Dr. Robert J. Lifton on Destructive Cults

3/17/00 - One of the leading experts in mind control, Dr. Lifton addressed the issue of doomsday cults such as Aum Shinrikyo. 00:00 Welcome. Icebreaker story about how he remains sane studying horrible things 02:03 Epidemic of apocalyptic violence. Psycho-historical approach 04:40 Chinese thought reform, totalism. Principles. 07:50 Hiroshima survivors, Vietnam veterans, Nazi doctors, The protean self. 10:01 Current work and themes. Terminology, "cult" Three criteria 12:02 Aum Shinrikyo and its guru 18:55 The guru myth. Shoko Asahara 21:45 Guru and disciple 24:07 Charisma. Visions a disciple had. Cloning. 26:30 What gurus are 27:48 From individual killing to triggering Armageddon. Forcing the end. Altruistic murder 31:30 Guru becomes the world. Megalomania. Disciples turn on the guru. Asahara breaking down in court 33:52 Megalomania and destructive weapons. 'Nuclearism'. 35:32 Characteristics of a violent destructive cult 38:30 Japanese culture and Aum. 39:22 In our own backyard. Charles Manson cult 40:20 Peoples Temple 41:54 Heaven's Gate 42:33 Right wing fanatics. 43:46 Cultural underground. What do we do about this? 45:35 Two quotes to close. Thank you. Q&A 47:05 Q01) Will there be less problems after the millennium? 48:25 Q02 Difference between Aum and the samurai 49:15 Q03 Osama Bin Laden as an example? 49:40 Q04 Senate report on Aum. Cultic behavior very much a problem in a democracy 52:02 Q05 Aum gaining followers? 54:04 Q06 Comment on the cultic nature of nazi psychiatrists? 55:14 Q07 A cult leader can be a con man and a believer of his own cause 56:10 Q08 Causes of the rise in suicides in cults 57:52 Q09 Was Asahara a patient? 59:50 Thank you Robert Lifton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_... Thought reform https://www.amazon.com/Thought-Reform... Erik Erikson model https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erikson... Aum Shinrikyo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shi... Shoko Asahara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoko_A... Anthony Storr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony... Phowa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phowa Ted Kaczynski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kac... Heinrich Himmler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinric... Manson Family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manson_... Peoples Temple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoples... Heaven's Gate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%...) Timothy McVeigh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy... Doanld Cameron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_...