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Cults in Our Midst
Hardcover Edition
Cults in Our Midst
Author Margaret Singer
Janja Lalich
Robert Jay Lifton, Foreword
Country United States
Language English
Subject(s) Cults
Genre(s) nonfiction
psychology
cults
Publisher Jossey-Bass
Publication date September 1996
Media type Hardcover
Pages 374
ISBN ISBN 0-7879-0266-7
Preceded by Captive Hearts, Captive Minds
Followed by Crazy Therapies,
Bounded Choice

Cults in Our Midst: The Hidden Menace in Our Everyday Lives is a nonfiction psychology book on cults, by Margaret Singer and Janja Lalich, Ph.D., with a foreword by Robert Jay Lifton. Margaret Thaler Singer (1921 - 2003 was a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor emeritus of Psychology at the University of California Berkeley, Janja Lalich, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico California. Robert Jay Lifton (born May 16, 1926) is an American Psychiatrist and author chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes The United States of America —commonly referred to as the This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as Fact. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view John Wiley & Sons Inc, also referred to as Wiley, is a global Publishing company that markets its products to professionals and consumers students and instructors Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Captive Hearts Captive Minds Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Other Abusive Relationships is a Nonfiction Psychology book dealing with Cults Crazy Therapies What Are They? Do They Work? is a Nonfiction book by psychologist Margaret Singer, Ph Bounded Choice True Believers and Charismatic Cults is a Nonfiction Psychology book on Cults by Janja Lalich, Ph Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as Fact. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice Margaret Thaler Singer (1921 - 2003 was a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor emeritus of Psychology at the University of California Berkeley, Janja Lalich, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico California. "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. Robert Jay Lifton (born May 16, 1926) is an American Psychiatrist and author chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes The book was published by Jossey-Bass in 1996 in hardcover format. John Wiley & Sons Inc, also referred to as Wiley, is a global Publishing company that markets its products to professionals and consumers students and instructors Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) In 1997, the book was published in Spanish, as Las Sectas Entre Nosotros[1], and in German, as Sekten: Wie Menschen ihre Freiheit verlieren und wiedergewinnen können ("Cults: How people lose and can regain their freedom")[2]. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

In this book I will use the term cult and cultic group to refer to any one of a large number of groups that have sprung up in our society and that are similar in the way that they originate, their power structure, and their governance. Cults range from the relatively benign to those that exercise extraordinary control over members' lives and use thought-reform processes to influence and control members. While the conduct of certain cults causes nonmembers to criticize them, the term cult is not in itself pejorative but simply descriptive. It denotes a group that forms around a person who claims he or she has a special mission or knowledge, which will be shared with those who turn over most of their decision making to that self-appointed leader. [3]

A second edition of the book without Lalich as co-author was published in paperback form by John Wiley & Sons, in 2003, with a new title[4] shortly before Dr. Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding. John Wiley & Sons Inc, also referred to as Wiley, is a global Publishing company that markets its products to professionals and consumers students and instructors Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Singer's death.

Contents

Reviews

2003 edited ed., new title: Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace
2003 edited ed. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. , new title: Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace
“ What makes Cults in Our Midst so absorbing is Singer's ability to show the extremely damaging effects of cults as well as the lure that cults may have for the "average" people in "normal" life. . ”

—San Francisco Chronicle, 1993[5]
“ In 1992, Singer (emeritus adjunct, psychology, Univ. The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) of California at Berkeley) unsuccessfully sued the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association, alleging conspiracy to discredit her research and destroy her reputation. That suit and this book hinge on whether Singer's theory of "coercive persuasion" (i. e. , nonphysical coercion) is demonstrably valid. Fully a third of this book is a replay of Singer's previous studies and arguments, with the remainder applying her questioned paradigm to cult-associated tragedies. While Midst does present numerous examples of deceptive recruitment and other unethical practices, no new ground is broken. Further, as the title implies, Singer's approach is alarmist and often tabloidesque. Lalich's earlier Captive Hearts, Captive Minds (LJ 7/94) is a better choice, contending with cult-associated problems in a more pragmatic, more substantial, and less hysterical manner. ”

—Bill Piekarski, 1995[6]

Cited in secondary works

Cults in Our Midst is cited by at least 30 other books on the subject[7], including: Robert Jay Lifton's 2000 Destroying the World to Save It[8], on apocalyptic destructive cults; Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman's 1995 Snapping[9]; Janja Lalich's 2006 Take Back Your Life[10]; and Philip Cushman's 1996 Constructing the Self, Constructing America[11]. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Robert Jay Lifton (born May 16, 1926) is an American Psychiatrist and author chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. " Destructive cult " is a term used to refer to religions and other groups which have caused harm to their own members or to others Florence D Conway is a social activist and former journalist for the Saturday Evening Post. Jim Siegelman is the author of several books about the rise of what he termes "cults" in America Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Janja Lalich, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico California. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar)

