For a long history, cults have been in existence across the globe.
Despite the terrifying consequences, there are utterly fascinating to capture the attention of everyone.
As described by Online Psychology, cults, are deeply personal, secretive, and isolated communities that can be found all across the world and involve people from many different backgrounds – both the cult leaders and the followers.
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Notably, while members of a cult do not have to have a specific religion, Online Psychology says their ideals do seem to make them into their own religious community.
The question of how cults obtain people is hugely answered in terms of psychology as explained by Eagle News Feed below.
Promotion of the illusion of comfort in the cult makes it attractive
Human beings daily are on the run to seek comfort.
It’s most likely to lure a person when promised solutions to their problems even if they are unattainable.
Cult leaders, according to Jon-Patrik Pedersen, a psychologist at CalTech, promise members the unattainable human desires to lure them.
For instance, some members of Paul Mackenzi’s cult in Kenya that left tens dead said he promised them eternal life.
Provide absolute answers to hard questions
Ever since, human beings have been seeking questions about the universe, some of the answers turning controversial.
Therefore, people crave clarity.
Psychology reveals that many cult leaders promote messages that are simple and seem to make sense, the exact opposite of what we’re often provided within typical, everyday life.
New members are often found when individuals crave these answers and then are promised a simple life by someone who seems to have it all figured out.
Low self-esteemed people mostly persuaded
research done in the past two decades has found an interesting pattern: many people successfully recruited by cults are said to have low self-esteem.
Those that lack confidence and self-esteem are far more likely to fall for a pyramid scheme that promises a better life or to jump into a religious community or religious group without much thought.
Cults generally do not look to recruit those with certain handicaps or clinical depression.
“Us vs. them” mentality prevails
Cults prove powerful because they are able to successfully isolate members from their former, non-cult lives.
One of the ways cult leaders achieve this is to convince their followers that they are superior to those not in the cult.
This “us vs. them” mentality ultimately leads to cult members isolating themselves socially from friends and family.
They replace those relationships with new ones inside the cult.
Cult leaders play mind control
As seen in Kenya, members of the cult were advised to isolate themselves from society and go to the forest where they were fasting to death so as to meet their maker.
Indeed, to do this, Mackenze is a great master of mind control.
Some of the tactics deployed here are public humiliation, self-incrimination, brainwashing, as well as paranoia.
However, some of the survivors testified that they never knew if they were in a cult.
According to Psychologist Dr. Margaret Thaler Singer, people enter a cult willingly, without realizing the power it is bound to have over them.
Singer theorizes that this is partly because some people are more willing to see the perceived benefits than they are to the potential dangers.
She also mentions that many people assume cults are only religious, though, in truth, cults can also be political groups, lifestyle groups, or business groups.
