Cults use the psychological methods normative social influence, groupthink and foot-in-the-door to manipulate individuals and control their thoughts as seen in the cults Jonestown and The Branch Davidians. Cults are defined as an ideology of religious worship and adherence directed toward a particular figure or object. Cults are everywhere. Some are normal and widely accepted. Others are isolationist and hide from investigation. Some cause great suffering while others appear very helpful and valuable. Whichever group it is, the ultimate end is in the leader's discretion. The psychological method normative social influence is a type of social influence leading to conformity. It is defined in social psychology as the influence of other people
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David Koresh “claimed he had cracked the code of the Seven Seals in the Book of Revelation, which predicted events leading to the apocalypse. He told his followers that the Lord willed the Davidians to build an Army of God” (Koresh). The members believed everything Koresh was saying so they could be accepted which is why they agreed to collecting weapons to defend themselves. This is when the situation became the beginning of the end for the Branch Davidians, when they started stockpiling weapons. “The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms heard about this and requested a search warrant for Mt. Carmel but decided to make a surprise forced entry rather than serve the warrant” (Britannica). The Branch Davidians did not stand down and fought back. “The result was a 51 day standoff between Koresh and Federal agents” (Koresh). This event left Koresh, all his followers and the compound up in flames for proceeding to listen to a destructive leader's commands. In addition to normative social influence, these cults used the psychological method groupthink. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision making outcome. Jonestown is a great example of groupthink because everyone believed in Jim Jones. Hundreds of people thought it was a great idea to commit mass suicide in Jonestown, all under the command of their detrimental leader, Jim Jones even though some of them thought it was a preposterous
David Koresh “claimed he had cracked the code of the Seven Seals in the Book of Revelation, which predicted events leading to the apocalypse. He told his followers that the Lord willed the Davidians to build an Army of God” (Koresh). The members believed everything Koresh was saying so they could be accepted which is why they agreed to collecting weapons to defend themselves. This is when the situation became the beginning of the end for the Branch Davidians, when they started stockpiling weapons. “The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms heard about this and requested a search warrant for Mt. Carmel but decided to make a surprise forced entry rather than serve the warrant” (Britannica). The Branch Davidians did not stand down and fought back. “The result was a 51 day standoff between Koresh and Federal agents” (Koresh). This event left Koresh, all his followers and the compound up in flames for proceeding to listen to a destructive leader's commands. In addition to normative social influence, these cults used the psychological method groupthink. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision making outcome. Jonestown is a great example of groupthink because everyone believed in Jim Jones. Hundreds of people thought it was a great idea to commit mass suicide in Jonestown, all under the command of their detrimental leader, Jim Jones even though some of them thought it was a preposterous