How Was Compliance Gained?

[psy]

That's an interesting comment about people posting here that work for programs.  In a sense, they never allow these children to "leave the program" by stifling their dialogue here.  Fascinating, really.

Abnormally perceptive.  Good job.

[DKincaidCFS]

My program even had a warranty.

That is bizarre, to say the least.  Do you have any documentation that shows this in the program's literature?  I would really like to have a source document like that.

[DKincaidCFS]

I'm putting this up for posterity.  LIFE fit this whole list, EXACTLY, with brutality and neglect thrown in for good measure;


 Lifton outlines the "Eight Criteria for Thought Reform":

Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.
Mystical Manipulation. The manipulation of experiences that appears spontaneous but is, in fact, planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority, spiritual advancement, or some exceptional talent or insight that sets the leader and/or group apart from humanity, and that allows reinterpretation of historical events, scripture, and other experiences.
Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.
Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.
Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.
Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.
Doctrine over person. Member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.
Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also.

I'm quite familiar with this work.  It's very interesting that many of you see the same tactics used by teen programs.  I'm interested in the specifics of the staff actions that would facilitate these criteria.  

Do you think it would be appropriate to open a thread about how each of these criteria are created/reinforced by programs?  I'd like to hear the "things that were said and done" for the purpose of creating and maintaining the environment surrounding those eight criteria listed above.

[thomasC]

http://http://www.teenswithproblems.com/treatment.html#warranty

If I find a document with this on it I will scan it for you.  This is from one of their (many) marketing websites.

If you would like a glimpse of the 'loaded language' and 'doctrine over person' check out this detailed account of one of the WWASP parent seminars: http://http://www.wwaspsinfo.net/wwasps/krbean.pdf

Here is the introduction to the parent manual, describing how to ignore your child's complaints.  This probably serves as a decent example of how parents are convinced not to trust their children's letters.  I'm sure I said nearly all of these things at one point.

Dear Parents:

Let me introduce myself. My name is Cameron Pullan. I started working with teens eight years
ago with the YMCA Program. Five years ago, I continued this line of work as a Residential
Manager for Spring Creek Lodge, LaVerkin, Utah, in addition to Psych-Technician work at
Brightway Adolescent Hospital. I then accepted the position of Director of Spring Creek Lodge
in November of 1996. I am excited about our Program. The setting is ideal for teens needing a
change in their lives. We have an excellent process for growth and we, as a staff, are committed
to your child's success. Let me outline what you can expect over the next few months.
When your child first comes to Spring Creek, there is usually a “honeymoon” period. The scenery
is beautiful; breathtaking mountains and rivers. However, when your child sees that the Program
has high attitude/behavior expectations, a firm set of rules and an insistence that he make
appropriate changes, the “honeymoon” is over. While no two situations are the same, the Student
will then usually go through several phases. Let me outline some of them:

Denial Phase - This is typified by statements like:
   “I can’t believe you did this to me”
   “I don’t belong here”
   “I’m not learning anything, all they do is babysit me”
   “The kids here have problems much worse than mine”
   “They have criminals, kooks, and drug addicts here”

Guilt Trip Phase - This is typified by statements like:
   “If you really loved me, you would bring me home”
   “You don’t know how terrible it is here, or you would get me out”
   "I'm going to starve, the food is disgusting"
   “No one cares about me, the staff do whatever they want to me”
   “I’m treated like a prisoner”
   “You can’t believe the staff, they will say anything to keep me here”
   “The others here are a totally bad influence on me, you should hear what they talk
about”

Anger Phase - This is typified by statements like:
   “If you ever want to see me again, you had better get me out of here”
   “You’ll wish you had never done this to me”
   “I don’t want to be your child anymore”

Negotiation Phase - This is typified by statements like:
   “If you bring me home, I promise there won’t be anymore problems”
   “We can work out our problems better at home as a
family, we can all go to therapy together”
   "If I work hard, will you take me home by_______________"
   “I’m willing to work on my problems but can’t I do it at a different Program, one that will help me.”

The agenda in each of these phases is to work on your emotions in hopes that you will take your
child out of the Program, this way he doesn’t have to go through the long hard process of making
changes. We can certainly all understand why a Student will try any or all of these manipulations
first. This is a tough Program, the food isn't as good as the "home cooked" meals you have
provided them, the accommodations aren't nearly as comfortable as your home, the setting is rustic
and isolated; yet, these are some of the very reasons that the Program is impacting enough to be
effective. We have found that if the Parents and the Program remain strong in their resolve that the
student must make changes, the student will finally reach the Acceptance Phase.

