Artificial Authority

Creating the conditions for illegitimate spiritual authority

Social psychologists have shown that conditions for the acceptance of spiritual authority can be constructed. This is normally associated with "brain washing" or "mind control" experiences and experiments.

Since it touches on the issue of spiritual authority, I am providing links to essays provided by Rick Seelhoff on what he terms "thought reform":

The Artificial Creation of Spiritual Authority

• Robert J. Lifton's Eight Criteria for Thought Reform
• Margaret T. Singer's Six Conditions for Thought Reform
• Michael Langone's Description of DDD Syndrome
• Biderman's Chart of Coercion

Rick's interest in these and other essays on the subject are from the standpoint of modern religious cults. You can find more information on these organizations and individuals who have left them on the reFOCUS webpage.

If you know of other resources on this subject, please let me know using the form in my guest registry.

Back to Spiritual Authority: Homepage.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7067/Artificial_Authority.htm
Most recent revision was August 27, 1996.
Copyright © 1996 Gerardo Marti
For information regarding this site, please send email to gerardo@worldnet.att.net.