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Learned Helplessness, a tactic used by cults.

In cult settings, learned helplessness can be a powerful tool for maintaining control, as it creates a mindset in followers that prevents them from challenging the group or seeking an escape.

Learned helplessness

What is Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is a psychological condition where people feel powerless to change their situation due to repeated exposure to uncontrollable, negative experiences. In cult settings, learned helplessness can be a powerful tool for maintaining control, as it creates a mindset in followers that prevents them from challenging the group or seeking an escape.

Understanding Learned Helplessness

When faced with adversity, most people try to improve their situation and regain control. However, research suggests that when individuals repeatedly feel powerless, they may give up trying to change their circumstances, ultimately accepting hardship as inevitable. This phenomenon, known as “learned helplessness,” occurs when past experiences have taught people that they have little or no control over negative outcomes.

Discovering Learned Helplessness: The Dog Experiment

Learned helplessness was first identified by accident. In 1965, psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier were researching classical conditioning, the process by which an animal or person links one experience with another.

During their study, Seligman and Maier noticed that dogs conditioned to expect an electric shock after a specific tone would stop trying to avoid it. Later, they placed the dogs in a shuttle box divided by a low barrier. One side had a floor that could be electrified, while the other did not. Although the dogs could escape by jumping over the barrier, those conditioned to expect shocks did not attempt to flee. Seligman concluded that they had learned helplessness—an inability to avoid negative situations due to past experiences of feeling powerless. In contrast, dogs that had not been conditioned quickly jumped the barrier to avoid the shocks.

Here’s how cults can use tactics that create learned helplessness:

1. Unpredictable Rewards and Punishments: Cults often create an environment with inconsistent rewards and punishments. One day, a member might be praised for their loyalty, while the next, they could be harshly criticized for a minor infraction. This unpredictability creates confusion and helplessness, making members less likely to question authority or anticipate fair treatment.

2. Isolation and Restricted Information: By isolating members from friends, family, and external information, cults limit outside perspectives. With few options for outside support or validation, members often internalize the group’s worldview and blame themselves when things go wrong, feeling incapable of taking action to leave.

3. Excessive Rules and Rigidity: Cults impose strict rules on behavior, appearance, and even thoughts. Over time, followers may become accustomed to following orders without question, suppressing their individuality and critical thinking skills. The loss of autonomy makes them more susceptible to helplessness.

4. Inducing Guilt and Shame: Cults often convince members that they are “broken” or “unworthy” outside the group. When members are repeatedly told they are flawed or sinful, they can develop low self-worth, making them feel incapable of thriving outside the cult.

5. Physical and Mental Exhaustion: By demanding intense schedules, sleep deprivation, and repetitive tasks, cults physically and mentally exhaust members. When a person is depleted, they are less likely to resist or attempt to leave. Over time, this can create a sense of helplessness, as they feel trapped by both the group and their own lack of energy or resources.

6. Gaslighting and Manipulation of Reality: Cults often distort reality through gaslighting, making members question their own perceptions and memories. When people are constantly told that their version of reality is “wrong,” they may lose confidence in their judgment, creating reliance on the cult’s interpretation of events.

Through these tactics, cults manipulate individuals into a state where they feel they have no control over their circumstances. This perceived powerlessness keeps members compliant, less likely to rebel, and more dependent on the cult for their sense of purpose and identity.

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