Loaded language(terms). Researching Scientologese.

Offsource

Member
Cult recovery experts reckon it is essential to identify these 'loaded terms' and see them for what they really are. Thought control. Clearing words (using in sentences to conceptual understanding), must really deepen the effect. Please comment if you have more to add or more examples to share. 👍
 

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Zertel

Well-known member
Cult recovery experts reckon it is essential to identify these 'loaded terms' and see them for what they really are. Thought control. Clearing words (using in sentences to conceptual understanding), must really deepen the effect. Please comment if you have more to add or more examples to share. 👍
I looked at the attachment and even though I blew scientology almost forty years ago I know the definitions of all the words. My Scientologese is very good. Knowing Scientologese, otherwise referred to as sciospeak or clamspeak is different than thinking with it. Almost all sciospeak can be translated back into King's English.

My friend's daughter minored in Spanish in college and mentioned that she occasionally dreamed in Spanish. I don't recall if I ever dreamed in clamspeak.

I'll admit that after I split I carried forward some scientology terminology. A lot of it is a description of human interaction and behavior.
 
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Offsource

Member
I looked at the attachment and even though I blew scientology almost forty years ago I know the definitions of all the words. My Scientologese is very good. Knowing Scientologese, otherwise referred to as sciospeak or clamspeak is different than thinking with it. Almost all sciospeak can be translated back into King's English.

My friend's daughter minored in Spanish in college and mentioned that she occasionally dreamed in Spanish. I don't recall if I ever dreamed in clamspeak.
Hi, good to know that your memory isn't letting you down and you have no trouble thinking independently of the loaded language. I have much more recently exited and still catch myself thinking and labelling using these loaded terms. It's getting better though, the more I recognise it. 👍
 

Type4_PTS

Well-known member
Cult recovery experts reckon it is essential to identify these 'loaded terms' and see them for what they really are. Thought control. Clearing words (using in sentences to conceptual understanding), must really deepen the effect. Please comment if you have more to add or more examples to share. 👍
Off-Source. That's an example. :D

I believe anyone who wishes to recover from their involvement in Scientology should look deeply into this subject of 'loaded language' It was one of the techniques that Hubbard used to stop Scientologists from critical thinking.

Here's a few quick references I came across on the subject. An internet search will find many more:



This is Steven Hassan's site. Here's an excerpt:


I recently read former Scientologist official Mike Rinder’s blog piece on “Word Clearing.” I suspect that most people who read his blog are ex-Scientologists, but I think it might be interesting for former members of other destructive groups to give it a read. I thought it could be a useful introduction to a blog I have been wanting to write for a few weeks on “Loaded Language.

When it comes to freeing one’s mind from cult influence, one of the hardest things for many to overcome is the involuntary use of “loaded language.” Loaded language is something I first learned about by studying the work of Robert J. Lifton. In his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of ‘Brainwashing in China, Lifton has this to say:

“The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating clichĂ©. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly selective, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. They become the start and finish of any ideological analysis.”

As most people know about my work, Lifton’s book was pivotal in helping free me from the Moon cult and his model serves as the foundation for my BITE Model of mind control.

Have you read George Orwell’s 1984? It was a masterful novel that showed the power of words. In modern days terms: “Citizens United” actually means super-wealthy people buying off politicians
. Not average citizens coming together. Destructive cults use a system of Orwellian loaded language but in my experience, Scientology has the most extensive use of this Thought Control” method. “Study tech” and “word clearing” are methods for programming people into a totalitarian mind control system of slavery, while calling it, “The Bridge to Total Freedom.”


One of the quotes from this wikiquote site includes this:

"...research carried out by people like Elizabeth Loftus shows that loaded language does work to influence memory and perception."

Elizabeth Loftus is one of the most respected and influential psychologists in the world today.

Another Wikiquote:


To appeal to reason, you use facts, statistics, expert opinions, and examples that support your position. To appeal to emotion, you use emotionally-loaded language — language that elicits a strong positive or negative response.
Steck-Vaughn Company (1999). HSPA Success in Language Arts Literacy: Level K. Rigby Education. p. 42. ISBN 0739810693.






 

Enthetan

Veteran of the Psychic Wars
Almost all sciospeak can be translated back into King's English.
But the Scio-speak carries with it certain attitudes about the think being spoken of.

The purpose of Scio-speak is to internalize those attitudes in the mind and feelings of the speaker.
 

Offsource

Member
Off-Source. That's an example. :D

I believe anyone who wishes to recover from their involvement in Scientology should look deeply into this subject of 'loaded language' It was one of the techniques that Hubbard used to stop Scientologists from critical thinking.

Here's a few quick references I came across on the subject. An internet search will find many more:



This is Steven Hassan's site. Here's an excerpt:


I recently read former Scientologist official Mike Rinder’s blog piece on “Word Clearing.” I suspect that most people who read his blog are ex-Scientologists, but I think it might be interesting for former members of other destructive groups to give it a read. I thought it could be a useful introduction to a blog I have been wanting to write for a few weeks on “Loaded Language.

When it comes to freeing one’s mind from cult influence, one of the hardest things for many to overcome is the involuntary use of “loaded language.” Loaded language is something I first learned about by studying the work of Robert J. Lifton. In his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of ‘Brainwashing in China, Lifton has this to say:

“The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating clichĂ©. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly selective, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. They become the start and finish of any ideological analysis.”

As most people know about my work, Lifton’s book was pivotal in helping free me from the Moon cult and his model serves as the foundation for my BITE Model of mind control.

Have you read George Orwell’s 1984? It was a masterful novel that showed the power of words. In modern days terms: “Citizens United” actually means super-wealthy people buying off politicians
. Not average citizens coming together. Destructive cults use a system of Orwellian loaded language but in my experience, Scientology has the most extensive use of this Thought Control” method. “Study tech” and “word clearing” are methods for programming people into a totalitarian mind control system of slavery, while calling it, “The Bridge to Total Freedom.”


One of the quotes from this wikiquote site includes this:

"...research carried out by people like Elizabeth Loftus shows that loaded language does work to influence memory and perception."

Elizabeth Loftus is one of the most respected and influential psychologists in the world today.

