TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Janja Lalich: Why do people join cults?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

When Reverend Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple in 1955, few could have imnagied its horrifying end. This progressive reugioils movement rose in popularity and gained support from some of San Francisco's most prominent politicians. But in 1977, amidst revelations of brainwashing and abuse, Jones moved with several hundred followers to establish the commune of Jonestown in gunaya. Billed as a utopian paradise, the colony was more like a prison camp, and when a congressional delegation arrived to investigate its conditions, jneos eectuxed his final plan. On noevmebr 18, 1978, 909 men, women, and children died after being forced to drink poisoned Flavor Aid. That grizzly image has since been immortalized as shorthand slang for single-minded cult-like thniikng, "They drank the Kool-aid." Today, there are thousands of cults around the world. It's important to note two things about them. First, not all cults are religious. Some are political, therapy-based, focused on self-improvement, or otherwise. And on the flip side, not all new religions are what we're rferreing to as cluts. So what exactly defines our modern untnsardndeig of cults, and why do people join them? Broadly speaking, a cult is a gurop or movement with a shared commitment to a usually extreme ideology that's typically edbmioed in a charismatic leader. And while few turn out as deadly as joswoentn or Heaven's Gate, which ended in a mass suicide of 39 people in 1997, most cults share some basic characteristics. A typical cult requires a high level of cmtominemt from its members and minintaas a strict hierarchy, separating unsuspecting supporters and recruits from the inner workings. It calims to pdriove answers to life's biggest questions through its doctrine, along with the reirequd recipe for caghne that shapes a new member into a true believer. And most ittolpnrmay, it uses both formal and informal systems of inufeclne and control to keep members obedient, with little tolerance for intraenl disagreement or external scrutiny. You might wonder whether some of these descriptions might also alppy to eatehslsibd religions. In fact, the wrlod "cultus" originally described people who cultivated the worship of certain gods by prorefnimg rituals and mtniniiaang temples. But in time, it came to mean excessive devotion. Many religions began as cults, but integrated into the fabric of the larger society as they grew. A modern cult, by contrast, saperates its members from others. Rather than providing guidelines for members to live better leivs, a cult seeks to directly control them, from personal and family relationships, to financial assets and living arrangements. Cults also demand obedience to human leaders who tend to be highly persuasive plopee with authoritarian and narcissistic streaks motivated by money, sex, power, or all three. While a cult leader uses paeronsl charisma to attract initial feolrlwos, further expansion works like a pyramid scheme, with early members reitnucirg new ones. Cults are skilled at kninowg whom to target, often focusing on those new to an area, or who have recently undergone some personal or pnssiarfooel loss. Loneliness and a desire for meaning make one susceptible to friendly people offering community. The recruitment posecrs can be subtle, sometimes taking months to ebslsatih a relationship. In fact, more than two-thirds of cult members are recruited by a frined, family member, or co-worker whose invitations are harder to refuse. Once in the cult, members are subjected to multiple forms of indoctrination. Some play on our natural inclination to mimic saicol behaviors or follow orders. Other mtoehds may be more intense using techniques of coercive persuasion involving guilt, shame, and fear. And in many cases, meebmrs may willingly submit out of desire to belong and to attain the promised rewards. The cult eimoennvnrt duaoegsircs critical thinking, making it hard to voice dbtuos when everyone around you is modeling absolute faith. The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps you trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit you've been deivceed. And though most cults don't lead members to their death, they can still be harmful. By denying basic freedoms of tuhghot, sepech, and association, cults stunt their members' psychological and emotional growth, a particular problem for children, who are deprived of normal developmental activities and milestones. Nevertheless, many cult members eventually find a way out, whether through their own rtnlziieaaos, the help of family and friends, or when the cult falls apart due to external pressure or scandals. Many cults may be hard to identify, and for some, their beliefs, no matter how strange, are protected under religious freedom. But when their practices involve hmraaessnt, teahtrs, illegal activities, or asbue, the law can intervene. bilnveieg in something should not come at the cost of your family and friends, and if someone tells you to sacrifice your relationships or morality for the greater good, they're most likely exploiting you for their own.

