Psychology of a Cult

Psychology of a Cult Free Online Research Papers Jim Jones, Charlie Manson, David Koresh and Marshall Applewhite all were able to convince their followers to kill others and/or themselves. How were these men able to control full grown adults who had fully functioning minds? It wasn’t as hard as you might think. First look at the definition of a cult: a cult is a structured group in which most of its members have unquestioned loyalty to their leader. By this definition the military has cult like characteristics, so does the Catholic Church. Even organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) demonstrate some cult like characteristics. So why, when we think of a cult don’t we think of these organizations? A solider will follow his/her superior’s orders without a second thought and a good Catholic follows whatever the Pope decides. The key difference is the psychology of the organization. A non-cult organization may have cult like characteristics; however its main focus is outward, the well being of its members and even non-members; a cult’s main focus is itself. In addition, cults use deception to entice members to join and coercive influences to keep them in line. Government officials estimate that there are currently over 3,000 destructive cults in the US today with approximately four million members. These cults can be broken down into four basic categories: Religious organizations like The People’s Temple Psychological organizations offering enlightenment such as Heavens Gate or Scientology. Commercial pyramid and multi-level marketing groups like Amway or Mary Kay (These are typically the least destructive) Political organizations that are organized around dogma like Al Qaeda Why so many? According to psychologist and cult expert, Margaret Thaler Singer, cults thrive in times of political and social unrest. Times like now and in the 1960’s. Many people don’t understand how cult members can carry out such extreme acts of violence or socially abnormal behavior. They wonder if the members are psychological ill. The answer to that question would be yes and no. Cult leaders seek out members who are not psychologically ill, but people who are in crisis. Recruiters single out people who have key situational elements. Examples of these elements would be a young adult experiencing extreme loneliness, a man suffering from adjustment disorder stemming from his divorce, or new college graduates who are at a crossroads in his/her life and unsure what direction to turn. Recruiters are trained to listen and appear sympathetic and to offer assurances that their group can help ease the individual’s plight. Once inducted recruits may suffer psychological disorders such as dissociative identity disorder, adjustment disorder and major depression. These disorders, coupled with influential tactics that are used by cult leaders, can make members pliable to leaders’ demands. Studies show that cult leaders use about thirty influence tactics. Some of these tactics are used to attract members and another set is used to keep members under control. Influence tactics used to keep members under control are designed to target their psychological defenses. Some of these tactics are used by the military. One of these tactics is called â€Å"The Hot Seat Technique.† An example of this technique would be a member called out by the leader in front of the entire group. This member is forced to confess their transgressions in public. The leader then berates the member for their transgressions and once they have been humiliated the leader then offers a loving commendation for the member’s honesty and gives the member encouragement that they can keep believing in the leader’s message. The purpose of this technique is to lower self esteem. By keeping self esteem low, it has been proven that people are more persuadable than when they have high to moderate self-esteem. So, by keeping members minds pliable and working off the psychological studies which show that in times of crisis people will react uniformly rather than individually the leaders will be able to, with some certainty, ensure that the members will follow orders without question. It’s the same principle that the military uses to ensure that a solider will follow orders without question. And how do you know if someone may be under a cult’s influence? There are nine tell tale symptoms to be watchful for: Personality Change Dramatic shift in beliefs Diet changes Refusal to attend family functions such as weddings, graduations, ECT. Inability to make decisions without input of the groups leader Sudden and excessive use of ideology Simplistic reasoning Using complex vocabulary Attempted recruitment of you If someone you know is exhibiting these symptoms help is available. There are community resources available to help the psychological recovery of former cult members. You may also want to contact your local division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for further information on suspected cult activity. And remember that the next time you rush to judgment about the actions of a cult’s members, keep in mind that everyone can be susceptible given the right set of circumstances. References: www.workingpsychology.com/cult.html, Rhodes, Kelton Phd. 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How Sociology Can Prepare You for a Career in Business

