The Manipulation Checklist

Below is a cult checklist by cult counselor Steven Hassan. As pointed out by a commenter on this post however, the usage of the word cult may illicit an emotional response from the reader, typically a negative way. Instead I would like to refer this list as a list of possible ways in which an organization can manipulate it's members. Mr. Hassan describes this as his "BITE model".

Behavior Control

• Regulation of individual's physical reality


• "Where, how, and with whom the member lives and associates, what clothes, colors, hairstyles the person wears, what food the person eats, drinks, adopts, and rejects, how much sleep the person is able to have, financial dependence, little or no time spent on leisure, entertainment, vacations.


• Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions and group rituals


• Need to ask permission for major decisions


• Need to report thoughts, feelings, and activities to superiors


• Rewards and punishments (behavior modification techniques -- positive and negative)


• Individualism discouraged; "Group think" prevails


• Rigid rules and regulations


• Need for obedience and dependency

Information Control

• Use of deception


• Deliberately holding back information, distorting information to make it more "acceptable," "outright lying."


• Access to non-cult sources of information minimized or discouraged


• Media (books, articles, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio), critical information, former members, keep members so busy they don't have time to think and check things out.


• Compartmentalization of information; Outsider vs. Insider doctrines


• "Information is not freely accessible, information varies at different levels and missions within pyramid, leadership decides who "needs to know" what and when."


• Spying on other members is encouraged


• "Pairing up with "buddy" system to monitor and control, reporting deviant thoughts, feelings, and actions to leadership, individual behavior monitored by whole group."


• Extensive use of cult generated information and propaganda


• "Media (newsletters, magazines, journals, audio tapes, videotapes, etc), misquotations, statements taken out of context from non-cult sources."


• Unethical use of confession


• "Information about "sins" used to abolish identity boundaries, past "sins" used to manipulate and control (no forgiveness or absolution)."

Thought Control

• Need to internalize the group's doctrine as "Truth"


• "Adopting the group's map of reality as "Reality" (Map = Reality), Black and White thinking, Good vs. Evil, Us vs. Them (inside vs. outside)."


• Use of "loaded" language (for example, "thought-terminating clichés". ). Words are the tools we use to think with. These "special" words constrict rather than expand understanding, and can even stop thoughts altogether. They function to reduce complexities of experience into trite, platitudinous "buzz words" (The best analogy would be Newspeak in Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell).


• Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged.


• Use of hypnotic techniques to induce altered mental states


• Manipulation of memories and implantation of false memories


• Use of thought-stopping techniques, which shut down "reality testing" by stopping "negative" thoughts and allowing only "good" thoughts


• Rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate


• No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful

Emotional Control

• Manipulate and narrow the range of a person's feelings.


• Make the person feel that any problems are always their fault, never the leader's or the group's.


• Excessive use of guilt: identity guilt (who you are, not living up to your potential, your family, your past, your affiliations, your thoughts, feelings, actions), social guilt, historical guilt.


• Excessive use of fear: fear of thinking independently, fear of the "outside" world, fear of enemies, fear of losing one's "salvation", fear of leaving the group or being shunned by group, fear of disapproval.


• Extremes of emotional highs and lows.


• Ritual and often public confession of "sins".


• Phobia indoctrination: inculcating irrational fears about ever leaving the group or even questioning the leader's authority. The person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.

Alright, some pretty thought provoking and scary stuff in there... right? I think you all know where I'm going to go with this though...

So how does the Mormon Church stack up?

Here's the deal: I'm going to rate each item on a scale of 0 to 3.

• 0 - Not at all


• 1 - Sort of, but not really


• 2 - Yes, but they're not blatant about it


• 3 - WE HAVE A MATCH!!

For a maximum score of 111 - And if you're from British origins, I think you know about some significance of that number.

I know at last count I had at least 1 active Mormon still reading this blog, so if you disagree with my assessment of each item, please let me know which one and why you think it's wrong, and I would be happy to reconsider...

Alright, lets get going!