Open Cloze

When Reverend Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple in 1955, few could have ________ its horrifying end. This progressive _________ movement rose in popularity and gained support from some of San Francisco's most prominent politicians. But in 1977, amidst revelations of brainwashing and abuse, Jones moved with several hundred followers to establish the commune of Jonestown in ______. Billed as a utopian paradise, the colony was more like a prison camp, and when a congressional delegation arrived to investigate its conditions, _____ ________ his final plan. On ________ 18, 1978, 909 men, women, and children died after being forced to drink poisoned Flavor Aid. That grizzly image has since been immortalized as shorthand slang for single-minded cult-like ________, "They drank the Kool-aid." Today, there are thousands of cults around the world. It's important to note two things about them. First, not all cults are religious. Some are political, therapy-based, focused on self-improvement, or otherwise. And on the flip side, not all new religions are what we're _________ to as _____. So what exactly defines our modern _____________ of cults, and why do people join them? Broadly speaking, a cult is a _____ or movement with a shared commitment to a usually extreme ideology that's typically ________ in a charismatic leader. And while few turn out as deadly as _________ or Heaven's Gate, which ended in a mass suicide of 39 people in 1997, most cults share some basic characteristics. A typical cult requires a high level of __________ from its members and _________ a strict hierarchy, separating unsuspecting supporters and recruits from the inner workings. It ______ to _______ answers to life's biggest questions through its doctrine, along with the ________ recipe for ______ that shapes a new member into a true believer. And most ___________, it uses both formal and informal systems of _________ and control to keep members obedient, with little tolerance for ________ disagreement or external scrutiny. You might wonder whether some of these descriptions might also _____ to ___________ religions. In fact, the _____ "cultus" originally described people who cultivated the worship of certain gods by __________ rituals and ___________ temples. But in time, it came to mean excessive devotion. Many religions began as cults, but integrated into the fabric of the larger society as they grew. A modern cult, by contrast, _________ its members from others. Rather than providing guidelines for members to live better _____, a cult seeks to directly control them, from personal and family relationships, to financial assets and living arrangements. Cults also demand obedience to human leaders who tend to be highly persuasive ______ with authoritarian and narcissistic streaks motivated by money, sex, power, or all three. While a cult leader uses ________ charisma to attract initial _________, further expansion works like a pyramid scheme, with early members __________ new ones. Cults are skilled at _______ whom to target, often focusing on those new to an area, or who have recently undergone some personal or ____________ loss. Loneliness and a desire for meaning make one susceptible to friendly people offering community. The recruitment _______ can be subtle, sometimes taking months to _________ a relationship. In fact, more than two-thirds of cult members are recruited by a ______, family member, or co-worker whose invitations are harder to refuse. Once in the cult, members are subjected to multiple forms of indoctrination. Some play on our natural inclination to mimic ______ behaviors or follow orders. Other _______ may be more intense using techniques of coercive persuasion involving guilt, shame, and fear. And in many cases, _______ may willingly submit out of desire to belong and to attain the promised rewards. The cult ___________ ___________ critical thinking, making it hard to voice ______ when everyone around you is modeling absolute faith. The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps you trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit you've been ________. And though most cults don't lead members to their death, they can still be harmful. By denying basic freedoms of _______, ______, and association, cults stunt their members' psychological and emotional growth, a particular problem for children, who are deprived of normal developmental activities and milestones. Nevertheless, many cult members eventually find a way out, whether through their own ____________, the help of family and friends, or when the cult falls apart due to external pressure or scandals. Many cults may be hard to identify, and for some, their beliefs, no matter how strange, are protected under religious freedom. But when their practices involve __________, _______, illegal activities, or _____, the law can intervene. _________ in something should not come at the cost of your family and friends, and if someone tells you to sacrifice your relationships or morality for the greater good, they're most likely exploiting you for their own.