Another Wikiquote:


To appeal to reason, you use facts, statistics, expert opinions, and examples that support your position. To appeal to emotion, you use emotionally-loaded language — language that elicits a strong positive or negative response.
Steck-Vaughn Company (1999). HSPA Success in Language Arts Literacy: Level K. Rigby Education. p. 42. ISBN 0739810693.






That's really helpful stuff type 4, thank you! đŸ€—đŸ‘
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
Here are some excerpts from the article Propaganda by Reversal of Meaning in Scientology

This article exists to present , examine and attempt to make clear some concepts related to how terms are reversed in meaning - often to their exact opposites - in Scientology to obliterate the capacity to perceive that they are even not true to any extent . This includes Scientology terms but also includes many English words as they are used in Scientology.
It has several basic concepts to introduce and review that are well known and often cited regarding propaganda . After those are reviewed to set the stage I will attempt to in great detail give explanations and examples for how these terms are used and which terms are used in Scientology . There are many more and they are much more covertly used than most people are ever even aware of . So , if you already have familiarity with these concepts please hear me out - I intend to very thoroughly dissect the lies by propaganda by reversal in Scientology to strip the cult's facade bare .


Doublespeak
is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs, "servicing the target" for bombing), in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning (for example, naming a state of war "peace"). In such cases, doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth.

The term "doublespeak" probably has its roots in George Orwell's book, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Although the term is not used in the book, it is a close relative of one of the book's central concepts, "doublethink".

Above from Wikipedia

To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of democracy, to forget, whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again, and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself that was the ultimate subtlety; consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word 'doublethink' involved the use of doublethink.

The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.

Above from Wikipedia taken from 1984






Another important point in Orwell's discussion is closely related to "doublethink," namely that in a successful manipulation of the mind the person is no longer saying the opposite of what he thinks, but he thinks the opposite of what is true. Thus, for instance, if he has surrendered his independence and his integrity completely, if he experiences himself as a thing which belongs either to the state, the party or the corporation, then two plus two are five, or "Slavery is Freedom," and he feels free because there is no longer any awareness of the discrepancy between truth and falsehood. Specifically this applies to ideologies.
Eric Fromm Afterword to 1984

The B vocabulary. The B vocabulary consisted of words which had been deliberately constructed for political purposes: words, that is to say, which not only had in every case a political implication, but were intended to impose a desirable mental attitude upon the person using them.

The B words were a sort of verbal shorthand, often packing whole ranges of ideas into a few syllables, and at the same time more accurate and forcible than ordinary language.

No word in the B vocabulary was ideologically neutral. A great many were euphemisms. Such words, for instance, as joycamp (forced-labour camp) or Minipax (Ministry of Peace, i.e. Ministry of War) meant almost the exact opposite of what they appeared to mean. Some words, on the other hand, displayed a frank and contemptuous understanding of the real nature of Oceanic society. An example was prolefeed, meaning the rubbishy entertainment and spurious news which the Party handed out to the masses. Other words, again, were ambivalent, having the connotation ‘good’ when applied to the Party and ‘bad’ when applied to its enemies.

Above from appendix to 1984



This is a type of loaded language .

In rhetoric, loaded language (also known as loaded terms or emotive language) is wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes. Such wording is also known as high-inference language or language persuasive techniques.
Loaded words and phrases have strong emotional implications and involve strongly positive or negative reactions beyond their literal meaning. For example, the phrase tax relief refers literally to changes that reduce the amount of tax citizens must pay. However, use of the emotive word relief implies that all tax is an unreasonable burden to begin with. Examples of loaded language are "You want to go to the mall, don't you?" and "Do you really want to associate with those people?".
The appeal to emotion is often seen as being in contrast to an appeal to logic and reason. However, emotion and reason are not necessarily always in conflict, nor is it true that an emotion cannot be a reason for an action. Authors R. Malcolm Murray and Nebojsa Kujundzic distinguish "prima facie reasons" from "considered reasons" when discussing this. A prima facie reason for, say, not eating mushrooms is that one does not like mushrooms. This is an emotive reason. However, one still may have a considered reason for not eating mushrooms: one might consume enough of the relevant minerals and vitamins that one could obtain from eating mushrooms from other sources. An emotion, elicited via emotive language, may form a prima facie reason for action, but further work is required before one can obtain a considered reason.
Emotive arguments and loaded language are particularly persuasive because they exploit the human weakness for acting immediately based upon an emotional response, without such further considered judgment. Due to such potential for emotional complication, it is generally advised to avoid loaded language in argument or speech when fairness and impartiality is one of the goals.

In the 1946 essay "Politics and the English Language", George Orwell discussed the use of loaded language in political discourse.
The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies "something not desirable." The words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice have each of them several different meanings which cannot be reconciled with one another. In the case of a word like democracy, not only is there no agreed definition, but the attempt to make one is resisted from all sides. It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it: consequently the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using that word if it were tied down to any one meaning.

Above from Wikipedia.

I recommend the essay Politics and the English Language and the appendix and afterword to the book 1984 to every Scientologist , ex member and critic . They reveal much of Ron Hubbard's methodology and he admitted knowing of 1984 famously .And they are all very short articles .


Therefore, we really do have the remedy before the assault weapon is produced. Did you ever read poor old George Orwell’s 1984? Yes, yes, that’s wonderful. That would be could be the palest imagined shadow of what a world would be like under the rule of the secret use of Scientology with no remedy in existence.
The Philadelphia Doctorate Course Tapes Ron Hubbard



And Hubbard certainly knew about this and had definite opinions on how to persuade people .