How Sociology Can Prepare You for a Career in Business Sociology, with its focus on groups, organizations, and human interaction is a natural complement to business and industry. And, it is a degree that is increasingly well received in the business world. Without a good understanding of co-workers, superiors and subordinates, customers, competitors, and all of the roles that each play, it is nearly impossible to succeed at business. Sociology is a discipline that enhances a business person’s ability to manage these relations. Within sociology, a student can specialize in subfields including the sociology of work, occupations, law, economy and politics, labor, and organizations. Each of these subfields offers important insights into how people operate in the workplace, the costs and politics of labor, and how businesses interact with each other and with other entities like government bodies. Students of sociology are trained to be keen observers are those around them, which makes them good at anticipating interests, goals, and behavior.  Especially  in a diversified  and  globalized corporate world, in which one might work with people of various races, sexualities, nationalities, and cultures, training as a sociologist can develop  the perspective and critical thinking skills necessary to succeed today. Fields and Positions There are many possibilities in the business world for those with a sociology degree. Depending on your experience and skills, jobs could range from sales associate to business analyst, to human resources, to marketing. Across business sectors, expertise in organizational theory can inform planning for entire organizations, business development, and training of employees. Students who have focused on the sociology of work and occupations, and who are trained in diversity and how it affects interactions between people might excel in various human resources roles, and in industrial relations. A sociology degree is increasingly welcomed in the fields of marketing, public relations, and organization research, where training in research design and execution using both quantitative and qualitative methods, and ability to analyze various kinds of data and draw conclusions from them are very important. Those who see themselves working in international business development and international trade can draw on training in economic  and political sociology, culture, race and ethnic relations, and conflict. Skill and Experience Requirements The skills and experience required for a business career will vary depending on the specific job you are seeking. However, besides the coursework in sociology, it is also a good idea to have a general understanding of business concepts and practices. Having a few business courses under your belt, or even receiving a double major or a minor in business is also a great idea if you know you would like to pursue a career in business. Some schools even offer joint degrees in sociology and business. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Research paper - stdent Absences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research paper - stdent Absences - Essay Example Health related problems for children at school have always been a relevant social issue and the steps to reduce the impact are not new. The use of the nursing profession in school environments to reduce the impact of health related problems goes back by more than a hundred years. The focus of such activity was to reduce the spread of communicable diseases and diseases that have their origin in poor hygiene. The focus of activities and programs related to reducing health related problems of children at school remains the same even today (Wolfe & Selekman, 2002). Frequently encountered causes of health problems related to school absence by students find their origins in gastrointestinal and respiratory infections (Sandora, Shih & Goldman, 2008). According to Moonie et al 2008, absenteeism from school results in lower grades for the students and reduced psychological, social and educational interaction for these students. These factors cause schools to be alert to emerging health problems that could cause children to keep away from classes and to take steps to evaluate any such evolving causes and initiate action to remove the source or reduce its impact (Moonie et al, 2008). The band master of Truman Middle School in his report to the Principal has observed that on Wednesday, May 20, one-third of the students who were supposed to attend the band class did not attend the class. The Principal is reminded of an earlier occasion, when students absented themselves from school activities due to an outbreak of flu and requests assistance in determining whether a heath related problem exists and the possible measures to be taken to address it (Messages). Truman Middle School does have a health problem that may be either an outbreak of viral infection or from gastrointestinal infection that originates from the poor food hygiene practices at the food

How the Cameras Use Affects the Overall Production Essay

How the Cameras Use Affects the Overall Production - Essay Example Constant camera practice coupled with technical knowledge is key factors in developing the skills needed producing the best picture for media production. It is important that camera operators are highly skilled in operating and controlling the technical devices in a camera and know to focus the lens to obtain the desired shot. They must also know the techniques in taking shots, panning, tilting, zooming, dollying, image framing, and positioning to produce the best pictures. There are different approaches that a camera operator can use in taking shots depending on the type and purpose of a particular media outfit. For a realist, modernist, or formalist aesthetics, differentiation is presented in the skilled application of image depth. Image depth defines spatial continuity. Broad image depth, where there are wide ranges of objects in focus, produced a different perspective from that of a restricted image depth where an object is isolated from the other objects in the scene (Musburger, Kindem 261). Positioning the Camera Camera operators must determine the best position for the desired image. This requires knowledge in framing, distance, and movement. They must identify the objects or actions that must be contained in the camera frame, determine the appropriate distance and angle, and the best placement of the camera in taking a picture. Camera-mounting devices help in controlling camera movement.

