2. OverviewReligionWhat is religion?How is religiousness
perceived?Is being religious good or bad for you?CultsWhat is a
cult?Who joins cults?How are people brainwashed?How do people feel
after leaving a cult?Social psychology and cultsUnderlined
references are in BlackboardThese are questions to think about for
your blog 3. Religion and well-beingA search for significance in
ways related to thesacredPargament, 2002 (pg. 169)Literature offers
mixed picture of religionAltermeyer & Hunsberger (1992):
fundamentalismwas associated with more right-wing
politicalviewsSethi & Seligman (1993): adherents have
highlevels of well-being an optimism 4. How might religion benefit
health?http://padlet.com/psychology_expe/religionhealth 5. Religion
and healthGeorge, Ellison, & Larson (2002): why doesreligion
benefit health?Health practices: religion often prohibits
theimbibing of harmful substances e.g. alcohol, orthe performance
of detrimental actions e.g.promiscuity.Social support: sense of
community andrelationship with others who share world-viewenhances
well-being and coping 6. Psychosocial resources: enhancement of
self-esteem,self-efficacy which have health benefitsSense of
coherence/meaning:Antonovsky (1980) beliefs that make
worldmeaningful, predictable, and manageable makestressful events
easier to bearReduces stress-related health problems etc. 7. Why
might religion
beproblematic?http://padlet.com/psychology_expe/religionproblem 8.
Detrimental aspects of religionExline (2002): Religious feeling may
lead toseveral stumbling blocksReligious arguments: aligning
oneself explicitlywith a religious movements can lead
toarguments!Negative relationships with non-believers:individuals
outside of the religious group may findpractices distasteful 9.
Disappointment or anger towards deity: If thingsgo wrong, we may
feel betrayed and disappointedwith GodStruggling with logical or
ethical issues: Findingflaws with religious beliefs, or finding
theirpractices inappropriate is disquietingConfrontation with ones
own imperfections:Failing at being virtuous can damage
self-esteemand cause depression 10. Summary so farReligion has been
show to have some benefits onhealth and well-beingHowever, religion
does not ALWAYS make peoplefeel better! 11. What is a
cult?http://padlet.com/psychology_expe/religioncultUse online
resources if you like, but NOTWIKIPEDIA 12. What is a
cult?Definition: any religion held together more bydevotion to a
living charismatic leader whoactively participates in the
group-decision makingthan by adherence to a body of doctrine
orprescribed set of rituals (Zablocki & Robbins,2001 p. 5)I.e.
A group that does what a leader tells them to domore than following
a set of beliefs. 13. Definition issuesWoody (2009): The word cult
has negativeconnotations and should be used with cautionOlson
(2006): substituting cult for new religiousmovement decreased
acceptance and positivefeelingWord is laden with meaning, and
usually pejorativeMembers of cults most likely do not refer to them
assuch! 14. Who joins a
cult?http://padlet.com/psychology_expe/religionjoin 15. Who joins a
cult?Curtis & Curtis (1993):Weak spirit and emotional
vulnerabilityTendency to dissociative statesPoor family relations
and social support networksInadequate means of dealing with hard
knocksHistory of child abuse or neglectExposure to eccentric family
patternsDrug problemsInability to manage stressPoor socioeconomic
conditionsAll increase susceptibility to joining a cult 16. How
would you recruit orbrainwash people to be in
YOURcult?http://padlet.com/psychology_expe/recruit-for-cult 17.
Cult brainwashing techniquesWalsh (2001):Stifling of communication
between a member andthe outside worldSeparation of friends and
familyRelinquishing of jobDictating how members should think, act,
and feelKeeping members tired assists with thisDemand for purity
and conformity with group normsNB This is purity for the group, not
for society as a whole! 18. Public acknowledgement of bad former
lifeSymbolically shows relinquishing of previousidentityIncreases
social pressurePurveying the idea there are deeper truths thatcan
only be discovered through unquestioningstudyCult-specific language
to increase social identityand division with
non-membersEncouragement of new identity as part of thegroup
organism, rather than individualDerogation of non-believers 19.