"’Psychiatry’ and ‘psychiatrist’ are easily redefined to mean ‘an anti-social enemy of the people‘. This takes the kill crazy psychiatrist off the preferred list of professions...The redefinition of words is done by associating different emotions and symbols with the word than were intended...Scientologists are redefining ‘doctor‘, ‘Psychiatry’ and ‘psychology’ to mean ‘undesirable antisocial elements‘...The way to redefine a word is to get the new definition repeated as often as possible. Thus it is necessary to redefine medicine, psychiatry and psychology downward and define Dianetics and Scientology upwards. This, so far as words are concerned, is the public opinion battle for belief in your definitions, and not those of the opposition. A consistent, repeated effort is the key to any success with this technique of propaganda."
- Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 5 October 1971, PR Series 12, "Propaganda by Redefinition of Words"
"THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM. You can write that down in your book in great big letters. The only way you can control anybody is to lie to them."
- Ron Hubbard, "Off the Time Track," lecture of June 1952, excerpted in JOURNAL OF SCIENTOLOGY issue 18-G, reprinted in TECHNICAL VOLUMES OF DIANETICS & SCIENTOLOGY, vol. 1, p. 418
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
So , Hubbard uses terms to mean the exact reverse of their true meaning often to confuse and overwhelm the minds of his victims( slaves really ) . It is critically important to point out that I am referring to a very exact method here - total reversal of meaning by a 180 degree contradiction . It is very effective for stopping thought and imposing an inability to even conceive the true meaning of a term .It is reliant on focusing the mind on a concept then rendering considering the term to mean the extreme exact opposite as absurd- it stops critical and independent thought regarding the term and surrounding concepts when effective . This method is so subtle and the tools needed so slight and few it is very easy to hide . The method requires three things but Hubbard only needs to provide one of the three . It requires that you have a definition for a word , a victim who uses the word and his new opposite meaning . The old definition is one that already exists and is unchallenged and not objectionable . The victim already exists and holds the old definition and thinks nothing of the new one as it seems at first to be plausible as the old one until one becomes very , very familiar with Scientology and exactly how and for what the term is now used . Only gradually is the reality of Flag or the clearing process and state revealed . If it were all shown initially much would be seen as absurd and having no benefit or merit but it is given away in tiny bits only after the earlier ones have been accepted , made part of one's thinking and emotions and behavior very thoroughly and then integrated into one's very identity . So accepting a slight shift to doublethink and double speak seems natural and logical . It is done in many , hundreds or thousands of slight advances in delusion and dependency too slight to catch one at a time very often .

Often even after being told about the reverse meanings a Scientologist or ex cannot believe or honestly look at the possibility of this being true.Other methods of freeing critical thinking must be used to extensively free the mind and strip away lies as much as possible before this reality can be comprehended . It is that deeply ingrained . So blaming the victim is entirely ineffective and unfair .

Some exes after decades out of the cult and having been well informed as to Hubbard's lies and lack of results still wonder at the words and if they are fundamental truths to be looked deeply into for the secrets of life and the universe. Let me save you some time - they are all lies to confuse and enslave . That is the method Hubbard used , not revelation . If he found anything better he would have used it for himself but instead died a very sick , insane miserable wretch .
I will present for your consideration a brief list of terms he - and later others after him use to create an effect of thought stopping and blind compliance regarding these terms . The thought stopping is often so total that even comprehending that the terms could conceal their opposites as realities in Scientology is found to be incomprehensible to Scientologists and often ex Scientologists no matter what evidence is brought forth .
Start at the beginning - the term Scientology sounds like a combination of science and technology - a doubly scientific idea if that makes sense- and early works proclaim the scientific method very often and loudly . Like the book Science of Survival . Upon careful examination NO actual science has ever been used in the formulation , use or validation of Dianetics or Scientology EVER . It is all fraud and lies to control others . Hubbard- like he did with virtually everything he ever placed in his doctrine - plagiarized the very word and then hid its true meaning from his victims - by reversing it for them but not himself . In 1901, Allen Upward coined Scientology "as a disparaging term, to indicate a blind, unthinking acceptance of scientific doctrine" according to the Internet Sacred Text Archive. As Hubbard's cruel and perverse joke he knew Scientology serves as an unthinking acceptance of his false pseudo scientific fraudulent doctrine .
Okay that is one used to confuse people at the very beginning and never revealed to them the whole time .
Flag the happiest place on Earth - a slave work facility for thought reform .
The Freewinds - a ship worked by slaves who perform thought reform on their passengers . Often the slaves report having no way to leave and needing to plan extensively to attempt to escape .
The bridge to total freedom .

"If you really want to enslave people, tell them that you are going to give them total freedom." - Ron Hubbard
"An endless freedom from is a perfect trap, a fear of all things ... Fixed on too many barriers, man yearns to be free. But launched into total freedom he is purposeless and miserable."
- Ron Hubbard, The Reason Why; 15 May 1956.

"We've got some new ways to make slaves here."
- Ron Hubbard, Philadelphia Doctorate Course lecture 20, 1952.

"Scientology is a religious philosophy in its highest meaning as it brings man to Total Freedom."
- Ron Hubbard, Religious Philosophy and Religious Practice, 21 June 1960, revised 18 April 1967.
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
Clear - in Scientology and Dianetics one is taught they are "clearing" or removing permanently the source of unpleasant emotions and factors that lessen memory , intelligence and rationality . In truth Scientology and Dianetics auditing are additive forces with confusions via lies and contradictions and implants ( hypnotic commands ) being added to a person's mind to create a progressive slide into total submission as the victim's mind is covertly below conscious awareness changed with the original contents suppressed or obliterated and Hubbard's additions being placed through repetition as a replacement for the entire identity to act as a copy or mental clone of Hubbard . Not exactly clearing - more like overfilling .

