The image above* is of Jim Jones who led the Jonestown massacre in November 1978 where 909 people died, a quarter of whom were children. Jim decided that the children should be the first ones to drink the poison. He matches the broad definition of a cult leader, which I compiled from a range of authors in the field of cult psychology:
‘A grandiose, overinflated narcissist who seeks power by demeaning others, whilst making them believe it is for their own good or the good of humanity.’
The actual goal of any cult is always the self-aggrandisement of the leader and his organisation through the exploitation of his/her followers. There are several common characteristics of a cult leader:
Narcissism and sadism
Cult leaders score very high on narcissism and psychopathy, which means that they have a lack of empathy, and display grandiose and self-centred behaviour to mask a fragile self underneath. They are also extremely unstable, self-absorbed, paranoid and out of touch with reality. The psychological power and influence these leaders exert over their followers means that they can easily persuade others to also lose touch with reality and share in their grandiose delusion, as seen in the example of Jonestown.
Control and surrender
To compensate for their inadequacies, the leader demands total surrender so that they can have total control. If others don’t agree with them or submit, they are seen as a threat and are usually expelled or punished. This means followers live in a climate of fear whilst made to believe that they are lucky, blessed, privileged and doing something great.
Surrender, submission and devotion to a leader is usually measured with a high degree of personal self-sacrifice on the part of the follower. This normally involves boundless commitment of time and money, in addition to spreading the leader’s message to others and carrying out his/her orders.
Idealisation and denigration
Cult leaders are sadistic and keep pointing out what is wrong with other people, but mask it well with charismatic charm. They dehumanise others whilst keeping themselves in an idealised position. This entails employing all-or-nothing, good vs bad and black-and-white thinking. There are no grey areas, no room for challenge or critical thought.
However, this idealised and overinflated position is very hard to maintain. To maintain it, they use false promises, lies and deceit and they must continuously up the ante and keep moving the goal posts. Upping the ante usually leads to more outrageous, unlawful and abusive behaviour on the part of the leader and the group who blindly follow.
No checks or balances
Because cult leaders rule in a closed system, there are also no checks or balances and a total lack of accountability, which makes them particularly dangerous. Within an isolated and closed system, it is easy to abuse power and use manipulation and coercive control to exploit and abuse.
Finally, the cult leader has no shame and no boundaries. They create an organisation that reflects their internal world, which means they are given free licence to behave however they please. Because they are seen as the ultimate authority, saying ‘no’ isn’t an option and what they preach is seen as being for ‘the common good’. This is how people end up behaving in ways or committing crimes they would otherwise never have.
The above dynamics can play out in a variety of other settings such as political systems, authoritarian organisations, toxic families and one-on-one relationships as well. I would like to end this article with a quote from my colleague Dan Shaw:
‘A cult is any group of at least one leader and one follower, in which the leader can be identified as a traumatising narcissist. In such a group, members are required to suppress who they are and attempt to make themselves whatever kind of object the leader wants them to be’. (Shaw, 2014)
Sam Jahara is a UKCP registered psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. She is experienced in working with the psychological impact of high-control groups and cults on individuals, families and organisations. She has also given public talks and podcast interviews on this topic.
Further reading by Sam Jahara –
The psychology of cults: part two – what is brainwashing?
The psychology of cults: part one – what defines a cult?
The psychological impact on children who grow up in cults
Why do therapists need their own therapy?
References –
Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism (Lifton, Robert Jay. 1961)
Cults in our Midst: The Hidden Menace in our Everyday Lives (Singer, M.T. and J. Lalich. 1995)
Combatting Cult Mind Control (Hassan, Steven, 1988)
Escaping Utopia (Lalich and McLaren 2018)
Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation (Shaw, Daniel. 2013)
The Guru Papers, Masks of Authoritarian Power (Kramer and Alstad, 1993)
* Image – Reverend Jim Jones at an anti-eviction protest in front of the International Hotel, 848 Kearny Street in San Francisco, California, January 16, 1977. Bodyguard and adopted Jones son Tim Tupper behind Jones is talking to Cheryl Wilhite, a female security guard at Peoples Temple. Photo by Nancy Wong.
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