The Acceptance Phase is where the Student finally realizes and accepts that he is here until he
makes the necessary changes. Then and only then will the Program begin to work for your child.
Let’s work together to that end!

Sincerely,

CAMERON PULLAN
Director

Notice how they mix some very serious allegations in with complaining about the food, equating them.

I will work through each of Lifton's criteria in another post.

[Froderik]

That's an interesting comment about people posting here that work for programs.  In a sense, they never allow these children to "leave the program" by stifling their dialogue here.  Fascinating, really.

Abnormally perceptive.  Good job.

Except for that here, the motherfuckers will NEVER win.  :twofinger:

[thomasC]

You asked about how communication was restricted in another thread.  This also comes from the parent manual, which I will attach.

Kids could go several months with their only link to the outside world being letters mailed to their parents.  All phone calls were made with a staff member present listening to both sides on speakerphone. They would be disconnected immediately if anything considered "manipulation" was said.  Kids did not make this mistake twice.

COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR CHILD

Your child and you may correspond by mail as often as you each desire. Phone calls, as stated in the Enrollment Agreement (see Item #13), are a privilege that your child must earn by attaining Level 3 status. This usually takes 1- 3 months, but is an important and necessary process. Your child will appreciate phone calls to you much more, when your adolescent has to work hard to earn them. Phone calls any earlier in your child’s progress would be destructive as the student then becomes more preoccupied with trying to convince parents that he or she should be taken out of the Program rather than focusing on working the Program. Even when phone calls are permitted they are short and not too frequent (once or twice a month). This helps keep the cost down for the parents, as all calls, as stated in the enrollment agreement, are on a collect basis, plus, all phone calls require a substantial amount of effort and logistics to complete. Again, it is critical that your child earn the phone privilege, otherwise we are all short changing progress. Please do not ask us to make an exception!!! This is totally unfair to the other students and their parents. You can imagine all of the students asking “why does Tom get to make a phone call and I don’t” or “don’t my parents want to talk to me on the phone as badly as Tom’s parents want to talk to him on the phone”. This creates such a problem that we put right in the enrollment agreement (see Item #13) that no phone calls are allowed before the student earns Level 3 and have graduated Focus. Once the student has earned the phone privilege, the student is not allowed to call anyone other than his or her parents unless specific permission is requested by the parents, and granted by the Program.

[thomasC]

Someone else should probably do this for their program.  

Milieu Control.  - Doors to our cabins locked from the outside.  We could only leave the cabin with the rest of our group or for special purposes like seeing a nurse.  Traveling anywhere (like to the cafeteria or school building) required linig up heel-toe and counting off, marching in formation to the destination, and counting off again.  Communication was restricted to letters which could only be sent to our parents' address.  Phone calls were rare, monitored, and could only be made to parents.  Communication within the facility was limited to those who had earned the privelege.  Writing notes or speaking in a foreign language were severe offenses.

Mystical Manipulation. - Many (all) of the games and activities in the LGATs were rigged to prove some kind of point to us.  Not sure if this quite counts as 'mystical' but it was certainly manipulative.
Demand for Purity - Working/not working, Accountable/victim.  In agreement/out of agreement.  We had hundreds of petty rules that had to be followed at all times.
Confession. -  Every day.  You must confess all of your rule violations.  Are you out of agreement?  Better 'fess up now (or someone else will do it for you, and there are even harsher consequences)  Confess your sins in the program, confess your sins BEFORE the program.  Just how much of a terrible son/parent were you?  Tell us all about it!

Sacred Science. They held themselves out as the ONLY people with the answers to self improvement/enlightenment.  Without them, we'd be dead or in jail!  Disagreement in the LGATs/seminars was not tolerated and was grounds for "Choosing out" which is how they described being kicked out.  "Choosing" is "accountable" language.
Loading the Language. - "There is no such thing as right and wrong - only what works and doesn't work." "Based on your results you have exactly what you intended."  "Nothing can change when you are comfortable." "What you create in the seminar is a mirror of your life." "Victims feel trapped and powerless.  Victims are at effect.  Accountable people are free and empowered.  Accountable people are at cause."  "There are no large or small agreements, only large and small consequences."
Doctrine over person. - One of the first exercises the LGAT facilitator did was ask us to raise our hands if we believed that we would have been able to get into college had we not gone to thr program.  Anyone who raised their hand was browbeaten and many of these kids were forced to tears.  The program was the one solution to everyone's problems and everybody had those problems.