Here are a few quotes to help show Hubbard always knew he was in fact using hypnosis in auditing :"you are putting in positive suggestion whether you want to or not, no matter how careful you are (R&D1, p.336)Ron Hubbard

"positive suggestion means in hypnosis a suggestion which is given to a hypnotized subject which will result in some change in the manifestations and actions of that patient (R&D 1, p.48); "It is a suggestion by the operator to a hypnotized subject with the sole end of creating a changed mental condition in the subject by implantation of the suggestion alone. It is a transplantation of something in the hypnotist's mind into the patient's mind. The patient is then to believe it and take it as part of himself.(R&D 1, p.237; see also R&D 1, p.33) Ron Hubbard

Hypnotism "reduces self-determinism by interposing the commands of another below the analytical level of an individual's mind ... It is the sort of control mechanism in which an authoritarian individual, cult, or ideology delight. People who indulge in hypnotism may, only very occasionally, be interested in experimentation upon the human mind ... Genuine experimental hypnotism, strictly in the laboratory and never in the parlour, and done wholly in the knowledge that one is reducing the efficiency of the human being on whom one is experimenting and may do him permanent damage, and the use of hypnotism by a surgeon ... should end the extension of hypnotism into the society. Submission to being hypnotized is analagous to being raped, with the exception that the individual can, generally, recover from being raped. To any clear-thinking human who believes in the value of people as human beings, there is something gruesomely obscene about hypnotism. The interjection of unseen controls below the level of consciousness cannot benefit but can only pervert the mind ... The individual who would permit himself to be hypnotized is, frankly, a fool ... It was thought by hypnotists that the mere remembering of ... suggestions would relieve them, and that the power of the suggestion died out with time. These two ideas do not happen to be true (SOSII, p.220f; see also pp.225f) Ron Hubbard

Next the term audit - in Scientology one is taught the auditor only listens and does not influence the victim - but that is false . COMPLETELY .

The auditor is in truth a hypnotist covertly hypnotizing and then encouraging and coaxing via repetitive questioning . Repetitive questioning and the framework of reality created by Hubbard's language and doctrine entirely interpret the auditing experience . They tell the victim what their mind is , how the parts interact and how to evaluate all the sensations and mental phenomena in the auditing session . They pull a bait and switch wherein hypnotic phenomena such as age regression , hallucination and dissociations are redefined as "moving on the time track " and " perceiving mental image pictures " and "exteriorization " . Being sleepy in session is defined as "running off unconsciousness" while the exact same phenomena in indoctrination where the "MU" is seen as the culprit is labeled "dope off" and blamed on not knowing the definitions of words. Curious how the mind changes by walking from one room to another to function differently for everyone ever.

The auditor is defined as not influencing the victim by Hubbard but this is entirely a deception to lower the guard of both the auditor and the victim .
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
I will present a few brief quotes from Wikipedia to introduce the idea of questions holding influence . I believe questions often influence more strongly than direct statements by controlling the attention and conversation more so and by having the ideas the question presents be in a form less obvious as assertion.

A suggestive question is one that implies that a certain answer should be given in response, or falsely presents a presupposition in the question as accepted fact.Such a question distorts the memory thereby tricking the person into answering in a specific way that might or might not be true or consistent with their actual feelings, and can be deliberate or unintentional. For example, the phrasing "Don't you think this was wrong?" is more suggestive than "Do you think this was wrong?" despite the difference of only one word. The former may subtly pressure the respondent into responding "yes," whereas the latter is far more direct. Repeated questions can make people think their first answer is wrong and lead them to change their answer, or it can cause people to continuously answer until the interrogator gets the exact response that they desire. The diction used by the interviewer can also be an influencing factor to the response given by the interrogated individual.
Experimental research by psychologist Elizabeth Loftus has established that trying to answer such questions can create confabulation in eyewitnesses.For example, participants in an experiment may all view the same video clip of a car crash. Participants are assigned at random in one of two groups. The participants in the first group are asked "How fast was the car moving when it passed by the stop sign?" The participants in the other group are asked a similar question that does not refer to a stop sign. Later, the participants from the first group are more likely to remember seeing a stop sign in the video clip, even though there was in fact no such sign. Such findings have been replicated and raise serious questions about the validity of information elicited through poorly phrased questions during eyewitness testimony.

Direct questions
Direct questions lead to one word answers when explanations are sometimes needed. This could include questions like “Do you get it?” and “Where did it happen?” According to Dr. Kathy Kellermann, an expert in persuasion and communication, direct questions force exact responses through carefully worded questions.
Repeated questions
Repeated questions elicit certain types of answers. Repeated questions make people think their first answer was wrong, lead them to change their answer, or cause people to keep answering until the interrogator gets the exact response that they desire. Elizabeth Loftus states that errors in answers are dramatically reduced if a question is only asked once
Forced choice questions
Yes/no or forced choice questions like “is this yellow or green?” force people to choose between two choices when the answer could be neither of the choices or needs more explanation. This generates more “interviewer-talks” moments, where the interviewer is talking and controlling most of the interview. This type of question is also known as a false dilemma.
Presumptuous questions
Presumptuous questions can either be balanced or unbalanced. Unbalanced questions ask questions only from the point of view of one side of an argument. For example, an interrogator might ask “’Do you favor the death penalty for persons convicted of murder?”’ This question assumes that the person’s only point of view in the situation is that a person who is convicted must either get the death penalty or not. The second type of presumptuous question is balanced question. This is when the interrogator uses opposite questions to make the witness believe that the question is balanced when the reality is that it is not. For example, the interrogator would ask, “’Do you favor life in prison, without the possibility of parole?”’ This type of question may seem balanced when in reality it is still influencing the person to discuss life in prison and no other choice.
Confirmatory questions
Confirmatory questioning leads to answers that can only support a certain point. Here, the interviewer forces the person to make sure his or her answers make them out to be extroverted or introverted. If they want them to look extroverted they would ask questions like “How do you make a party more fun?” and “When are you talkative?” If they want the person to look introverted they ask questions like “Have you ever been left out of a group?” or “Can you be more hyper sometimes?”.






Considerable attention has been devoted to suggestive questions and its effects. Experimental research by Elizabeth F. Loftus, an American psychologist and an expert on human memory, has established that trying to answer such questions can create confabulation in eyewitnesses. Loftus conducted and experiment where participants all viewed the same video clip of a car crash. Participants were then assigned at random in one of two groups. Group one was asked, "How fast was the car moving when it passed by the stop sign?" The participants in the other group are asked a similar question that does not refer to a stop sign. The results showed participants from the first group are more likely to remember seeing a stop sign in the video clip, even though there was in fact no such sign. Elizabeth Loftus stated that everyone is affected by suggestive questioning, and it comes from environmental factors instead of innate factors, meaning that everyone is affected by suggestive questioning.

Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer developed the Misinformation Effect. It describes participants witnessing an accident whose responses changed if questions were worded differently. They found out that people tend to exaggerate what they really saw.Twenty five percent of the participants claimed they saw broken glass because the word “smashed” instead of “hit” was used.

