things, and try to face your family and friends; two, deny all evidence to the contrary and hope that if you believe it REALLY REALLY HARD you'll be right and proven that you haven't been doing the crazy.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-20 01:38 am (UTC)