…One of the other function of the cults which is considered as the third components of mind control is controlling emotions. The cults try to dominate on person’s emotions and to decrease the extent of sensations.
Steven Hassan says in this regard: “Using each method, the group is practicing to control the members emotionally. The members are educating pay to attention to the head completely and to be dependent on the cult environment and the head severely. This issue causes the head to misuse the members and the members are gradually cutting all their emotional and physical bonds with the onside world.
۳-۱: The method of controlling relations: (the organizational marriages and etc.):
As pointed out, one of the methods executed by the cults to control the emotions is controlling the members’ relationships. Steven Hassan believes: “Some cults have comprehensive control over the internal relations of members. The organization is considering the right for itself to prevent the members to speak with several cult members or to encourage vice versa. In some cases, they are told to get married with such and such (the organizational marriage).
All their relations even the marital one and having babies will be under the complete control of the head and the organization: organization. Some cults force the members to repress their sexual desires in order for the person to work harder. This issue causes mental disorder and depression. As a matter of fact, one of the disasters of the cults is that people lose their independence to get married, have babies, have friends and etc.
۳-۲: The method of defining new emotions:
The basic question in this regard is: Why are the sensations and emotions of cult members against the usual common law of community?
Steven Hassan says in this regard: “To control a person via sensations, the emotions of a person must be redefined most of the time. For example, happiness is a sensation in which everybody is interested but in some cults accessing happiness is defined as suffering torment or extreme notification to achieve God. These definitions are used in the cults as a means to exploit and control. In some cults, happiness means obeying the leader’s order, recruiting more and gaining more income.
۳-۳: Confession technique:
Confession is not bad. That human confesses his/her mistakes causes him/her to be tranquil intellectually, but this issue is misused as a technique in the project of mental reconstruction in cult members.
Steven Hassan believes that confessing the previous sins and incorrect thoughts is of the strongest means to control emotions. Each cult possesses special method to make members confess. Of course, when a person confesses in public, he/she feels to be forgiven in fact or to be able to forget his/her sins. However, the most important note which is worthy to be thought is that each person who confesses in a confession sectarian session must be aware that in future it will be used against him/her.
۳-۴: The technique of creating sin, fear and confession feeling:
Steven Hassan says about the application of creating fear in members of the cults: The feeling of sin and fear is of the necessary means to control the person in the cult executed by various methods.
Maybe, the feeling of sin alone is the most important emotional means for producing obedience. Anyway, most of the cult members never think they are being controlled by the feeling of sin and fear. They have been planned to consider themselves as guilty and they have learned to feel sinful in the presence of the head and to confess for him.
Steven Hassan believes that the methods of creating fear by cults are as follows:
- Creating an external enemy
- To be afraid of being punished by the organization.
To be continued