Some therapists are at risk of using suggestive questions on clients while discussing the matter of past traumatic events. Sigmund Freud’s definition of repressed memory is the mind’s conscious and unconscious avoidance of unpleasant wishes, thoughts, and memories.However, there has been very little evidence of this type of memory. Some therapists claim that repression causes people to forget frightful events of sexual or physical abuse as a psychological defense Through improperly phrased interviewing questions, a therapist can convince their client to agree that there is such a thing as repressed memory, and therefore abuse had to have occurred, but the patient just does not remember it. Repetitive questions change clients’ answers from a reluctant perhaps to a definite for sure. The use of suggestive questioning by therapists changes perceptions and can cause entire memories to be created.

According to the psychologist Philip Zimbardo, Misinformed individuals can come to believe the misinformation in which they feel confidence.
Above from Wikipedia

This is most famously depicted in the McMartin child abuse cases where children where questioned over and over about abuse and rewarded when they confirmed and told extensive details about abuse. Unfortunately their tales where found to conflict with extensive evidence including some assertions of massive graves, the murders of hundreds of children and underground chambers for Satanic sacrifices that could not be found . The investigators realized only after quite some time that the physical evidence entirely contradicted the claims . The children's bodies showed no signs of abuse despite allegations of thousands and thousands of instances of abuse by many individuals . Only after closely looking at the methods used to gather the allegations was the extensive grueling questioning used to create the claims focused on and discovered as the cause of the claims .


Also the course supervisor when confronted by a confused student is trained to repeatedly ask "what word did you just misunderstand or in your materials what word did you not get ?"
The supervisor in fact makes the student only feel succumbing to the supervisor's authority and then cooperating and forgetting their concerns about the contradictory and bizarre material will be acceptable . The student quickly learns that to "examine" Scientology they have to learn to "study" and "think" in a very controlled unconventional way - with complete submission to doctrine .

The supervisor is additionally defined as not telling the student the material but only ensuring they properly "study" it . Also false as the supervisor demands over and over with student after student that they react , "study" and think only in ways that accept Hubbard's doctrine as infallible and perfect all of the time . By repeated commands and questions the supervisor holds tremendous influence over their victims .They enforce Hubbard's ideas as the only ones to be accepted . They reinforce Hubbard's redefined reality where contradiction in materials always is equated to a deficiency in the student - and never a weakness or inadequacy with the materials . And any materials that are nonsensical or contradicted by known facts or science are always likewise treated as correct 100% of the time and the student is seen as needing to clear words or demo or look earlier for something they did not understand . Understanding becomes submission to authority blindly and ultimately confusion .An exact reversal .
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
Suppressive person is defined as an insane sociopathic or anti social personality - a truly evil intended person who is equivalent to a narcissist and sociopath of the highest order in modern terms . Hitler and serial killers and mass murderers motivated by hate and dark insanity to destroy others are what this term describes , rapists , child molesters and the very evilest of humans are what Hubbard claims this to be .

The truth is much darker - Scientology upon close and extended examination reveals itself to be a cult that suppresses the very identity of members into blind obedience and submission . Some resist and object to abuses and injustice . Some even dare speak out despite many penalties and negative consequences for revealing the cult's crimes . Some discover to some extent that Scientology is harmful and fraudulent .

Those people who actually have resisted the suppression of their identity are labeled suppressive persons to have the reality of their good character completely obfuscated( hidden ) by the total reverse being what they are labeled as !

The freeloader tab is so audacious as to nearly defy comprehension when one understands the true working conditions of the Scientology slaves - for staff and especially Sea Org members -and the "benefits" the "enhancement " they undergo actually delivers.

This is a large bill charged to ex members who were staff and Sea Org members that accuses them of scamming the cult - for the thought reform they got while in ! And usually they lived in extreme poverty while working 80-100 hours a week while staff or 100-140 hours a week if in the Sea Org .

The "elite" Sea Org . They are told they are far above all others . They have high ranks and fancy uniforms and titles . They are told their work is vital to salvaging this sector . They sign billion year contracts and are treated as" degraded beings" if they leave early !!

Well , this is going to be crushing to hear for some . I am truly sorry . The truth about the "elite" is that in Hubbard's caste system of covert slavery - the Sea Org member holds the LOWEST possible position usually . For the vast majority of Sea org members this is true. They have the fewest rights , work almost constantly and often sleep four hours a day for years with less than a half dozen days off a year . No weekends or holidays off. They get the most extreme abuse and the most extreme thought reform .

Their symbol is a five pointed star and it has a laurel wreath with thirteen leaves on each side . When one learns of Hubbard's love and integration of the occult covertly in Scientology then the true meaning of the symbol can be found . Thirteen holds much power in the minds of occultists and the affirmations confirm Hubbard's love of the occult and concern for the power of numbers. The star symbolizes power in the occult and the wreath symbolizes peace - it can be seen to show power or dominion through peace or without conquest . Slavery without war to conquer . Covert control .

SEA ORG SYMBOL, 1. the Sea Org symbol adopted and used as the symbol of a Galactic Confederacy far back in the history of this sector, derives much of its power and authority from that association. The laurel wreath represents victory. Used throughout the history of this planet to crown poets, artists, champions and conquerers, it not only represents the physical victory but the series of inner victories achieved by the individual, and the clarification and purification of his inner aims and purposes which lead to the outward victory. It is associated with the head, the traditional abode of the spirit. The five pointed star most commonly signifies rising up towards the point of origin; thus, it is a potent symbol of alignment to source. The laurel wreath and star, in combination, signify the victory of the spirit which is rising upward towards the point of origin or source. Its proper color is always gold. And note that the star is not trapped in its victory, but is in the open field towards the top of the wreath, allowing free exit, beyond its victory, and that is, in fact, in a field of blue, symbolizing truth. (FO 3350) [FO: Flag Order] 2. the star is the confederation and each one of those leaves is counted, it's the number of stars. (6804SM-)[Taped lecture] Ron Hubbard