Behavior Control

• Regulation of individual's physical reality
  I would say that there is a certain amount of this, although it's not as extreme as with other cults. Other elements of this list cover the us vs them thinking patterns and the world is out to get us, so I'll just give this a 1.


• "Where, how, and with whom the member lives and associates, what clothes, colors, hairstyles the person wears, what food the person eats, drinks, adopts, and rejects, how much sleep the person is able to have, financial dependence, little or no time spent on leisure, entertainment, vacations.
  This one could be taken to a greater extreme than the LDS Church, but I think they have a pretty solid grasp on it. Perhaps the most influential quote for me last year was... If a church can control your choice of underwear, what else can it control? Solid 3 here.


• Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions and group rituals
  3 hours sacrament meeting + youth activities, ward activities, temple sessions, primary activities, enrichment activities, service projects, and then if you're in leadership, ward council, PEC, BYC, correlation and a whole host of others. Solid 3 here as well. It would have been a 2, if perhaps my Dad had been around more when I was a kid.


• Need to ask permission for major decisions
  Folks, I got a vasectomy 2 years ago, because, 5 kids is too damn many, and I can list of a host of birth control methods which I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, do not work! I didn't ask my bishop, and according to the General Handbook of Instructions, I erred grately in the overt decision not to seek his counsel. 3


• Need to report thoughts, feelings, and activities to superiors
  Like the ones above, they could definitely be more extreme with this one, but it is implemented solidly. PPI's, VT interviews, Temple Recommend Interviews and a whole host of home visits. 3


• Rewards and punishments (behavior modification techniques -- positive and negative)
  Be good, get a big calling, temple recommend etc. Be bad, no recommend, disfellowshipment and excommunication. Plus there's the whole guilt and judgement from the other members thing. Solid 3 here too.


• Individualism discouraged; "Group think" prevails
  3, and if you want to argue this, please provide and example of your stepping outside the box and how it was rewarded by the church!


• Rigid rules and regulations
  Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, Tithing, etc. etc. You can break them, but it's hello eternal damnation, guilt and shame. 3


• Need for obedience and dependency
  Similar to the one above. A friend of mine couldn't afford to pay tithing and make his house payment. They told him to pay the tithing and they would take care of his house and utilities through the welfare program... Bzzzzt! Yes - you with the bad attitude... I'll give that a 3 Jeff!

Information Control

• Use of deception
  So how did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon again.... 3


• Deliberately holding back information, distorting information to make it more "acceptable," "outright lying."
  Add the word faithful history in there, and you have the Church correlation committee. 3


• Access to non-cult sources of information minimized or discouraged
  You can argue, but only after you tell your Bishop that you read this blog! 3


• Media (books, articles, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio), critical information, former members, keep members so busy they don't have time to think and check things out.
  Ex-Mormons are a bitter bunch who just want to destroy the Church... OK, I know, I know, this post probably comes across that way, and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't my intent, but I'm still giving this a 3, primarily because everyone in the Church who finds out I have issues starts with... Have you been reading anti-mormon literature?


• Compartmentalization of information; Outsider vs. Insider doctrines
  So President Hinckley, do you believe man can become a God? I'll take another 3 please!


• "Information is not freely accessible, information varies at different levels and missions within pyramid, leadership decides who "needs to know" what and when."
  Folks, 4 words. Church Handbook of Instructions, for a solid 3. Also I worked for the organization for 6 years, and there are stories I could tell that would make your toes curl!


• Spying on other members is encouraged
  3 points says that you can sit in your front yard in a tank top, drinking a beer and looking through a playboy, and the bishop will know about it within 24 hours.


• "Pairing up with "buddy" system to monitor and control, reporting deviant thoughts, feelings, and actions to leadership, individual behavior monitored by whole group."
  Ever seen a Mormon missionary by himself? Of course if they happen to have an odd number available, they can always go out in a set of... 3


• Extensive use of cult generated information and propaganda
  Again, correlation committee anyone? They also have the Ensign, New Era and Friend - How many magazines was that folks... Yep... 3


• "Media (newsletters, magazines, journals, audio tapes, videotapes, etc), misquotations, statements taken out of context from non-cult sources."
  Alright, time to chill out a little. There is some of this, but it's pretty negligible. It does happen, but not very much. 1


• Unethical use of confession
  And they do a pretty good job of this too. There is room for improvement but they are actually improving. However the fact that a teenage boy likes to play with himself once in a while, is not a reason for a guilt session, embarrassment and follow-up visits. Howabout we go with a 2 here.


