Deprogramming

Deprogramming is a tactic that attempts to help someone who has "strongly held convictions", coming from cults, government backed terrorist groups, or any strongly held 'faith groups'. Deprogramming without a group association is referred to as therapy and should ideally be performed with professional medical assistance using similar standards of care. Deprogramming aims to assist a person who holds a self destructive or restrictive belief system in changing those beliefs and severing connections to the associated group (religious, political, economic, or social) which created and controls that individual through their proprietary belief system. Owing to the ill-defined nature of 'controversial' belief and the group dynamic of exploitative belief groups, some methods and practices of people who have deprogrammed (deprogrammers) have involved kidnapping, false imprisonment, and coercion, which have sometimes resulted in criminal convictions. Some deprogramming regimens are specifically designed for individuals taken against their will, which has led to controversies over freedom of religion, kidnapping, and civil rights, as well as the use of violence, which is sometimes involved. Patty Hearst is an infamous example of a controversial deprogramming as it is unclear whether she was 'deprogrammed' twice, or even which stage of her political life represents the deprogrammed state. The deprogramming that has been practiced over the last half century has typically been commissioned by a person's relatives (often parents of adult children) who objected to the subject's membership in an organization or group. It has been compared to exorcisms in both methodology and manifestation, and the process sometimes has been performed with tacit support of law enforcement and judicial officials. In response to a burgeoning number of new religious movements in the 1970s in the United States, the "father of deprogramming", Ted Patrick, introduced many of these techniques to a wider audience as a means to combat cults.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related concepts (8)

Cult

Cult is a term, in most contexts pejorative, for a relatively small group which is typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who excessively controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant (outside the norms of society). This term is also used for a new religious movement or other social group which is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular person, object, or goal.

Anti-cult movement

The anti-cult movement (abbreviated ACM, and also known as the countercult movement) consists of various governmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals that seek to raise awareness of cults, uncover coercive practices used to attract and retain members, and help those who have become involved with harmful cult practices. One prominent group within the anti-cult movement, Christian counter-cult organizations, oppose new religious movements on theological grounds, categorizing them as cults, and distribute information to this effect through church networks and via printed literature.

Deprogramming