By group 3
A sect is the group of followers of a specific religious or ideological doctrine. The sects have affected thousands of people and they are all around the world, some examples of sects are: the sect that burned alive a baby in 2012 in Chili; or the chemical bomb put in the subway in 1995 in Japan; the Argentinian sect called “Escuela El Cántaro”; or many sects in the USA. Even in this small amount of examples we can find an important number of commonalities in despite of the cultural differences between these countries. Some of the most important commonalities are the devotion from the followers to the leader, a so fervent confidence who made some society rules becomes voided and actions that can be considered wrong are carried out without any hesitation, such as murder, rape, animal’s sacrifices, suicide, etc.
For many of us -or better said- the most of us, join a sect would be an idea that we would not think about. If we take the example of the sect of Colliguay in Chili, a very popular issue in the news on December of 2012 when they revealed the Machiavellian ritual led by Ramón Castillo; most people would not commit murder against a newborn baby just because someone have the suspicion or thinks that this newborn baby is the antichrist. However, what makes 12 people to do this kind of things and not try to protect the nursing baby? What makes them believe it was a justified action? Was just the speech of a person? Or maybe believing that person is some kind of deity?
The more
charismatic or attractive the leader is, more power he has on the mass, so the
psychological dependence of that mass is bigger. Max Webber says the charisma
is the “exceptional quality of a man who, pretending to have supernatural
powers, providential or extraordinary ones, has succeeded in congregate
disciples around himself”. This is the base of the leader’s manipulation on his
group. There are many qualifications for the kinds of leaders, such as
authoritarians, liars, divines, people with delusions of grandeur and egocentric,
and psychopaths, those who usually wear a mask who makes difficult to know they
suffer personality disorders, and they can be extremely violent if they are doubted.
Magid & McKelvey says, “The psychopath must get what he wants, no matter
the price”.
It is easy to understand the existence of a direct link between the vulnerability of a person or his emotional fragility with the possibility of join a sect. The more someone felt, more are the possibilities that he wants to fit no matter the price, and he becomes easier to persuade often getting to the point of not rationalize the group’s activities, even if it’s notoriously wrong for everybody. The more immersed in that world, the more difficult is to recognize the bad things of the sect, because all the information is examined meticulously, the negative information for the sect is eliminated and the social pressure makes one succumbs to acts that are the edge of insanity.
Do you think
it is necessary a weak state of mind to succumb into a sect? Or do you think
that anyone in any moment can succumb? What do you think is the difference
between a sect and a religion? Do you think you are strong enough to say no to
a sect?
Here is a vide in case you want to create a sect
I think we as society, are always being influenced in one way or another by politics, what we see on tv or internet, but what makes the difference in someone who participates in a sect and someone who does not want it or need it is to have self-confidence and respect for oneself life´s and the other people.
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ReplyDeleteI really liked this blog, because religion and sects are one of my favorite subjects. I think it's interesting that a person can convince and manipulate a group of people just for being charismatic, but I can't understand how people are capable of being manipulated by someone. Reading this blog, I remembered Charles Manson, who instigated the murder of Sharon Tate and six other persons in 1969. And curiously, I recently saw on the news that charles manson married a woman 54 years younger than him. Is she crazy...?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure most people, including myself, would think that people who join sects have weak mind or are plain stupid, but there are so many cases of huge , especially in the 70s, that had an enormoous number of members. Even Nazi Germany may look like a sect too. A whole country full of stupid people? I don't think so. I think certain political, economical or emocional circumstances make people try to look for other options to have a happier life. If you mix that with a lot of people supporting you, drugs and money, the result can be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteIt is really amazing how the ability to convince people can persuade others to the point of believing that burn a baby alive is okay, just because their leader says it. I think people who enter in these sects are searching an identity, and these leaders talk to them in a manner they are convinced that these sects are what they really like.
ReplyDeleteI hope to be never persuaded by a group like this.
Humans, as social animals, look for groups to feel represented with. This behaviour is very clear in teenagers: associating with other according to music and style preferences. This isn't negative, belonging to something is part of what we are. I think this belonging pursuit is much stronger when someone feels hopeless; we look for shelter in something greater than us like in a leader, a prophet or a god. Maybe that's why the Nazi movement had such a great impact - referring to Francisca's comment - Germany was very damaged after World War I, and they needed a light in the dark.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought that a person how is going after a leader have many eseem problems because when you join to a sect you must give up all your convictions and individuality to accept the other person values but if we think on this we can notice that in the actual society we are always trying to be accepted in a specific group shaped with same interests person, the diference is in the degree of obsession that we have with this idea or how much we are disposed to give up to be admitted in these groups
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