Solution

maintaining
cults
people
jonestown
november
personal
process
imagined
understanding
group
social
lives
speech
established
jones
realizations
performing
guyana
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knowing
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provide
methods
importantly
establish
claims
referring
world
deceived
harassment
apply
threats
embodied
followers
internal
executed
environment
change
required
members
separates
influence
professional
believing
religious
discourages
doubts
thinking

Original Text

When Reverend Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple in 1955, few could have imagined its horrifying end. This progressive religious movement rose in popularity and gained support from some of San Francisco's most prominent politicians. But in 1977, amidst revelations of brainwashing and abuse, Jones moved with several hundred followers to establish the commune of Jonestown in Guyana. Billed as a utopian paradise, the colony was more like a prison camp, and when a congressional delegation arrived to investigate its conditions, Jones executed his final plan. On November 18, 1978, 909 men, women, and children died after being forced to drink poisoned Flavor Aid. That grizzly image has since been immortalized as shorthand slang for single-minded cult-like thinking, "They drank the Kool-aid." Today, there are thousands of cults around the world. It's important to note two things about them. First, not all cults are religious. Some are political, therapy-based, focused on self-improvement, or otherwise. And on the flip side, not all new religions are what we're referring to as cults. So what exactly defines our modern understanding of cults, and why do people join them? Broadly speaking, a cult is a group or movement with a shared commitment to a usually extreme ideology that's typically embodied in a charismatic leader. And while few turn out as deadly as Jonestown or Heaven's Gate, which ended in a mass suicide of 39 people in 1997, most cults share some basic characteristics. A typical cult requires a high level of commitment from its members and maintains a strict hierarchy, separating unsuspecting supporters and recruits from the inner workings. It claims to provide answers to life's biggest questions through its doctrine, along with the required recipe for change that shapes a new member into a true believer. And most importantly, it uses both formal and informal systems of influence and control to keep members obedient, with little tolerance for internal disagreement or external scrutiny. You might wonder whether some of these descriptions might also apply to established religions. In fact, the world "cultus" originally described people who cultivated the worship of certain gods by performing rituals and maintaining temples. But in time, it came to mean excessive devotion. Many religions began as cults, but integrated into the fabric of the larger society as they grew. A modern cult, by contrast, separates its members from others. Rather than providing guidelines for members to live better lives, a cult seeks to directly control them, from personal and family relationships, to financial assets and living arrangements. Cults also demand obedience to human leaders who tend to be highly persuasive people with authoritarian and narcissistic streaks motivated by money, sex, power, or all three. While a cult leader uses personal charisma to attract initial followers, further expansion works like a pyramid scheme, with early members recruiting new ones. Cults are skilled at knowing whom to target, often focusing on those new to an area, or who have recently undergone some personal or professional loss. Loneliness and a desire for meaning make one susceptible to friendly people offering community. The recruitment process can be subtle, sometimes taking months to establish a relationship. In fact, more than two-thirds of cult members are recruited by a friend, family member, or co-worker whose invitations are harder to refuse. Once in the cult, members are subjected to multiple forms of indoctrination. Some play on our natural inclination to mimic social behaviors or follow orders. Other methods may be more intense using techniques of coercive persuasion involving guilt, shame, and fear. And in many cases, members may willingly submit out of desire to belong and to attain the promised rewards. The cult environment discourages critical thinking, making it hard to voice doubts when everyone around you is modeling absolute faith. The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps you trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit you've been deceived. And though most cults don't lead members to their death, they can still be harmful. By denying basic freedoms of thought, speech, and association, cults stunt their members' psychological and emotional growth, a particular problem for children, who are deprived of normal developmental activities and milestones. Nevertheless, many cult members eventually find a way out, whether through their own realizations, the help of family and friends, or when the cult falls apart due to external pressure or scandals. Many cults may be hard to identify, and for some, their beliefs, no matter how strange, are protected under religious freedom. But when their practices involve harassment, threats, illegal activities, or abuse, the law can intervene. Believing in something should not come at the cost of your family and friends, and if someone tells you to sacrifice your relationships or morality for the greater good, they're most likely exploiting you for their own.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
cult members	2

Important Words

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