The year 2021 and still talking about sects

This is how sects have modernized and adapted to the new social dynamics.

When we talk about sects, images from the 70's or 80's come to mind, from a distant, retro past that is neither close nor familiar to us. Is this because the phenomenon of sects no longer exists? Nothing could be further from the truth.

Not only have the sects not ceased to exist, but they have not ceased to multiply, adapt and modernize themselves.. Very few disappear, and they usually do so as a consequence of terrible misfortunes, such as the collective suicide of the members of the Order of the Solar Temple, which almost had its replica in Spain. Or the end of Edelweiss, also in Spain, when the leader was assassinated by one of the followers who as a child had suffered sexual and psychological abuse.

What are sects like today?

Destructive sects have adapted to the times, have modernized and above all have learned from the past how advantageous it is for them to be very secretive and discreet. they have learned from the past how advantageous it is for them to be very secretive and discreet.. They have adapted their proselytism and use the Internet and all social networks very efficiently.

They have also changed their speeches; their messages are no longer exclusively religious or spiritual, nowadays they can talk about business, trading, successful business projects... This type is very focused on young people who want to be successful.. They also present themselves with ambitious training plans, personal growth courses or training to become a therapist, coach or healer.

There are those with a political discourse that tends to be very extreme, both right-wing and left-wing, and it is quite amazing to compare groups of both political tendencies and discover how much they resemble each other in the image they show, and in the dynamics of recruitment, proselytizing and indoctrination.

Thus we see that recognizing the old sects of extravagant gurus with apocalyptic messages and bibles in their hands is complicated. The most important thing is not to value appearances or messages, it is necessary to value the techniques of persuasion and coercion that characterize them as destructive sects, whatever their type..

The dynamics of persuasion and manipulation

The strategies of coercive persuasion are used for the recruitment, manipulation, retention and indoctrination of people, and are intentionally aimed at to eliminate the critical and rational capacityThe captured person becomes completely dependent on the guru and the group, influencing all aspects of his or her life (food, relationships, work, etc.), even if the consequences are very negative.

The captured person becomes completely dependent on the guru and the group, influencing all aspects of his life (food, relationships, work...) and even if the consequences are very negative (divorce, health problems, economic problems...) the person is unable to have a critical and rational vision of his situation and problems.

Something very important to take into account is that this process of annulment of the person is not something abrupt or fast.. People, when they come into contact with these groups, have an overwhelmingly positive first experience, since deception is present from the very first moment, and little by little the different strategies of coercive persuasion mentioned above take effect.

The main psychological consequences

The families do not usually detect anything at the beginning, rather on the contrary, they can see positive effects (new friendships, incorporation of healthier activities, illusion...) and when the concern becomes already evident for the relatives, the degree of commitment of the follower is very great and difficult to handle.

Alarm bells in the family always go off late in the face of signs such as obsessive and monothematic speech, abandonment of leisure activities and friendships, abandonment of work or study obligations, etc., and it is very important how the family acts.It is very important to act in those first moments of confusion.

The adept will always be very prepared to reject the critical vision of his environment, to the point of not hesitating to break with family ties and move away, something that the group promotes in order to more easily dominate the will and the information of the captured person.

What to do?

Faced with this it is important not to take actions on our own, since the actions that arise naturally and rationally are not the best and aggravate the situation, so the first and most important thing is to know well this kind of problems.

Reading, documenting, meeting people and families who have gone through this situation, and getting in the hands of professionals dedicated to this subject is fundamental. dedicated to this subject is fundamental to receive a correct orientation and help. It is necessary to understand in depth a problem of which unfortunately there is very little information and social sensitivity, when there are many families seriously affected in Spain.

Over the years, this problem is occupying less and less space for information and denunciation, since the media are not very receptive if there is not something sensationalist to show. Also aware that they can receive penal consequences of their position of denunciation, they do not play for something that does not give them a good audience, and informing becomes less important.

In the face of destructive sects, the greatest prevention is the capacity of each one to know how to inform oneself, to have a correct criterion, to have a correct criterion, to have a correct opinion.to have a correct criterion, to dare to question without fear or shame, and above all to cultivate a critical sense of everything one reads, hears and sees.

Cultivating personal knowledge requires a great effort every day, and we must go beyond the self-satisfaction that comes from searching for what we already know. It is necessary to look for what we do not know, to doubt, and to be a critical but discerning person.You have to doubt, and be a critical person, but with criteria.

Author: Laura Merino Gómez, Health Psychologist at TAP Center.