The last component of mind control is the control of members’ awareness and data. Steven Hassan says: Control of data is the last component of mind control. Data resemble fuel used for mind to work better. Depriving person of data needed for judgment makes him/her be unable to analyze correctly.
The people afflicted by the destructive cults have been trapped not only because of their depriving of necessary data, but also due to the lack of suitable internal mechanism to do logical analyses. Such data control will have destructive influences.
1-4: The method of the lack of accessing to medium and written materials:
One of the methods used by the cult to control members’ data is controlling written materials and medium.
Steven Hassan writes in this regard: “In autonomous cults, people access and trust on non-sectarian newspapers, magazines, TV. And radio. One of its reason is that they are too busy to have enough free time to study. In cults, this program is being done by some methods:
One of these methods is that they make the person too busy to have time to refer to media.
The other method is the organizational orders by which members are not allowed to use such resources and media. They justify that the media cause the members to lose their faith and will.
4-2: The method of managing organizational data:
In a cult, the members are under control and don’t have any freedom of action. Steven Hassan Says: Data control influences on all relations. The members are not allowed to speak with each other about the person in charge, cult program and the organization. The members must spy and report unsuitable activities and views about people in charge and inferiors. Most importantly, the members are prevented to keep in touch with aware critics and those who have quitted the cult. Those who are able to spy and gain the most strategic data for the cult are encouraged.
Some groups investigate writing materials, calls of members and their relations with others and with exteriors. Data are parted in order for the members to be unaware of what is underway.
3-4: The method managing sectarian data:
Data are available in a cult based on the organizational responsibility and the extent of members’ devotion.
Steven Hassan says: The cult heads have an external and internal intellectual plan. The external data are useless and general for the public and newcomers and the internal one becomes open when the member elevates higher levels of devotion. The internal one possesses many layers. Steven Hassan believes that the cult members imagine that they know about their group more than the exteriors, but they almost know less and are unaware of most hidden relations, aims and measures.
4-4: The technique of justification and sophistry by the cult head: One of the other techniques possessed by the cults to control the members’ data is justifying some issues. Steven Hassan says: A member believes what the exteriors say as facts are lies and just the cult is right.
If a person confronts a problem in a cult, he/she is said he/she is not enough mature to figure out all the facts and everything will be clear soon. As a matter of fact, the person is not able to understand many things.
Result:
Behavioral, thought, emotional and data controls are forms of strong controls possessing many influences on human mind. All of them make a despotic net with each other which able to tempt even the most powerful minds. In fact, those who have powerful minds are the most and most enthusiastic members of the cult.
It is necessary to be noted that all cults don’t do just the methods explained in this part and exploit different methods to control minds. It was tried for the most common practices in the field of mind control to be mentioned. Surely, other practices are existent. The most important things are the total effect of the process on the person and also the result.