By pretending the Sea Org members are the highest and most free Hubbard hides the cruelest reality - they are Image result for sea org symbolthe most abused , most exploited and hold the least rights and have the hardest time leaving the cult . They have a concentration prison camp system for intense thought reform and forced hard labor that grossly violates human rights every second of every day with impunity hiding behind false claims of being a "private spiritual retreat " nothing could be further from the truth . Most prisoners in US prisons have more rights and freedoms than RPF members . It is designed to break minds and rebuild them as shattered submissive wrecks . It is often quite effective . It has its own methods of torture and a procedure called the truth rundown in which undesirable knowledge is eradicated as the victim is repeatedly pressured - sometimes thousands of times to recant any unwanted knowledge about the cult and convince their own mind that they did not see what they saw and that they did something evil prior to seeing the truth . They are told their evil made them see and hear others incorrectly . Curiously they are always found to see authorities in the cult incorrectly and to have those observations and that knowledge eradicated . This is done with a very elaborate covert method to make ever learning the truth impossible . all the details warrant an extensive delineation in their own right . It has a basis in other auditing to control and direct thought and methods of thought reform employed in communist countries as well .

Even if a Sea Org slave avoids the RPF they often have had other horrors that are not routine for free people . Many young girls and women have been coerced into committing abortions - some over and over to keep them available as slaves for the cult . A Sea Org member knows they may be sent to anyplace at any time with no notice and ordered to divorce their spouse at any moment . They can be promised a job when they enter and not given that and have no real recourse . They can be ordered to disconnect from anyone - friend , spouse , parent , child. Their personal liberty is far less than most people in society . This cannot be emphasized enough.
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
Here are some quotes regarding loaded language in Scientology

certainty, not data, is knowledge. L Ron Hubbard

Here's something from Margaret Singer's magnificent book Cults In Our Midst

First a quote that struck me instantly. It reminded me of an analysis of Scientology written by a class XII auditor. She said Hubbard's writings can seem contradictory and paradoxical. That is actually intentional.

"The more complicated and filled with contradictions the new system is and the more difficult it is to learn, the more effective the conversion process will be. "( page 67 )

The contradictions serve to thoroughly confuse Hubbard's victims and help to increase their suggestibility. With hundreds or thousands of contradictions in millions of words of doctrine the effect is compounded by unimaginably immense repetition.

“If a doctrine is not unintelligible, it has to be vague; and if neither unintelligible nor vague, it has to be unverifiable.”
― Eric Hoffer, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
I will include a description of the double bind from Wikipedia :

A double bind is an emotionally distressing communication in which an individual (or group) receives two or more conflicting messages, and one message negates the other. This creates a situation in which a successful response to one message results in a failed response to the other (and vice versa), so that the person will automatically be wrong regardless of response. The double bind occurs when the person cannot confront the inherent dilemma, and therefore can neither resolve it nor opt out of the situation.


Double bind theory was first described by Gregory Bateson and his colleagues in the 1950s.

Double binds are often utilized as a form of control without open coercion—the use of confusion makes them both difficult to respond to as well as to resist. I also have to recognize Arnie Lerma discussing a lot about hypnosis and persuasion and showing me the Reversive Blockade from Political Ponerology .


The Reversive Blockade

Reversive blockade: Emphatically insisting upon something which is the opposite of truth blocks the average person's mind from perceiving the truth. In accordance with the dictates of healthy common sense, he starts searching for meaning in the "golden mean" between the truth and its opposite, winding up with some satisfactory counterfeit. People who think like this do not realize that this effect is precisely the intent of the person who subjects them to this method... Use of this method can be included within the [previously] mentioned special psychological knowledge developed by psychopaths concerning the weaknesses of human nature and the art of leading others into error.

Now , these ideas clearly show a concept that by giving TWO contradictory ideas on something it can confuse and misdirect a person .
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
More excerpts

I will use quotes from Lermanet.com and Jon Atack's works . JA for Jon Atack AL for Lermanet.com

In his second article, Hubbard said of hypnotism "On some people it works. On most it doesn't. On those on whom it works it sometimes achieves good results, sometimes bad(EoS, p.22; see also DMSMH, p.56). However, in a manuscript supposedly written prior to this article, Hubbard said "Hypnotism as such does not work” (OT, p.69; see also SOSI, p.161). from Never Believe a Hypnotist JA

Hypnotism "reduces self-determinism by interposing the commands of another below the analytical level of an individual's mind ... It is the sort of control mechanism in which an authoritarian individual, cult, or ideology delight. People who indulge in hypnotism may, only very occasionally, be interested in experimentation upon the human mind ... Genuine experimental hypnotism, strictly in the laboratory and never in the parlour, and done wholly in the knowledge that one is reducing the efficiency of the human being on whom one is experimenting and may do him permanent damage, and the use of hypnotism by a surgeon ... should end the extension of hypnotism into the society. Submission to being hypnotized is analagous to being raped, with the exception that the individual can, generally, recover from being raped. To any clear-thinking human who believes in the value of people as human beings, there is something gruesomely obscene about hypnotism. The interjection of unseen controls below the level of consciousness cannot benefit but can only pervert the mind ... The individual who would permit himself to be hypnotized is, frankly, a fool ... It was thought by hypnotists that the mere remembering of ... suggestions would relieve them, and that the power of the suggestion died out with time. These two ideas do not happen to be true” (SOSII, p.220f; see also pp.225f). JA

Hubbard classified the hypnotist as having a permanent emotional condition ranging from apathy, through grief, sympathy or fear to rage, indeed, of being without positive emotions (SOSI, p.161; what this says about Hubbard himself - a hypnotist for many years - we are left to speculate). Having vouched for the power of hypnotism, Hubbard dismissed the hypnotist as a "charlatan” (DOT, p.87). He said, "One of the chief weapons of the pervert is hypnotism” (R&D1, p.332; see also p.270), and "about half-a-percent of all cases run have had pervert hypnotism in the [memory] bank” (R&D1, p.24). In contradiction to these statements is the following "an individual in an hypnotic trance will rarely perform an immoral act even though commanded to do so by the hypnotist, unless that individual would normally perform such acts.” (SOSI, pp.223f). This statement was first published in June 1951. More than a year before, Hubbard had said "Perverts quite commonly use [hypnotism] despite the fact that the moral nature is supposed to rise in a hypnotized subject” (DMSMH, p.384).JA