Results of being in a cultWalsh, Russell, & Wells (1995) high
levels of:Neuroticism(tendency to experience negative emotional
states: e.g. guilt,anxiety, depression etc)Sociotropy(high
dependence and need to please others)Autonomy(preference for
independent functioning)In ex-cult members 20. What can social
psychology tell usabout
cults?http://padlet.com/psychology_expe/social-psych-cults 21.
Social psychology and cultsHow does social psychology account
forattraction to, and behaviour within, cults?Social identity
theorySocial influenceDeindividuation 22. Social identity
theoryTajfel, 1978Individual possess social identities part of
theirself-concept that derives from group membershipA social
identity describes how one should think,feel, and act as a good
group member 23. Leader?Rebel?Brain?Pet?Interesting situations
arisefrom role conflicts orconfusions 24. Social identity
theoryTajfel, 1978Individual possess social identities part of
theirself-concept that derives from group membershipA social
identity describes how one should think,feel, and act as a good
group memberIndividuals are motivated to maintain positive
socialidentities this increases self-esteem and
well-beingCategorisation of in-group and out-group assistswith
thisIf an individual lacks other meaningful identities,a cult may
provide one 25. Social influenceTwo types of social influence
(Deutsch & Gerard,1955)Informational social influence using
others as aguide when we are uncertain or in an ambiguoussituation
26. 1 2 3 27. 1 2 3 28. Social influenceTwo types of social
influence (Deutsch & Gerard, 1955)Informational social
influence using others as aguide when we are uncertain or in an
ambiguoussituationIf we feel like we are unsure what to do, or what
isappropriate, we may conform to the wishes of othersmoreWhen
feeling vulnerable or aimless, individuals maywelcome the structure
and normalcy of a cultNormative social influence doing things so
otherslike you!Particularly powerful if friends also join a cult.
Hard toresist peer pressure to also join 29.
DeindividuationAnonymity within a large group leads to loss
ofidentity (Propst, 1979; Zimbardo, 1970)May lead to deviant
behaviour 30. DeindividuationAnonymity within a large group leads
to loss ofidentity (Propst, 1979; Zimbardo, 1970)May lead to
deviant behaviourPostmes & Spears (1998) Deindividuation may
leadto group-norm conformityIn a cult, the presence of others
acting and looking thesame increases conformity and reduces
incidents ofquestioning and rebellion. 31. SummaryCults are groups
which venerate a living leaderPersonality and socio-economic traits
can influencesusceptibility to cult influenceCults have a variety
of techniques available to gainnew recruitsMembership in a cult can
have far-reachingconsequences, even after leavingSocial
psychological research can tell us a lot aboutwhy people join cults
and why cults are so influential 32. References not in
WebCTAntonovsky, A. (1980). Health, stress, and coping.
SanFrancisco: Jossey-BassCurtis, J. M., & Curtis, M. J. (1993).
Factors related tosusceptibility and recruitment by cults.
PsychologicalReports, 73, 451-460.Postmes, T., Spears, R., &
Lea, M. (1998). Breaching orbuilding social boundaries?
Side-effects of computer-mediatedcommunication. Communication
Research, 25,689 - 716Tajfel, H. (1978). Differentiation between
social groups:Studies in the social psychology of intergroup
relations.London: Academic Press.Zablocki, B. & Robbins T.
(2001). Misunderstanding cults:Searching for objectivity in a
controversial field. Toronto:University of Toronto PressZimbardo,
P. G. (1970). The human choice: Individuation,reason, and order
versus deindividuation, impulse, andchaos. In W. J. Arnold and D.
Levine (eds). Nebraskasymposium on motivation 1969 (pp. 237 307).
Lincoln 33. REMINDERNext session is ONLINE ONLYFind the resources
for it in BlackboardEarworms and other creepy crawlies(Alex
Lamont)