The book is required reading, along with Peter Olsson, M.D.'s Malignant Pied Pipers of Our Time: A Psychological Study of Destructive Cult Leaders from Rev. Jim Jones to Osama bin Laden, in Edward Lottick, M.D.'s King's College, Pennsylvania course on "American Cults"[12] as of January, 2006. Peter A Olsson is an American Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst and author Doctor of Medicine ( MD or MD, from the Latin Medicinæ Doctor meaning "Teacher of Medicine" is a doctoral Peter A Olsson is an American Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst and author Edward Lottick (born 1934 is a family physician and inventor His son was Scientologist Noah Lottick. Doctor of Medicine ( MD or MD, from the Latin Medicinæ Doctor meaning "Teacher of Medicine" is a doctoral King's College is a highly-ranked Roman Catholic, private Liberal arts college, located in downtown Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania.

Cults in Our Midst was cited as a reference in the FBI's 1999 Project Megiddo report[13]. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Project Megiddo was a report researched and written by the FBI under Louis Freeh 's leadership

Related lawsuit

In 1996, Landmark Education sued Singer, for defamation. Landmark Education LLC (LE as of 2007 offers Training and development programs delivered in approximately Singer mentioned Landmark Education in Cults in our Midst; it was unclear whether she labeled Landmark Education as a cult or not. Singer issued a statement pursuant to a settlement agreement stating that she did not intend to call Landmark a cult, nor did she consider it a cult. [14] Singer removed the references to Landmark Education from subsequent editions of the book. She also stated at deposition that she had "no personal, firsthand knowledge of Landmark or its programs. "

Amanda Scioscia reported in the Phoenix New Times that Singer never called Landmark a cult, but that she described it as a "a controversial New Age training course". The Phoenix New Times is a free weekly Phoenix Arizona newspaper put out every Thursday New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge skills and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge She also stated that she would not recommend the group to anyone, and would not comment on whether Landmark uses coercive persuasion for fear of legal recrimination from Landmark[15]