Dispensing of existence. - This is something that was done more heavily on the parents.  They were told how important it was to complete all of the seminars and keep their cihldren in the program until they 'graduated'. People who decided to pull their children out early were mocked and marginalized by the staff and facilitators.  There were plenty of Newspeak pejoratives for people who disagreed with any element of their doctrine or did not believe any portion of it applied to them.

[Shadyacres]

Lifton's list as applied by the LIFE program, Sarasota FL, where I was a resident from October '85 to March '86.  I escaped as soon as I made it to phase 2 and was allowed to move back into my mothers house.  I am sure that I have forgotten a lot of this garbage in the last 25 years, but I hope this helps.  I will update as and if anything else comes back to me.

Lifton outlines the "Eight Criteria for Thought Reform":

Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.  

No radio, no TV, no reading at all.  Lower level residents were not allowed to talk to each other.  Boys and girls were not allowed to talk to each other.  Once the kids got on phase 3 they could go back to school, where they were not allowed to talk to the other students.  If they were seen talking to non-program kids they would be in big trouble and at risk of starting over again from phase 1.

Mystical Manipulation. The manipulation of experiences that appears spontaneous but is, in fact, planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority, spiritual advancement, or some exceptional talent or insight that sets the leader and/or group apart from humanity, and that allows reinterpretation of historical events, scripture, and other experiences.

All the group sessions, or ‘raps’ had this goal at their heart, to show us how worthless and contemptible we had been in our “past lives” and how much better our lives will be once we surrender and start “working our program”.  It was very common to hear the opinion expressed that we now have a big advantage over non-program people, who do not have such a rigid guide on how to run their lives.  

Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.

We were expected to purge ourselves of all kinds of “druggie behaviors”, like parting our hair in the middle (for boys), wearing T shirts, listening to, well, ANY music made after 1960 (unless it is Christian).  Any behavior the staff disapproved of was labelled “druggie behavior”.  The end goal seemed to be to turn all of us into Wally Cleaver.

Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.

This is how progress is judged, the staff, and the group, decides whether or not your confessions are genuine.  Generally they have to be pretty outrageous or the group would tell us that we still need to “get honest”.  Once we had confessed to all the horrible things we usually hadn’t done, then the staff would use that as leverage against us, and our parents, as proof of how screwed we would be if we ever left the program.  Any criticism of the program was seen as a “druggie attitude”.  Also, we were expected to inform on each other, to confess other peoples sins if we knew about them.

Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.

The ONLY route to happiness and success is to ‘work your program”;
“Without this program I would be dead, insane or in jail.”

Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.

Any behavior they approve of is “working your program”, any behavior they do not approve of is “druggie behavior”.  If you said a persons name while they were not in the room it was considered “talking behind backs”, which seriously limited conversations about what went on in group.  If you were in a bad mood you were “in your shit” or “on the pity pot”, both of which caused the other kids to view you with contempt.

Doctrine over person. Member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.

This was a constant issue, I think because of the sheer incompatibility of the program with real life.  Some higher phaser was always wanting to do something the staff had told them is a “tie” to their “druggie past”.  Like play football, or music, or even go to a certain movie.  This was treated as a test, if the kid agreed and put all thoughts of playing football, or seeing Rocky V, or whatever, out of their minds forever then they were “working their program”.  If not, they were “backsliding”.

Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also.

The group, and the staff, decides who is worthy for advancement and who is not.  Who can start working their way back to being a person, and who has to continue to rot on those wooden benches for 12 hours a day.  All non program people are seen as some kind of walking dead zombies who are dead already, they just don’t know it.  There is no truth outside of the program.  When somebody seven stepped but there were no staff positions for them to fill they almost always got ostracized from the program, I guess because they were living proof that the program DID NOT prepare them for life in the real world.

[Shadyacres]

I’m not sure how this relates to Lifton’s list but one of the things that stand out in my mind is the utter humiliation of being beltlooped everywhere, even to the bathroom, where the oldcomers would WATCH us “do our business” (speaking of utter humiliation).  There was a definite feeling that somehow we had stopped being human, no longer deserved basic human rights, and if we ever wanted to be a real person with rights then we had to “work our program”.

[RobertBruce]

At my program it was all the same kind of stuff as well.

Coercion through rationing of food, sleep deprivation, forcing you to remain in the same position indefinitely, forced labor, forced PT, coercion therapy, restricted communication et cet. The list goes on and on.

[psy]

Do you think it would be appropriate to open a thread about how each of these criteria are created/reinforced by programs?