Although Hubbard was adamant that "Hypnosis is not sleep, it is another mechanism” (R&D 1, p.182), he also asserted that "The hypnotist has 'success' where he does because he is able, by talking to people about 'sleep', to put into restimulation some engram which contains the word sleep and shut-down analytical power.” (DMSMH, p.75; see also R&D1, p.8 & R&D3, p.241). While Hubbard asserted that most people cannot be hypnotized, he also said: "The person who does not have 'Go back to sleep' in his [engram] bank someplace is a rare one and should be put in a museum, because he is a strange creature.” (R&D1, p.330). Having said all of this, Hubbard recommended the use of the phrase "go to sleep” in Dianetic auditing, as a phrase to be repeated by the patient (or "preclear”) (R&D3, p.156). JA

Hubbard made various assertions about suggestion: "positive suggestion means in hypnosis a suggestion which is given to a hypnotized subject which will result in some change in the manifestations and actions of that patient” (R&D 1, p.48); "It is a suggestion by the operator to a hypnotized subject with the sole end of creating a changed mental condition in the subject by implantation of the suggestion alone. It is a transplantation of something in the hypnotist's mind into the patient's mind. The patient is then to believe it and take it as part of himself.” (R&D 1, p.237; see also R&D 1, p.33); "Shut down the person's analyzer [the 'analytical mind' of dianetic hypnosis] and what follows goes in as positive suggestion just as though he were hypnotized. He cannot reason on this data, he can only react, and he reacts as dictated by the engram.” (R&D 3, p.244). Hypnotic suggestion is very powerful: "No matter how foolish a suggestion is given to a subject under hypnosis, he will carry it out one way or another ... Any suggestion will operate within his mind unbeknownst to his higher levels of awareness. Very complex suggestions can be given” (DMSMH, p.56). Hubbard went on to say that neuroses, psychoses, compulsions and repressions can all be perfectly imitated through positive suggestion. Hubbard assured his followers, "We never give positive suggestions” (R&D 1, p.48). JA

According to Hubbard, trance states are common, and can even be induced through the normal procedures of education: "In altitude teaching, somebody is a 'great authority.' He is probably teaching some subject that is far more complex than it should be. He has become defensive down through the years, and this is a sort of protective coating that he puts up, along with the idea that the subject will always be a little better known by him than by anybody else and that there are things to know in this subject which he really wouldn't let anybody else in on. This is altitude instruction.” As an aside, it is worth mentioning that Hubbard was later to assert that every major tenet in Scientology and Dianetics was his exclusive discovery (see HCOPL "Keeping Scientology Working”, February 1965). Hubbard continued, "And in order to get people to sit very alertly and do exactly what he says, he has another trick: he gives them examinations ... So there is this anxiety around a person's grades, and this comes forward until he finally gets up to a point in education where when somebody says the word examination to him it not only push-buttons him but it also threatens Mama, Papa, love and general survival. It is a terrific whip. It keeps people in a state of confusion, and when their minds are slightly confused they are in a hypnotic trance. Any time anybody gets enough altitude he can be called a hypnotic operator, and what he says will act as hypnotic suggestion. Hypnotism is a difference in levels of altitude. There are ways to create and lower the altitude of the subject, but if the operator can heighten his own altitude with regard to the subject the same way, he doesn't have to put the subject to sleep. What he says will still react as hypnotic suggestion.” (R&D 4, p.324; see also R&D 3, pp. 246 & 248). This is a point which should be considered long and hard by anyone who has been involved with Dianetics or Scientology.JA

Hubbard also gave advice on avoiding this induction of trance: "In learning, study what you want to know, think what you want to think about it, recognize institutionalism for the bogus straw man it is, and keep the analyzer whirring.” (R&D 3, p.247). This strongly suggests that we should forget "standard tech” or a "bridge”, taking only what is useful (if anything). JA


Although the Dianetic practitioner, or auditor, can "push button” responses in others, "Short of the use of drugs as in narco-synthesis, hypnotism or surgery, no mistake can be made by the auditor which cannot be remedied either by himself or by another auditor” (DMSMH, p.165).Auditor altitude:

The auditor should adopt "an air of detached efficiency toward the patient ... In short, teach yourself some altitude ... Exude self-confidence” (R&D 1, p.185). Of course, within Hubbard's own teaching, achieving "altitude” is equivalent to becoming a "hypnotic operator”: "he doesn't have to put the subject to sleep. What he says will still react as hypnotic suggestion.” (R&D 4, p.324). As to exuding confidence, Hubbard recommended a text to his followers, which gives this advice "you must have absolute confidence in yourself. You must know that you will succeed. This is the first requisite to success in this Science.” However, in this case, the Science was not Dianetics but hypnotism (Twenty-Five Lessons in Hypnotism, L.E.Young; recommended by Hubbard, R&D 1, p.307; R&D2, p.12. This is one of the most garish works the present author has ever seen). JA

Hubbard was ambiguous about suggestion: "We never give positive suggestions” (R&D1, p.48); but "you are putting in positive suggestion whether you want to or not, no matter how careful you are” (R&D1, p.336). However, "chatter doesn't do much harm unless the patient is hypnotized.” (R&D1, p.48); however, "When an auditor finds his preclear unusually suggestive [sic], he should be very careful what he says” (SOS, p.227). JA

Although Hubbard asserted that hypnotism can be very dangerous, and that preclears can readily go into trance during auditing, he insisted that Dianetics can cause no harm: "Short of the use of drugs as in narco-synthesis, hypnotism or surgery, no mistake can be made by the auditor which cannot be remedied either by himself or by another auditor” (DMSMH, p.165); "The pre-clear can in no way be damaged by dianetic technique.” (DMSMH, p.413); "The mind is a self-protecting mechanism” (DMSMH, p.165 - this being so, why are engrams dangerous?). JA

All of the above was from Never Believe a Hypnotist by Jon Atack .
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
Hub uses differing terms and ideas to describe a sleepy condition and what causes it .


