Quotes from Steven Hassan

learn the clichés, doublespeak and coded jargon that the group uses to shut down critical thinking. Each group has its own buzzwords and platitudes.

At the time, casting Trump as host was seen as a huge gamble. He had been labeled a "D-lister"—someone who lost all his money, a clownlike figure who couldn't be taken seriously. Supervising editor of The Apprentice Jonathon Braun told the New Yorker, "We knew Trump was a fake… but we made him out to be the most important person in the world, making the court jester the king.

think in terms of a continuum of influence: at one end, respectful, ethical, growth-enhancing influence that recognizes the value of individuality, human rights, and creativity; at the other end, conformity, dependency, and slavery, where all authority lies with the leader and the group.

Advertisers use sophisticated psychological methods to manipulate our desires, thoughts, and behaviors. The goal is to create a need where none previously existed, or to amplify a need.

By this Orwellian logic, happiness is suffering and suffering is happiness.

It is important to remember that, for the most part, people don't join cults. Cults recruit people.

one cannot begin to understand mind control without realizing the power of behavior modification techniques, as well as the influences of conformity and obedience to authority.

Information provides the tools with which we think and understand reality. Without accurate, up-to-date information, we can easily be manipulated and controlled.

all human beings have the right to protection from undue influence, a concept the law has recognized for at least five centuries.

how much a person's identity depends on what role he is playing.

Group ideology is privileged far above a member's experience, conscience, and integrity. If a member doubts or has critical thoughts about those beliefs, it is due to their own shortcomings.

It turns out the NAR—with its millions of adherents—has become one of Trump's biggest supporters. They are told, and many believe, that Trump was picked by God to lead the nation. They are Trump's true believers. They view themselves as "spiritual warriors" who think they are helping Trump carry out his God-given mission.

Many political candidates, in their speeches and negative ads, create an image of dire consequences if their opponent wins. If you vote for the other candidate, you and the country will suffer—jobs will be lost, crime will rise, family values will erode, and your very freedoms will be stripped away.

Inspiring fear of real or imagined threats override's people's sense of agency. It makes them susceptible to a confident authority figure who promises to keep them safe, and can make them more compliant and obedient.