I've created a Thought Reform Forum.  It might be useful to start a thread for each of Lifton's criteria as they relate to tactics in programs.  I'll sticky an index thread linking to each of the criteria threads.  We could start a series for Singer's 6 conditions as well.

[Shadyacres]

At my program it was all the same kind of stuff as well.

Coercion through rationing of food, sleep deprivation, forcing you to remain in the same position indefinitely, forced labor, forced PT, coercion therapy, restricted communication et cet. The list goes on and on.

Yep, very small portions of very bad food.  Very late nights and very early mornings.  Those goddamned benches!  No slouching, no stretching, no "clicking" (sharing looks with others across the room), no carving on your arms (WTF!?!).  The fifth phasers alongside the benches ready to sweep us onto the floor and into a five point restraint at the slightest provocation.  We did not have forced labor, we had "motivating", if you wanted to talk in the group (which is the very first step in "working your program") then you had to feverishly flap your arms in the air, almost as if you were (a)  trying to take flight, or (b) masturbating two horses from a sitting position.  Every rap could be considered coercion therapy, staff sanctioned groupthink.

The list does indeed go on and on, every time I try to quantify all the abuse and neglect I find that my mind is not big enough to hold it all at the same time and I invariably end up leaving stuff out.

[thomasC]

Looks like that one hit a little too close to home.

[Anne Bonney]

Do you think it would be appropriate to open a thread about how each of these criteria are created/reinforced by programs?

I've created a Thought Reform Forum.  It might be useful to start a thread for each of Lifton's criteria as they relate to tactics in programs.  I'll sticky an index thread linking to each of the criteria threads.  We could start a series for Singer's 6 conditions as well.

viewtopic.php?f=81&t=31261

This was one of the things that helped me recover from what was done to me at Straight.  It helped me to understand how they did what they did, which is what I needed to 'connect the dots'.  I was amazed and a little overwhelmed at first, at how closely 'thought reform' mirrored what Straight ultimately was.

Singer's Conditions for Mind Control is a good place to start.


http://www.ex-cult.org/General/singer-conditions

CONDITIONS FOR MIND CONTROL
DR. MARGARET SINGER

(Margaret T. Singer, Ph.D., Emeritus Prof. of Psychology, Univ. of CA,
Berkeley)

THOUGHT REFORM = LANGUAGE + SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCE

In a thought reform program:
     the self concept is destabilized
     the group/leaders attack one's evaluation of self

SELF:     2 Elements in one's self-concept

     Peripheral Sense:  adequacy of public &  judgmental aspects, social
       status, role performance, conformity to social norms

     Central Sense of Self:  adequacy of intimate life, confidence in
       perception of reality, relations w/family, goals, sexual
       experiences, traumatic life events, religious beliefs, basic
       consciousness and emotional control

     When you attack a person's self-concept, aversive emotional
     arousal is created

6 CONDITIONS THAT NEED TO BE PRESENT IN ORDER TO CONSTITUTE MIND
CONTROL:

1.   CONTROL OVER TIME
     Especially thinking time
     Use techniques to get a person to think about:
          . the group
          . beliefs of the group
     as much of their waking time as possible

2.   CREATE A SENSE OF POWERLESSNESS
     Get people away from normal support systems for a period of time
     Provide models of behavior (cult members)
     Use in-group language
     Use of songs, games, stories the person is unfamiliar with or they are
       modified so that they're unfamiliar
     New people tend to want to be like others (acceptance, feeling part
       of a group)

3.   MANIPULATE REWARDS, PUNISHMENTS, EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO
     SUPPRESS OLD SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
     Manipulate:  social rewards
                  intellectual rewards
     REWARDS: support positive self-concept for conformity to new
              thought system
     PUNISHMENTS:   attack person's self-concept  for non-conformity

     Effects of behavioral modification (reward/punishment):
          DEPLOYABLE AGENT:
     1.   accept a particular world view
          2.   procedures for peer monitoring w/feedback to group
          3.   psychological, social & material sanctions to influence the
               target's behavior

          When there is control of external feedback, the group becomes the
          only source
     -- there are no reality checks

          BEHAVIORS REWARDED:  participation, conformity to ideas/behavior,
            zeal, personal changes

     BEHAVIORS PUNISHED:    criticalness, independent thinking,
       non-conformity to ideas/behavior

     PUNISHMENTS:   peer/group criticism, withdrawal of support/affection,
       isolation, negative feedback