Oracle :: essays research papers

Dates in Oracle are stored in numeric format. Each date represents the century, year, month, day, hours, minutes, and seconds. The default date format is DD-MON-YY. Using the SYSDATE function, you can display the current date and time. You can use SYSDATE as you would use any other column name. In order to view the time you will need to use the TO_CHAR function along with a format mask which includes a time format element. For example, you can display the current date by selecting SYSDATE from a table. You usually select SYSDATE from a dummy table called DUAL. All users can access the DUAL table. It is owned by the SYS user. It consists of one column known as DUMMY, and one row with the value X. When you want to return a value - not necessarily a date - once only, the DUAL table is useful. To display the current date using the DUAL table, you use the command shown. And the output displays the current date. Dates are stored as numbers in the database, which enables you to perform arithmetical calculations on them. You can add or subtract a number to or from a date for a resultant date value. You can subtract one date from another to find the number of days between them. You can also add hours to a date and time value. This is performed by dividing the number of hours in the time value by 24. Let's take a look at how you can manipulate dates. Let's say that you want to add and subtract days from the current date. To add one hundred days to the current date, you type the command shown. The result is displayed in the column SYSDATE+100. If you want to subtract 34 days from the current date, you type the command shown. The result is displayed in the column SYSDATE-34. Let's say you want to subtract the hire date from the current date - you type the command shown. The result shows the number of days between the current date and the hire date. Let's say you want to display dates in terms of weeks. To show the number of weeks each employee in department 10 has worked, you first subtract the hiredate from the current date. Then you divide the result by seven. You can use date functions in a similar way to number functions to operate on Oracle dates. The MONTHS_BETWEEN function finds the number of months between two dates. The result is displayed as a numeric value. This is the only date function that does not return a date value.

eligion In United States Public Schools Essay

The answer of the question is that students should be allowed to express any religion in United States Public Schools. I based my answer on the fundamental principles of the state with respect to the right to practice religion as well as my personal opinion. Therefore, I would like to submit that students in the United States should be allowed to practice any religion based on the separation of the church and state principle coined by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Other relevant instances and facts will also be used to explain this proposal like opposition of students of the mandatory prayer in school as well as the personal choice to express one’s religion through prayer. One reason that the students must be allowed to practice their own religion in schools is that it was the intention of the state that there will be a separation between the church and the state. All About History mentioned that the separation of the church and the state has been considered as part ad parcel of the legitimate, historical and political structure of the government and protects our freedom to practice religion (â€Å"Separation of Church and State†). In addition, it was also opined by Tripod that the separation of the church and state is considered a metaphor that well-known all over the world (â€Å"The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State†). This is stated this way because there is really no exact provision of the Constitution that mentioned separation of the church and the state. The idea was impliedly yet strongly mentioned in the Bill of Rights in order to ensure that freedom of religion can be served to the people. The phrase existed because of Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Danbury Baptists that they should not worry because an imaginary wall between the church and the state will be established (â€Å"The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State†). Second argument, the First Amendment of the Constitution clearly mentioned the basic ideals of the state concerning the freedom of religious practice. Volkomer (2001) wrote that, and I quote: â€Å"The First Amendment provides that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances† (425). It is then regarded by the government as a very important right since it was stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution. There is a clear prohibition that the legislature should not enact laws that favors any sectarian groups such that freedom of religion is thereby settled as a rule. If this rule will not be implemented, the very essence of liberty could not be exercised by the people. Imagine how scary on the part of the government to participate in matters those talks about religion when its very goal is to govern the people and not to make them godly. Besides, any governmental intervention on matters of religion would create chaos since we have different religious sects in the society. Political power may be seized by means of religion and everybody will use the name of God. Every religious sect will do everything in its power to influence policy-making in order to serve its interests to the disadvantage of the general welfare. Hence, students should be allowed in school to express their own way of worship and religious homage. Another argument to support the answer that students should be allowed to practice nay religion in public schools is that schools were not built to teach religious doctrines but to teach academic knowledge. It may be true that public schools are under the direction of the government yet the latter has no reason to direct it with regards to the incorporation of religious favor in schools. The mandatory school prayers made or required in some schools raked opposing views by students in public schools. The existence of public schools rests on education and not to basically proselyte. Kids in public schools are enslaved spectators. They are required to perform religious duties that they are not supposed to do either because they belong to other faith and or they have the right to practice their own beliefs. Therefore, the requirement that prayer should become an official element of the school day is improper and insidious (â€Å"Separation of Church and State†). In addition, religion must be treated as a private matter. It should be trifled upon by students in schools. Students in public schools must be given a chance to at least pray on their own decision and not because they were asked to do so. What is the purpose of faith when they should be forced to pray against their beliefs? There is none for that matter. The scheme that religious requirements in public schools be given would result to divisive attitudes of the students. It would create and build walls between students thereby giving them the opportunity to oppress the minority in terms of religious groups. It would disrupt the learning processes of the students in public schools. It must not be disregarded that public schools in America is for all students and not only for a particular group of students. It would be unfair if there were groups of religious believers who are given favorable situations on account of religious domination.

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