In 1957, sociologist Albert Biederman described the tactics used by torturers to weaken and terrorize prisoners of war. Anne Jones, Susan Schechter and Evan Stark brought these ideas to the field domestic violence. They called this strategy forced control. “Coercive control” also seems to be the correct term for the manipulative and domineering tactics of cult leaders.
Coercive control is very common in religions. religion leader usually makes most of the important decisions and changes them at will. However, the cult members also put pressure on each other and force the police to comply. Members cast a wide tactical net, leaving little room for spontaneity or inconsistency.
Religions use coercive control to deprive targets of their resources, such as friends, family, money, and health. Coercive control can manifest as isolation that narrows the member’s world, decadence that destroys their sense of self, and relentless micro-management that turns everyday life into a minefield to prove their loyalty. Cultures are often referred to as “demanding groups” (Laycock, 2024). Their tactics are usually manipulation, monitoring, physical or sexual violencethreats, financial exploitation and calculated punishments. But religious coercive control can free will even if it does not contain all these elements.
In the chart below, I’ve adapted Biederman’s Coercion Diagram to cult tactics. This diagram shows how cult leaders trap members in a web of mind control that makes it difficult to leave. This table can be used in mental health, advocacy, education and legal fields. I hope this chart provides an easy way to evaluate organizations for coercive tactics and determine if they are truly “demanding groups.”
