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Origins and Prevention of Abuse

Michael D. Langone, PhD

International Cultic Studies Association

www.icsahome.com

mail@icsamail.com

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Respect: The Opposite of Abuse

  • Other persons treated as subjects, with goals, desires, needs, beliefs, faults that may differ from our own
  • If we treat others as subjects, we present with an attitude of good will; we wish them well, even when we disapprove
  • If we treat others as subjects, we do not try to limit or impede their freedom, even when they make what we see as bad choices.

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Abuse: Treating Others as Objects

  • When we treat others as objects, we attempt to limit their freedom – to influence or control them – so that they advance our goals, needs, desires.
  • The level of abuse may vary from minor (the ordinary “sins” of interpersonal living) to severe (e.g., child sexual abuse; Abu Ghraib).
  • I won’t go into the question of when abuse is socially sanctioned (e.g., restricting freedom of criminals).

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Techniques to Influence Person-Objects

  • Reasoning
  • Sophistry
  • Lies
  • Sweet talk
  • Conformity tendencies
  • Intimidation
  • Guilt induction
  • Threats
  • Etc.

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Situations That Increase Risk of Abuse

  • Situations where there is an imbalance of power
    • Parent-child
    • Teacher-student
    • Therapist-client
    • Pastor-church goer
    • Guru-devotee

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Why Religions are at Risk

  • People trust clergy (and related religious professionals) and religious institutions
  • Few religious professionals are subject to legal accountability for their behavior, as are, for example, mental health professionals
  • Religious professionals can invoke nonfalsifiable, transcendent belief systems to justify their claims, including claims that may justify exploitation

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Examples of Religious Abuse

  • Children of God
    • Abuse of children most conspicuous
    • After death of leader some attempts at reform, but SGAs are very suspect
  • Legion of Christ
    • The founder, Maciel, sustained his deceptions for decades
    • Church is trying to reform order
  • ISKCON
    • Abuses in gurukalas and New Vrindaban
    • Added risk of communal living
    • Reforms

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How Can a Person with Power Reduce the Risk of Abusing Others?

  • Know thyself
    • Vanity/Narcissism (situationally induced narcissism)
    • Sexual desire
    • Greed
    • Achievement Obsession
  • Understand how rationalization is the tool of self-deception
    • “God has brought us together” (to have sex!)
    • “My work is vital to the future of humanity” (so I can treat you like a serf!)

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How Can People Outside a System Assess the Risk of Abuse?

  • How is dissent handled?
  • Are boundaries open, i.e., can people enter and leave without pressure?
  • Are individuality and autonomy respected or are members expected to converge toward a common identity? (Yeakley study)
  • Are deficiencies acknowledged or are they denied or rationalized? (“My greatest defect is that I care too much”!)

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What Can Religious Organizations do to Reduce the Risk of Abuse?

  • Educate those with power over others
    • Psychological as well as cognitive education (i.e., recognizing self-deception)
  • Teach members of the organization how to recognize abuse and the factors that cause a risk of abuse
  • Establish accountability mechanisms to deal with the abuse that WILL occur even in the best of organizations.

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