Terror, Love and Brainwashing

1. Cults Exploit Attachment and Trauma

Something that we all understand – and certainly wish we didn’t – is how an ordinary person can end up donning a suicide vest and killing themselves along with their unknown victims.

Attachment theory. Attachment theory explains how cults exploit our innate need for connection and safety. Cult leaders position themselves as safe havens, manipulating followers' attachment systems. This is achieved through isolating individuals from existing support networks and creating an environment of fear and dependence.

Disorganized attachment. Disorganized attachment, characterized by a simultaneous desire to approach and flee from the attachment figure, is a key dynamic in cults. This creates a trauma bond, where followers become trapped in a cycle of fear and dependence on the leader. The leader becomes both the source of threat and the only perceived source of safety.

Brainwashing process. This process involves the alternation of love and fear within an isolating environment, resulting in a dissociated, loyal, and deployable follower. The follower can now be instructed to act in the interests of the leader rather than in his or her own survival interests. This manipulation of attachment and trauma is central to the control exerted by cults and totalitarian systems.

2. Charismatic Authoritarian Leaders Drive Totalism

Most importantly, no totalist structure can exist without the engine, as Hannah Arendt calls it, of the leader.

Leadership qualities. Totalist systems are driven by charismatic and authoritarian leaders. Charisma attracts followers, while authoritarianism ensures control. These leaders exploit followers, demanding absolute loyalty and obedience.

Relationship zero. The leader's power often begins with an exploitative relationship, referred to as "relationship zero." This initial dynamic sets the tone for the entire organization. The leader's personality shapes the group's structure, ideology, and processes.

Psychopathic traits. Totalist leaders often exhibit psychopathic traits, such as a lack of empathy, manipulativeness, and a need for control. They create a system where loyalty, labor, money, and sex flow upwards to them. The leader's primary goal is to maintain control, with secondary benefits accruing from exploitation.

3. Recruitment: From Seekers to the Accidentally Ensnared

As a group we were not crazy, especially needy, or subservient.

Diverse recruitment pathways. People join cults through various means, not just seeking a cause. Some are "pulled in" accidentally, others are born into it, and some are press-ganged. The stereotype of the "seeker" is incomplete.

Coordinated persuasion. Totalist groups manage initial contact through coordinated persuasion. They follow up quickly, gather contact information, and offer tailored invitations. Front groups, seemingly harmless organizations, serve as recruitment tools.

Engulfment and isolation. Once contact is made, the group engulfs recruits in activities, monopolizing their time and energy. They discourage outside relationships, creating a closed, self-sealing system. This isolation makes recruits dependent on the group for support and validation.

4. Brainwashing: Isolating Minds in Crowded Spaces

The first method in reasoning is to give the patients a powerful stimulus, yell at them ‘you’re sick!’, so the patients will have a fright and break out in an over-all sweat; then, they can be carefully treated.

Fear and isolation. Brainwashing involves isolating individuals and arousing fear. This combination breaks down rational thought and creates dependence on the group. The leader positions themselves as the only safe haven.

Disorganized attachment. This process induces disorganized attachment, where followers are both drawn to and repelled by the leader. This creates a dissociative state, separating thinking from feeling. The follower's ability to think clearly about the relationship is impaired.

Deployable agents. The result is a "deployable agent," a follower who is hypercredulous and hyperobedient. They will believe anything and do anything the leader commands, regardless of their own survival interests. This is the ultimate goal of brainwashing.

5. Totalist Ideologies: The Architecture of Control

There’s big money right now in Marxist Leninist organizing if we set up the structure… .

Ideology's role. Totalist ideologies are belief systems that support the group's structure and the leader's control. They justify loyalty, create boundaries, and prevent alternate relationships. The ideology is not the driver, but the reflection of the social structure.

Total vs. partial ideologies. Total ideologies are closed and exclusive, claiming to be true for all time. They contrast with partial ideologies, which allow for autonomy and diverse beliefs. The structure of the belief system determines its totalist nature.

Propaganda and indoctrination. Totalist groups use propaganda to attract recruits and indoctrination to control members. Propaganda is outward-facing, while indoctrination is internal. Both serve to disable critical thinking and promote the group's worldview.

6. Relationships: Controlled, Replaced, or Erased

Father is close, Mother is close, but neither is as close as Chairman Mao.

Controlling relationships. Totalist groups control all forms of relationships, including family, romantic, and friendships. They aim to replace these bonds with loyalty to the leader and the group. This control is essential for maintaining power.

Family of origin. New members are pulled away from their families, who are often demonized. Allegiance to the leader takes precedence over family ties. This isolation weakens the follower's support system and increases dependence on the group.

Romantic and friendships. Romantic relationships are monitored and manipulated. Groups may enforce celibacy, arrange marriages, or break up couples. Close friendships are discouraged, replaced by interchangeable "comrades."

7. The Lingering Scars: Trauma and Dissociation

It has frequently been said, and it is perfectly true, that the most horrible aspect of [totalitarian] terror is that it has the power to bind together completely isolated individuals and that by so doing it isolates these individuals even more.

Triple isolation. Brainwashing leads to a triple isolation: from the outside world, from authentic relationships within the group, and from one's own self. This isolation makes followers vulnerable to exploitation and control.

Disorganized attachment. The process creates a disorganized attachment bond, characterized by a chronic state of terror and dependence. This bond impairs higher brain activity, preventing rational thought and self-preservation.

Exploitation and deployability. The result is a leader with extreme control over hypercredulous and hyperobedient followers. They can be exploited financially, sexually, or through unpaid labor. In extreme cases, they may sacrifice their lives for the leader.

8. Escaping Totalism: Reclaiming Agency and Thought

Only isolated individuals can be dominated totally.

Breaking the bond. Leaving a totalist group is a difficult process, requiring a disruption of the disorganized attachment bond. This often involves finding alternate safe havens and reintegrating thought processes.

Alternate attachments. Alternate attachment relationships, such as supportive family or friends, are crucial for escape. These relationships provide comfort, validation, and a sense of reality outside the group's control.

Reclaiming the narrative. Telling one's story is a powerful tool for healing and reclaiming agency. Sharing experiences helps survivors process trauma, integrate thoughts and feelings, and warn others about the dangers of totalism.

9. Prevention: Education and Social Resilience

The greater man’s ignorance of the principles of his social surroundings, the more subject is he to their control; and the greater his knowledge of their operations and of their necessary consequences, the freer he can become with regard to them.

Public health approach. Prevention requires a public health approach, educating people about the methods of totalism and strengthening social resilience. This includes teaching critical thinking skills and promoting healthy relationships.

Recognizing totalism. Individuals and society must learn to identify the features of totalist systems. This includes recognizing charismatic authoritarian leaders, isolating structures, and total ideologies. Monitoring and accountability are essential.

Building community. Strong social supports and secure attachments are key to preventing totalism. This involves addressing social isolation, promoting community engagement, and fostering a culture of open communication and mutual respect.

Last updated: May 1, 2025