Master Manipulator by Rosanne Henry

[Guest guest]

Cult leaders have an outstanding

ability to charm and win over followers

They beguile and seduce. They enter

a room and garner all the attention.

They command the utmost respect and obedience.

 

These are " individuals whose

narcissism is so extreme and

grandiose that they exist in a

kind of splendid isolation in which

the creation of the grandiose self

takes precedence over legal, moral

or interpersonal commitments. "

 

Paranoia may be evident in simple

or elaborate delusions of

persecution. Highly suspicious,

 

Megalomania--the belief that one

is able or entitled to rule is

hard to evaluate without

psychological testing of

the individual.

 

In any case, beneath the surface

gloss of intelligence, charm, and

professed humility seethes an inner

world of rage, depression, and fear

 

The Profile of a Psychopath;

a series of processes that can be

associated with " coercive persuasion "

or " thought reform "

 

The tendency toward manipulation

 

characteristics outlined below

list features commonly found in

those who become perpetrators of psychological and physical abuse.

In the discussion we use the

nomenclature " psychopath " and

" cult leader " interchangeably.

 

We are not suggesting that all

cult leaders are psychopaths but

rather that they may exhibit many

of the behavioral characteristics

of one.

 

A cult cannot be truly explored or

understood without understanding

its leader. A cult's formation, proselytizing methods, and means of

control " are determined by certain

salient personality characteristics

of [the] cult leader....Such

individuals are authoritarian

personalities who attempt to

compensate for their deep, intense

feelings of inferiority, insecurity

and hostility by forming cultic

groups primarily to attract those

whom they can psychologically coerce

into and keep in a passive-submissive

state... "

 

In examining the motives and

activities of these self-proclaimed

leaders, it becomes painfully obvious

that cult life is rarely pleasant

for the disciple and breeds abuses

of all sorts. As a defense against

the high level of anxiety that

accompanies being so acutely

powerless, people in cults often

assume a stance of self-blame.

 

This is reinforced by the group's

ma- manipulative messages that

the followers are never good enough

and are to blame for everything

that goes wrong.

 

to fully recover. It is critical

to truly gaining freedom and

independence from the leader's

control. The process starts with

some basic questions: Who was this

person all-knowing, or all-

powerful? What did he get out of

this masquerade? What was the

real purpose of the group (or

relationship)?

 

In cults and abusive relationships,

those in a subordinate position

usually come to accept the abuse

as their fault, believing that they

deserve the foul treatment or that

it is for their own good. They

sometimes persist in believing that

they are bad rather than

considering that the person upon

whom they are so dependent is cruel,

 

...the leader inculcates

the group with his own private

ideology (or craziness!), then

creates conditions so that his

victims cannot or dare not test

his claims.

 

K

 

edited