Death in the time of cult suicide

If he jumped off a building, would you take a leap too?

The usual answer, when the question is posed, is a giggle and a headshake. But when the search for identity leads you to the precipice of blind faith, there is little choice but to prepare for a tumble. No need to think, just a desperation to act.

Two grim reminders from India of what happens when you close your eyes to the world and listen to the curated arguments of one leader have of late shocked worldwide. One, when a family of six were found hung or flung out of a window. The other, a mass suicide by 11 members of a family – the motive, evidence suggests, was an ill-conceived grab at salvation.

These fatalities have all the makings of an imploding cult. In the case of the Burari family a son assumed authority, claimed favour of a spiritual guide (his late father) and manipulated his family members to death. In the Jharkand tale, there was an allusion to bankruptcy, which ended in deaths including of two minors.

A screengrab from a CCTV footage showing members of the family carrying stools, later used in the mass hanging, at Burari area in New Delhi. - PTI

And so we look at what a cult really is and why if you see someone struggling with one, it’s best to take action.

Dr Mrabet Jihene, clinical psychologist at Dubai-based Life Psychological Counselling Centre, explains that a cult refers to a social group defined by its religious, spiritual, philosophical beliefs or interests. “It’s organised, not always aggressive and sometimes, it works to protect from outside danger.”

A mob, on the other hand, is a collection of people who are disorderly, aggressive and triggered into a course of violent action. Remember when a group of indignant Indonesians decided to kill 292 crocodiles? 

People look at the carcasses of crocodiles slaughtered by villagers in Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia. A mob has slaughtered hundreds of crocodiles at a breeding ground in retaliation following the death of a 48-year-old man who was killed by crocodiles after entering the area around the breeding pond. - AP

Or when spurned on by WhatsApp rumours mobs lynched and killed scores in India?

Karnataka: Engineer beaten to death by mob over WhatsApp rumours. - PTI

A gang, while on the surface resembles a cult, has a base level difference. Gangs are together for material gain; cults for personal benefit, says Dr Fabian Saarloos, Clinical Psychologist at German Neurological Centre.

What plays a role in all three cases is conditioning.

Growing up is like walking on pebbles across a pond; a learned behaviour; splashes of discomfort when you miss a foothold and a sense of achievement when you make it across.

It’s conditioning – a learnt response to a particular stimuli or trigger. 

But it’s also a technique, explains Dr Jihene, that can be used for nefarious purposes. “So conditioning can play a role in building cults or building mobs; it’s like a neutral process and it can be used to [influence one into] bad [decisions]”.

In terms of cultish behaviour, initiation may include physical isolation, sleep deprivation, loss of privacy, constant playing of witness of a group. “You will find some collective hallucination, body manipulation, psychological games,” says Dr Jihene.  Plus there are loyalty tests. It all works towards seeping free will and tapping primal fears.

Society is built on a need to belong; to a group, to a people, to a cause. Mangled beliefs that can sew the rifts between existential crises therefore have a charm. “Vulnerable people, in say developmental stage [like] adolescence. Because they are unstable they are looking to build an identity, they are looking for someone to support them” and this may lead them to trust the tout.

Other people who are facing emotional turmoil such as divorce, serious illnesses, substance abuse problems, cash concerns, basically anyone with impaired judgement is a person at risk.

Dr Jihene explains the funnel of information that binds the groups. A cult leader, she explains, has monopoly over the belief set. The communication its members have is severely stifled. Here are some other telling signs.

It’s a very, very tough job. But not impossible. Dr Jihene explains that sometimes Stockholm syndrome-type behaviour may mean the physical forcing of a person away from the group. “Sometimes we have to wait till the person has some [health] problems so we can intervene and oblige them to have therapy.”

Education is key to reform. “[The] debriefing method will include educating the cult member on self-reform technique and help him to recognise those methods in his own cult’s experience, says Dr Jihene.

Showing the person he/she has a choice and identity is key. “Of course you will introduce also an emotional connection with his earlier life; friend, family, etc., sharing memories together that will destroy the polarising thought process,” she says.

But it is important that when treating the issue, one analyse the vulnerability that led this person to the cult – strained relationships, a lack of bonds, etc.

What does it have to do with mass suicides?

“When it comes to mass suicide, we have to look at the individual. Usually, they have low self-esteem and very susceptible to group influence. Generally they have some underlying psychopathology, depression, which may have been fuelled by the group as well,” says Dr Saarloos.

Cultish behaviour seems to fit. Plus there may be spiritual or emotional blackmail, as in the case of the Burari family where the son manipulated his family's belief system.