By Dennis Tourish
A clean research of severe political activism and cultism, this is often the 1st e-book to record the level of political cults on either definitely the right and left and clarify their importance for mainstream political organizations.
The authors define the defining features of cults regularly, and learn the measure to which various famous routine fall in the spectrum of cultic organizations.
We are all acquainted with the belief of cults which are spiritual (e.g. young ones of God), suicidal (e.g. Jonestown) or homicidal (e.g. Aum, in Japan). notwithstanding, no past publication has checked out various intensely energetic political companies to determine whether or not they may be usefully understood as cults. Tim and i've utilized easy ideas from ma number of social technological know-how disciplines, to numerous famous agencies at the left and correct. now we have additionally checked out a few psychotherapy businesses with a political schedule (e.g. re-assessment Counselling, aka Co-Counselling), to figure why it's that individuals develop into embroiled of their frequently destructive actions. a person who has ever obtained anything they did not really want is aware that we will be able to all be manipulated. the outcome combines own tragedy and waste, with the emergence of frenetic teams which are at most sensible a nuisance and at worst a threat to society.
Thus, this booklet exhibits that authorities who manage our inherent vulnerability to the method of social impact is also present in the sector of politics. We argue that transforming into disillusionment with the political procedure capacity such teams (e.g. a ways correct military teams within the united states) can harm the political method and the broader society. it will be significant that extra humans know how cults can collect impact, and as a result face up to their often-malign impression. there were situations ahead of of cults buying major social effect: this booklet is a get up name this present day, to stay away from related tragedies happening sooner or later. Its message will i am hoping resonate with humans in may perhaps different contexts in addition, permitting us all to spot hazard indicators in any team to which belong, sooner than it truly is too overdue. This e-book is a get up name and should be invaluable, we are hoping, to many people.
The e-book covers such contributors and teams as Lyndon LaRouche, Fred Newman, Ted supply, Marlene Dixon, the Christian identification circulate, Posse Commitatus, Aryan state, militias, and the Freemen. It explores the ideological underpinnings that predispose cult fans to cultic practices, besides the measures cults use to suppress dissent, in achieving extreme conformity, and extract awesome degrees of commitment.
Dennis Tourish is Reader in verbal exchange administration on the college of Aberdeen, Scotland, and the writer of The darkish part of Transformational management: A serious Perspective.
Tim Wohlforth's writings comprise The crimson Tarantula, a quick tale assortment; Harry, a mystery; and Epitaph for Emily, a Jim Wolf secret. He made Otto Penzler's distinct secret tales checklist two times, is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and acquired a certificates of Excellence from the Dana Literary Society.
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Extra resources for On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left
Example text
Given their origins, his ideas are particularly apt in considering the workings of political cults. Lifton made it clear that the potential for the ideological totalism he described is present within everyone, in the sense that extreme conformity exists at one end of a continuum, consisting at the other end of extreme dissent. However, totahstic convictions are "most likely to occur with those ideologies which are most sweeping in their content and most ambitious—or messianic—in their claims, whether religious, political or scientific.
This distracts political activists from whatever their primary purpose is supposed to be. In this way, political cults inflict damage out of all proportion to their numerical strength. Thus, this book analyzes the extent to which a variety of well-known movements fall within the spectrum of what could be defined as cultic organizations. We examine the organizational measures they employ to suppress dissent, achieve intense conformity, and extract extraordinary levels of commitment from their members.
What Lies Ahead Tnis book argues that many extremist organizations, on both the left and right, can best be understood as cults on a par with the Unification Church (the Moonies), Scientologists, and other bizarre groupings who regularly capture media headlines. In chapter 1, we explore this notion in more depth, and offer definitions of cults in general and political cults in particular. The opening chapters of this book are concerned with establishing the psychological processes that render us vulnerable to the simplistic messages of cults, and the persuasive devices they employ to ensnare people in their activities.
