Introduction
Students have read about how conformity, obedience, deindividuation,
and leadership play important roles in group behavior. In
this exercise students will analyze how cults exploit these
factors to promote the personal interests of the leader.
Lesson Description
Students will use information from the Working Psychology Web
site to learn about the methods and dynamics of cults. Students
will read the definition of cults, review a comparison of
healthy groups and cults, and read about the style of leadership
within cults. They will also read about how their human biases
can make them more vulnerable to being targets of cults. Students
will then answer four questions and apply this information
by completing a chart comparing the characteristics of cults
with those of healthy groups.
Instructional Objectives
1. Students will be able to analyze the characteristics of
cults and explain why a cult's dynamics are unhealthy for
its members.
2. Students will be able to apply this knowledge to complete
a chart comparing the characteristics of a cult to those of
a healthy group.
Student Web Activity Answers
1. Anyone can be a target for cult membership, but for lonely,
depressed, or shy people, cults provide solutions to their
social troubles. Using structure, authority, and close social
contacts, cults take away a person's former identity and require
that the individual conform to the cult's lifestyle. New members
may be required to conform their living quarters, their clothing,
their beliefs, their interests, their values, and even their
diets. Individuality is suppressed, and conformity is mandated.
2. Cult leaders obtain obedience through many methods, but
one discussed in this site involves the hot-seat technique.
In this method, the leader of the cult uses humiliation to
promote low self-esteem among cult members. Members are regularly
exposed to defeating humiliations. The leader is then in a
position of control, either granting or denying approval and
demanding obedience.
3. Cult leaders enforce overbearing authoritarian control.
The leader makes all decisions, and no other group member
is allowed to engage in decision-making activities.
4. The purpose of a destructive cult is always to further
the personal interests of its leader.
5. Students' charts will vary, but should look similar to
the one shown below.
| |
Cults
|
Healthy
Groups
|
|
Purpose
|
to
further interests of leader
|
to
improve lives of its members
|
| Recruitment |
uses
deception |
nothing
unethical |
|
Commitment
|
complete
personal sacrifice
|
individual
free to choose
|
|
Decision
Making
|
authoritarian
|
best
is democratic
|
|
Leader
|
requires
obedient behavior
Complete control
|
usually
more broad-based structure
Leadership responsibilities can be shared
|
Student Web Activity