References

  1. ^ Las Sectas Entre Nosotros/Cults in our Midst,1997, Lauguage:Spanish, ISBN 8474326052
  2. ^ Sekten/Cults in our Midst,1997, Lauguage:German, ISBN 3896700154
  3. ^ Margaret Singer and Janja Lalich. Coercive persuasion comprises social influences capable of producing substantial behavior attitude and Ideology change through the use of Coercive tactics and Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Margaret Thaler Singer (1921 - 2003 was a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor emeritus of Psychology at the University of California Berkeley, Janja Lalich, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico California. Cults in our Midst (book), 1995, pp. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 ix-xx. ISBN 0-7879-0051-6.
  4. ^ Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace, April 11, 2003, ISBN 0787967416 , ISBN 978-0787967413
  5. ^ San Francisco Chronicle, 1993. The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar)
  6. ^ Bill Piekarski, Southwestern Coll. Lib. , Chula Vista, California, Library Journal, 1995, Reed Business Information, Inc. Chula Vista ( is a city in southern San Diego County, California, United States. Library Journal is a trade publication for Librarians It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey (familiar as the inventor of the Dewey Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Reed Business Information is a large business publisher in the United States United Kingdom continental Europe Australia and Asia
  7. ^ Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships, Janja Lalich; The Gap in the Jehovah's Witness Religion And How to Recover, Tracy Ringsdorf; New Religious Movements: A Documentary Reader, Dereck M. Janja Lalich, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico California. Daschke; Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years, Fourth Edition, Karen Levin Coburn; Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors, Ruth Carter; Shopping for Faith: American Religion in the New Millennium, Richard P. Cimino; Constructing the Self, Constructing America: A Cultural History of Psychotherapy, Philip Cushman; Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics under Persecution, M. James Penton; The Neurophysics of Human Behavior: Explorations at the Interface of the Brain, Mind, Behavior, and Information, Mark E. Furman; The Religion That Kills: Christian Science: Abuse, Neglect, and Mind Control, Linda S. Kramer; Children in New Religions, Susan J. Palmer; Selling All: Commitment, Consecrated Celibacy, and Community in Catholic Religious Life, (Religious Life in a New Millennium, V. Susan Jean Palmer is a Canadian sociologist a non-fiction author and a scholar of New religious movements. 2), Sandra M. Schneiders; Breathing Spaces: Qigong, Psychiatry, and Healing in China, Nancy N. Chen; Understanding Terror Networks, Marc Sageman; The Rise and Fall of Synanon: A California Utopia, Rod Janzen; The Cultic Origins of Christianity: The Dynamics of Religious Development, (Theology), W. W. Meissner; Sexualities (Monograph Published Simultaneously As Women & Therapy , Vol 19, No 4), Marny Hall; Not by Faith Alone: Religion, Law, and Adolescence, Roger J. R. Levesque; New Religions as Global Culture (Explorations. Contemporary Perspectives on Religion), Karla Poewe; Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning, Scotty McLennan; Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism, Robert Jay Lifton; Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years, Third Edition, Karen Levin Coburn; Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time, Michael Shermer; Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine Considered: An Appraisal, David W. Robert Jay Lifton (born May 16, 1926) is an American Psychiatrist and author chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes Ramey; Black Collar Crimes: An Encyclopedia of False Prophets and Unholy Orders, Michael Newton; Encountering New Religious Movements, Irving Hexham; Snitch Culture: How Citizens are Turned into the Eyes and Ears of the State, Jim Redden; Bluebird : Deliberate Creation of Multiple Personality by Psychiatrists, Colin A. Irving Hexham ( April 14, 1943) is a Canadian academic and writer who has published twenty-three books and numerous articles chapters and book reviews Ross; People Farm, Steve Susoyev; Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change, Flo Conway. Florence D Conway is a social activist and former journalist for the Saturday Evening Post.
  8. ^ Robert Jay Lifton, 2000, Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism, ISBN 0805065113 , page 348, Note 13. Robert Jay Lifton (born May 16, 1926) is an American Psychiatrist and author chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.
  9. ^ Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change, page 374. Florence D Conway is a social activist and former journalist for the Saturday Evening Post. Jim Siegelman is the author of several books about the rise of what he termes "cults" in America Note 155. , ISBN 0964765004 1995. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995
  10. ^ Janja Lalich, Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships, ISBN 0972002154 , 2006, Appendix D, pages 345, 347, 352, 355. Janja Lalich, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico California. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  11. ^ Philip Cushman, Constructing the Self, Constructing America: A Cultural History of Psychotherapy , ISBN 0201441926 , 1996, pages 394, 407. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar)
  12. ^ American Cults, Edward Lottick, M.D., course, King's College, Pennsylvania. Edward Lottick (born 1934 is a family physician and inventor His son was Scientologist Noah Lottick. Doctor of Medicine ( MD or MD, from the Latin Medicinæ Doctor meaning "Teacher of Medicine" is a doctoral King's College is a highly-ranked Roman Catholic, private Liberal arts college, located in downtown Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. retrieved 1/17/06, International Cultic Studies Association. The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA formerly the American Family Foundation describes itself as an "interdisciplinary network of academicians
    American Cults - Edward Lottick, M. D. - "I have just completed my third time presenting my semester course at King's College on American Cults. Although the course is upper level for junior and senior students, it is basically introductory contemporary cultic studies. Class size has ranged from 20 to 30 students mostly without any significant prior cult experience. Assigned reading includes Margaret Singer's Cults in Our Midst, Peter Olsson's Malignant Pied Pipers of Our Time, and an assembled compendium of relevant historic news and journal articles from the past several decades. The course has been offered during alternating semesters as a psychology elective. This past semester's class was 20 students composed of 10 psychology majors, 5 criminal justice majors, and a pre-med, pre-law, elementary-education, nursing, and audio-visual major. "
  13. ^ Project Megiddo, FBI Strategic Assessment, October 20, 1999, retrieved 3/7/07. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)
  14. ^ Dr. Margaret Singer, statement, Landmark Education, website, files
  15. ^ Amanda Scioscia, 2000, Phoenix New Times, Drive-thru Deliverance Singer said she never called it a cult in her book, but simply mentioned it as a controversial New Age training course. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Phoenix New Times is a free weekly Phoenix Arizona newspaper put out every Thursday In resolution of the suit, Singer gave a sworn statement that the organization is not a cult or sect. She said this doesn't mean she supports Landmark. "I do not endorse them -- never have," she said. Singer, who was in her 70s at the time, said she can't comment on whether Landmark uses coercive persuasion because "the SOBs have already sued me once. Coercive persuasion comprises social influences capable of producing substantial behavior attitude and Ideology change through the use of Coercive tactics and " "I'm afraid to tell you what I really think about them because I'm not covered by any lawyers like I was when I wrote my book. "Singer said, however, that she would not recommend the group to anyone.

External links

Gallery of covers

1995, English ed. Landmark Education LLC (LE as of 2007 offers Training and development programs delivered in approximately , Cults in Our Midst: The Hidden Menace in Our Everyday Lives

1997 ed. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar German, Cults: How people lose and can regain their freedom

1997 ed. Spanish, Las Sectas Entre Nosotros

2003 ed. , English, Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace

See also

Margaret Thaler Singer (1921 - 2003 was a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor emeritus of Psychology at the University of California Berkeley, "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. Robert Jay Lifton (born May 16, 1926) is an American Psychiatrist and author chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes Janja Lalich, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico California. "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. Rick Alan Ross (born 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States named Ricky Alan Ross is a consultant lecturer and "intervention specialist"
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