• "Information about "sins" used to abolish identity boundaries, past "sins" used to manipulate and control (no forgiveness or absolution)."
  For the Church, we'll give them a 1 with this, because they are pretty good about forgetting past wrongs... Especially if it's your buddy and he wants to be in scouts. My family is a whole other matter, but we're not ranking my family here!

Thought Control

• Need to internalize the group's doctrine as "Truth"
  Well, since it's the only true Church, I think they'd be happy with a 3 here.


• "Adopting the group's map of reality as "Reality" (Map = Reality), Black and White thinking, Good vs. Evil, Us vs. Them (inside vs. outside)."
  Oh hell yeah. I don't think I need to elaborate, but would be happy if I need to. 3 here.


• Use of "loaded" language (for example, "thought-terminating clichés". ). Words are the tools we use to think with. These "special" words constrict rather than expand understanding, and can even stop thoughts altogether. They function to reduce complexities of experience into trite, platitudinous "buzz words" (The best analogy would be Newspeak in Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell).
  A couple of self-claimed open minded relatives have tried to discuss my spiritual perspectives with me, and then when they back themselves into a corner, they come out blazing with "But you made sacred covenants!!!" 3 me!


• Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged.
  Yep! That would be a 3! And heaven help you if you wear an immodest article of clothing that causes someone else to have a bad thought!!


• Use of hypnotic techniques to induce altered mental states
  I would so no, but have you ever walked passed primary when they're singing, "Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, don't go astraaaa ay" I would categorize that as a form of hypnosis, and with little kids too... tsk tsk... Totally deserves a 3.


• Manipulation of memories and implantation of false memories
  I may be wrong here, but I think they might be clean on this one. 0


• Use of thought-stopping techniques, which shut down "reality testing" by stopping "negative" thoughts and allowing only "good" thoughts
  For grins and giggles, I told a co-worker about Iceland's recent victory over sexually oriented businesses... They were all excited until I declared it a victory for the feminist movement... Ha ha ha - count em... 3 ha's!!


• Rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate
  I'm sure some obedient little mormon foot soldier will take issue with my giving this a 3, but in reality, it should probably be a 4!


• No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful
  And that would be a solid 3 here as well - Yikes! I didn't think they'd be looking this bad!

Emotional Control

• Manipulate and narrow the range of a person's feelings.
  I would say there is definitely manipulation of feelings, but I'm just gonna go with a 2 here.


• Make the person feel that any problems are always their fault, never the leader's or the group's.
  Relatives ward was told that because a healing blessing to a person with chronic pain didn't work, it was obvious they were not praying hard enough for the individual. Solid 3 here.


• Excessive use of guilt: identity guilt (who you are, not living up to your potential, your family, your past, your affiliations, your thoughts, feelings, actions), social guilt, historical guilt.
  HOLY HELL! That's Mormonism right there. 3 3 3!!


• Excessive use of fear: fear of thinking independently, fear of the "outside" world, fear of enemies, fear of losing one's "salvation", fear of leaving the group or being shunned by group, fear of disapproval.
  Just ask me about trying to get out of it! 3 years I've navigating these tricky waters and a score of 3.


• Extremes of emotional highs and lows.
  Actually I think Mormonism tries to temper the range of emotions. Although some of their actions do cause a great deal of depression. I'm going to go with a 1 here.


• Ritual and often public confession of "sins".
  Ritualistic confessions, yes, public, not so much, although the result of confession can be rather public. Just a 2 here.


• Phobia indoctrination: inculcating irrational fears about ever leaving the group or even questioning the leader's authority. The person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.
  Ummm, for my final answer... I'll take a 3 here as well please!

Alright, lets, tally that all up...

That's a grand total of 97 out of 111

which results in a manipulation score relative to this list of...


A little over 87%