1. an abbreviation of analytical attenuation meaning diminution or weakening of the analytical awareness of an individual for a brief or extensive period of time. If sufficiently great, it can result in unconsciousness. (It stems from the restimulation of an engram which contains pain and unconsciousness.) - Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary.
2. simply a drop in ARC to an extreme. (Scn AD) (PAB 70) 3. the physiological by-product of unconsciousness. (SOS, Bk. 2, p. 170) 4. dope-off. (Ability 52) (dope-off is also defined...basically means "sleepy, foggy (as though doped)."


BOIL-OFF,
v. to become groggy and seem to go to sleep. (HFP, p. 100)—n. 1.usually a flow running too long in one direction. (7204C07 SO III)
2.a manifestation of unconsciousness, is very mild, and simply means that some period of the person’s life wherein he was unconscious has been slightly
restimulated. (Scn Jour ISS. 14-G)
3.a state of unconsciousness produced by a confusion of effort impinging upon one area. It is a slow motion unconsciousness. (PDC 29)
4.a condition of somnolence which is sometimes indistinguishable from sleep. (SOS, Bk. 2, p. 133)
5.boil-off was originally and sedately named “comatic reduction,” but such erudition has been outvoted by the fact that it has never been used. (DMSMH, p. 303)
6.it actually is a flow which is run too long in one direction. That’s what boil-off, anaten, etc. is.
(SH Spec 229, 6301C10) ALL from the Tech Dictionary

Now from basic word clearing on Scientology's OWN website we get the quote "
Waiting to become groggy or to “dope off” (feel tired, sleepy or foggy as though doped or drugged) as the only detection of misunderstood words before handling is waiting too long. If you have ever seen a student falling asleep over his book, then you have seen dope-off. Long before that point, someone should have made the student look for a misunderstood word. The time to look for the misunderstood word is as soon as the student slows down or isn’t quite as “bright” as he was fifteen minutes before. It is not a misunderstood phrase or idea or concept but a misunderstood WORD. This always occurs before the subject itself is not understood. "

And nearly every Scientologist is familiar with the concept of " running off unconsciousness " meaning in auditing a person becoming sleepy is seen as a sign they are REMOVING unconsciousness ! So , sometimes being sleepy means - in the insane cult doctrine - you have passed an MU OR you have an " engram restimulated " OR you are successfully " running off unconsciousness " ! The same physical manifestation is relabeled even though it PERFECTLY fits hypnosis and is NEVER treated as hypnosis !

It in a course room equals an MU and requires word clearing and can be an incident in restimulation and requires auditing in an auditors room and ... It just goes on and on . CONFUSING a Scientologist .

From
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
I want to include a few quotes regarding loaded language.

Here is one from Robert Jay Lifton who described it in his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.

Loading the Language
The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed.

These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis. In [Chinese Communist] thought reform, for instance, the phrase "bourgeois mentality" is used to encompass and critically dismiss ordinarily troublesome concerns like the quest for individual expression, the exploration of alternative ideas, and the search for perspective and balance in political judgments.

And in addition to their function as interpretive shortcuts, these cliches become what Richard Weaver has called "ultimate terms" : either "god terms," representative of ultimate good; or "devil terms," representative of ultimate evil. In [Chinese Communist] thought reform, "progress," "progressive," "liberation," "proletarian standpoints" and "the dialectic of history" fall into the former category; "capitalist," "imperialist," "exploiting classes," and "bourgeois" (mentality, liberalism, morality, superstition, greed) of course fall into the latter.

Totalist language then, is repetitiously centered on all-encompassing jargon, prematurely abstract, highly categorical, relentlessly judging, and to anyone but its most devoted advocate, deadly dull: in Lionel Trilling's phrase, "the language of nonthought."


To be sure, this kind of language exists to some degree within any cultural or organizational group, and all systems of belief depend upon it. It is in part an expression of unity and exclusiveness: as Edward Sapir put it, "'He talks like us' is equivalent to saying 'He is one of us.'" The loading is much more extreme in ideological totalism, however, since the jargon expresses the claimed certitudes of the sacred science. Also involved is an underlying assumption that language - like all other human products - can be owned and operated by the Movement. No compunctions are felt about manipulating or loading it in any fashion; the only consideration is its usefulness to the cause.


For an individual person, the effect of the language of ideological totalism can be summed up in one word: constriction. He is, so to speak, linguistically deprived; and since language is so central to all human experience, his capacities for thinking and feeling are immensely narrowed.

This is what Hu meant when he said, "using the same pattern of words for so long
you feel chained." Actually, not everyone exposed feels chained, but in effect everyone is profoundly confined by these verbal fetters. As in other aspects of totalism, this loading may provide an initial sense of insight and security, eventually followed by uneasiness.

This uneasiness may result in a retreat into a rigid orthodoxy in which an individual shouts the ideological jargon all the louder in order to demonstrate his conformity, hide his own dilemma and his despair, and protect himself from the fear and guilt he would feel should he attempt to use words and phrases other than the correct ones. Or else he may adapt a complex pattern of inner division, and dutifully produce the expected cliché's in public performances while in his private moments he searches for more meaningful avenues of expression. Either way, his imagination becomes increasingly dissociated from his actual life experiences and may tend to atrophy from disuse.
 

PirateAndBum

Administrator
Staff member
If you haven't already read them, you might find these posts interesting - start here
 

Mockingbird

Well-known member
Here is an abridged description of the eight criteria for quick and handy reference

Dr. Robert J. Lifton's Eight Criteria for Thought Reform

  1. Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.
  2. Mystical Manipulation. There is manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority or spiritual advancement or some special gift or talent that will then allow the leader to reinterpret events, scripture, and experiences as he or she wishes.
  3. Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.
  4. Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.
  5. Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.
  6. Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichĂŻÂżÂœs, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.
  7. Doctrine over person. Member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.
  8. Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also. (Lifton, 1989)
 

Dotey OT

Re-Membered
"It isn't magic or luck that makes the professional, it's hard-won know-how carefully applied. A true professional may do things pretty easily from all appearances, but he is actually taking care with each little bit that it is just right."

The above done from memory. Was Chinese schooled almost thirty (30) years ago on this. And some others still exist in my memory to this date.

Ugh.
 
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