          THE PERSON IS DEPENDENT UPON THE GROUP FOR EXTERNAL
          VALIDATION OF SOCIAL IDENTITY

          RESULTS:  confusion, disorientation, psychological disturbances

          Manipulate experience:
               altered states of consciousness (trance)
               hypnosis
          Hypnosis: (see Ericksonian hypnosis)
               speaking patterns
               guided imagery
               pacing of voice to breathing patterns
               parables, stories with imbedded messages
               repetition
               boredom
               stop paying attention to distractions, focus
                    inwardly to what's going on inside you
               the use of one's voice to get people's attention
                    focused
          Chanting, Meditation
          Teach thought-stopping techniques
          Work them up emotionally to a negative state:
               re-experience past painful events
               recall negative actions/sin in past life
          Then rescue them from negative emotion by giving them a new
               way to live

4.   MANIPULATE REWARDS, PUNISHMENTS, EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO
     ELICIT NEW BEHAVIOR
     Models will demonstrate new behavior
     Conformity: dress, language, behavior
     Using group language will eventually still the thinking mind

5.   MUST BE A TIGHTLY CONTROLLED SYSTEM OF LOGIC
     No complaints from the floor
     Pyramid shaped operation with leader at the top
     Top leaders must maintain absolute control/authority
     Persons in charge must have verbal ways of never losing
     Anyone who questions is made to think there is something
          inherently wrong with them to even question
     Phobia induction:
          something bad will happen if you leave the group
          if you leave this group, you're leaving God
     Guilt manipulation

6.   PERSONS BEING THOUGHT REFORMED MUST BE UNAWARE THAT THEY
     ARE BEING MOVED THROUGH A PROGRAM TO MAKE THEM DEPLOYABLE
     AGENTS, TO BUY MORE COURSES, SIGN UP FOR THE DURATION, ETC.

     You can't be thought reformed with full capacity, informed
          consent
     You don't know the agenda of the group at the beginning or the
          full content of the ideology

THOUGHT REFORM SYSTEM:
     Coordinated programs of coercive influence and behavior
               control
     Use of pop psychology techniques found in sensitivity training
          and encounters groups

2nd Generation Thought Reform Systems  (attacks on central elements of
                                        self):
     1.   enlist recruit's cooperation, offer something they want (personal
          growth, salvation, etc.)
     2.   obtain psychological dominace by making the target's continuing
          relations contingent upon continuing membership
     3.   use seduction by developing bonds and encouraging targets to
          believe the group can provide something
     4.   develop dependency by direct social pressure to influence a
          decision that the group has special power or knowledge or
          can solve a problem; the people in the group are made to seem
          interested in what is best for the target -- then they "up
          the commitment level"
     5.   shift the target's social and emotional attachments to individuals
          who have already accepted high commitment and are conforming to
          the behavior

WHILE

          decreasing the target's outside relationships
     6.   increase the CHANGES in the target's:
          income
          employment
          personal friends/social life
          finances
          sexuality
          THIS INCREASES THE THREAT TO THE PERSON IF THEY WANT TO
          LEAVE
          THREATS:  ARE TO THE INDIVIDUAL'S
                    stability of identity
                    emotional well-being

     7.   the community standards become the ONLY standards available for
          self-evaluation

CULTS AND CULTIC RELATIONSHIPS

CULT -  the political and power STRUCTURE of a group
CULTIC RELATIONSHIP - those relationships in which a person intentionally
induces others to become totally or nearly  totally dependent on him/her for
almost all major life decisions and inculcates in these followers a belief
that he has some special talent, gift or knowledge

PRIMARY IN OUR DISCUSSION OF CULTS IS THE PRACTICE AND CONDUCT OF
THE GROUP, NOT ITS BELIEFS

Further references:
Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.  Robert J. Lifton, M.D.,
University of N.C., Chapel Hill, 1989  Chapter 22

"Attacks on Peripheral versus Central Elements of Self and the Impact of
Thought Reforming Techniques" Richard Ofshe and Margaret T. Singer, The Cultic
Studies Journal, Vol. 3 #1, Spring/Summer 1986; American Family Foundation, P.O. Box
1232, Gracie Station, New York, NY 10028  (212) 533-0538

"The Utilization of Hypnotic Techniques in Religious Conversion" Jesse S.
Miller, The Cultic Studies Journal,Vol. 3 #2, Fall/Winter 1986

Recovery from Cults.  ed. Michael Langone, Ph.D., W.W. Norton, 1994

[DKincaidCFS]

I'm continuing to gather information on this topic, so if you have more to add, please do so.