Shunning: The Trauma of Being Cut Off
Destructive cults control members through fear of excommunication.
KEY POINTS
- Shunning is a dangerous practice used by cults.
- Those who are kicked out of authoritarian religious organizations are cut off from their entire social universe.
- The threat of being shunned is an example of the extreme social influence that encompasses all four aspects of the BITE model.
Unless it has happened to you, it is impossible to describe the pain, confusion, and suffering a person endures when they are excommunicated from an authoritarian Bible group. People’s entire identities are molded around ideological conformity and dependence on commands from the leadership, believing that only those men know the Almighty’s will and understand the Bible properly. It is especially difficult when a person is raised in such a group, and their families and friends are all believers. The threat of being shunned is an example of the extreme social influence that encompasses all four aspects of the BITE model of authoritarian control, which includes behavior, information, thought and emotional control.
Source:
Shunning: The Trauma of Being Cut Off
