📑Science of the mind: The Sectarian Leader - Project Milkbox 🥛

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A sect is a group of people who follow a leader or a doctrine.

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According to Rodríguez (1997), the sect is usually a separate group from a larger one, for which censorship is shown. For his part, Robertson (1993) cites that, "a sect, is a religious group, led by a charismatic leader, which significantly disagrees on aspects related to the beliefs and practices of recognized religious groups of the culture in general."

The Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, also points out that the sect is a group of believers in a particular doctrine or faithful of a religion considered false.

The agenda National Police, Executive Scale, of Madrid (2017) performs the following classification:

• Religious sects, which adapt the interpretation of the sacred texts to increase the wealth of their leaders.
• Political sects, belonging to a political extreme that defends doctrines such as the supremacy of the race.
• Parapsychological sects, which can gain followers through personal development talks.
• Commercial sects that persuade followers to convince others to buy certain products, such as dietetics or cosmetics.
• Apocalyptic sects, which proclaim the end of the world and salvation through contact with extraterrestrials.

The latter, in general, end in collective sacrifices or suicides.

Considering what is appropriate or inappropriate for these separate groups has been the subject of discussion among sociologists, psychologists, politicians, religious and other specialists. Having, the sectarianism, among its defenders, who speak of religious freedom, of free will, of legal rights, among others. Apparently, the dangerousness of the sect is measured by the same adept according to how he feels the influence of the leader and the group, or is measured by society according to the aggressiveness of the sectarian group. Which means that sects can have a destructive character

For Rodríguez (1997), what makes the sects destructive, in the first place, is the use that their leaders make of coercive persuasion techniques that psychologically damage the personality of their followers, that break the communication with the environment, and make difficult the reason.

These techniques are successful with certain individuals, due to the intensity of the coercion, emotional manipulation, and the time that people are exposed to the leader and the group, which would then require psychiatric treatment and psychotherapy to recover the intellectual and affective abilities lost.

Second, sects can have a destructive character in the social area of ​​their followers; for among the leaders' objectives is physical and psychological isolation, which occurs from the very beginning of indoctrination.

The danger of this isolation is that people can lead a seemingly normal life, but without real interaction, the environment is not of their interest.

In the last place, sects can destroy the legal rights of a society, that is, the leader robs the sectarians of their privacy and freedom, making them controlled robots at will.

Overo (2009) suggests that the coercive power of sect leaders is so powerful that anyone who is vulnerable can be captured by a sect. These conditions would be related mainly to the weakness of the self, problems of identity, duels, separations, isolation, loneliness, rejection and lack of sense of belonging. The leader takes advantage of these weaknesses to offer completely false expectations of a united group, a new identity, fellowship, altruism, strong emotions, sex, support, a great future full of happiness, and spiritual salvation; all this far from hypocrisy and everyday monotony.

What makes the sectarian leader such a powerful individual?

According to Overo (2009), the destructive leader awakens admiration, great charisma, and is attributed divine gifts and supernatural powers. Rodríguez C. (2015), identifies him with traits of megalomania, seductive, authoritarian, distrustful and mentally rigid. Resulting, therefore, fascinating and persuasive to fragile people. This author suggests a narcissistic game between the leader and his follower, who in turn has his own narcissistic needs and ends up idolizing the leader.

The sectarian leader can also be paranoid and psychopathic, but some with antisocial profiles are real scam artists.

Rodriguez C. (2015), points out that the most disturbing manifest convictions that can build a mythomania or a self-conviction generated by a split of their personality.

Psychopaths have found in the psychological manipulation the cunning, egomania and charm they need as leaders of sects. The paranoid personality of certain leaders makes them dogmatic, exclusive and indefatigable in their objectives, fighting and constantly attacking their enemy. Self-confidence builds trust in your followers.

On the other hand, Farías (2015), describes the sectarian leader as a perverse narcissist who creates links with others under the influence of his own great self, attacking the narcissism, self-esteem and trust of the followers until disarming them and convincing them that They need irreplaceably. With a paranoid or psychopathic personality, he is a proud, distrustful and aggressive subject, who can often be a drug addict, a gambler, a fraudster or a homicide.

In conclusion, the sects refer to the followers of certain doctrines or ideologies, which are separated to form a closed group, led by a leader.

The sectarian leader, with destructive tendencies, is a self-appointed, persuasive and narcissistic person who is convinced of being a kind of messiah with a mission that he usually defends with an inhibitory fervor, making his followers idolize him and show him unconditional loyalty. Converting their need to dominate in a pathological, delirious, fanatical and often criminal behavior.

By: Sofía Machacado

Bibliography

Farías, Álvaro (2015). Sects and mental manipulation. A focus from Psychology. France. Editorial Vita Brevis.
https://www.tipos.co/tipos-de-sectas/

Ovejero, Anastasio, (2009). Fundamentals of legal psychology and criminal investigation. University Salamanca editions.

National Police. Executive Scale (Inspector) (2017). Madrid. Agenda Vol. IV. Editorial Cep.

Rodríguez, Cristina (2015). The challenges of personality disorders: Mental health to the limit. Editorial group 5.

Rodríguez, Pepe (1992). When a smile is a trap: the sects, how to detect them, how to fight them. Barcelona. Francisco Ferrer Foundation.

Rodríguez, Pepe (1997). The power of the sects. Number 233 of Collection Vi. Editions B.

Robertson, Irvine (1993) What do sects believe? USA Baptist House of Publications.