Misplaced Pages

Steven Hassan: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 14:00, 26 October 2024 editCambial Yellowing (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers16,039 editsm c/e← Previous edit Revision as of 14:22, 26 October 2024 edit undoCambial Yellowing (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers16,039 edits c/e; rmv another gross misrepresentation of sourceNext edit →
Line 26: Line 26:
Hassan was raised in a ] family in ].<ref name="freedomofmind" /> At age 19, while pursuing a poetry degree at ], Hassan was recruited into the ],<ref name="slate" /> and spent 27 months as a member.<ref name="sam">{{Cite web |url=https://www.apologeticsindex.org/489-cult-expert-steve-hassan |title=Steven Hassan, M.Ed., LMHC, NCC, Cult Expert |date=March 8, 2019 |work=Apologetics Index |access-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812170858/https://www.apologeticsindex.org/489-cult-expert-steve-hassan |archive-date=August 12, 2021}}</ref><ref name="hypnosis" /> Hassan was raised in a ] family in ].<ref name="freedomofmind" /> At age 19, while pursuing a poetry degree at ], Hassan was recruited into the ],<ref name="slate" /> and spent 27 months as a member.<ref name="sam">{{Cite web |url=https://www.apologeticsindex.org/489-cult-expert-steve-hassan |title=Steven Hassan, M.Ed., LMHC, NCC, Cult Expert |date=March 8, 2019 |work=Apologetics Index |access-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812170858/https://www.apologeticsindex.org/489-cult-expert-steve-hassan |archive-date=August 12, 2021}}</ref><ref name="hypnosis" />


He was involved in recruiting, fundraising, and political campaigning for the ]. Hassan was "a former Unification Church high official who was a national leader of ]".{{r|rudin|page=37}}{{Needs context|date=October 2024|reason=unless you know about the unification church what carp is is not obvious}} Hassan reported living in communal housing and sleeping less than four hours a night.<ref name="bmag" /> In an interview, he said that he believed ] was an ] and that, during the ] scandal, he and other members of the church engaged in prayer and ] to "prove their loyalty to the president".<ref name="slate">{{Cite news |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/06/steven-hassan-former-moonie-trumpism-cult-theory.html |title=The Man Who Wants to Free Trump Supporters From "Mind Control" |work=] |date=June 1, 2021 |access-date=August 23, 2021 |last=Allen |first=Rachel}}</ref> He also reported surrendering his bank account to the Unification Church, and quitting college and his job to work for the church.<ref name="slate" /> Hassan said that "he was ready to kill or die for" ].<ref name="bmag" /> His membership in the church concerned and confused his family.<ref name="slate" /> Hassan was involved in recruiting, fundraising, and political campaigning for the ]. Hassan was "a former Unification Church high official who was a national leader of ]".{{r|rudin|page=37}}{{Needs context|date=October 2024|reason=unless you know about the unification church what carp is is not obvious}} He described living in communal housing and sleeping less than four hours a night.<ref name="bmag" /> He said that he believed ] was an ] and that, during the ] scandal, he and other members of the church engaged in prayer and ] to "prove their loyalty to the president".<ref name="slate">{{Cite news |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/06/steven-hassan-former-moonie-trumpism-cult-theory.html |title=The Man Who Wants to Free Trump Supporters From "Mind Control" |work=] |date=June 1, 2021 |access-date=August 23, 2021 |last=Allen |first=Rachel}}</ref> He surrendered his bank account to the Unification Church, and quit college and his job to work for the organization.<ref name="slate" /> Hassan said that "he was ready to kill or die for" ].<ref name="bmag" /> His membership in the church concerned and confused his family.<ref name="slate" />


In 1976, after working for two full days without sleep, Hassan fell asleep while driving, resulting in a serious automobile accident that required medical care. Hassan's parents hired "]" who seized him from his sister's home and took him to an apartment. After five days of isolation and intensive deprogramming, Hassan became convinced that he had been "brainwashed" by the church. Feeling shame at his gullibility and guilt for his recruitment of others, he decided to "dedicate his life to studying cults and developing strategies to help their members escape."<ref name="bmag" />{{r|rudin|pages=37-38}} Hassan returned to his Jewish faith after leaving the Unification Church.<ref name="freedomofmind">{{Cite web |url=https://freedomofmind.com/the-truth-about-steven-hassan/ |title=The Truth About Steven Hassan |work=Freedom of Mind Resource Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708040704/https://freedomofmind.com/the-truth-about-steven-hassan/ |archive-date=July 8, 2020}}</ref> In 1976, after working for two full days without sleep, Hassan fell asleep while driving, resulting in a serious automobile accident that required medical care. Hassan's parents hired "]" who seized him from his sister's home and took him to an apartment. After five days of isolation and intensive deprogramming, Hassan became convinced that he had been "brainwashed" by the church. Feeling shame at his gullibility and guilt for his recruitment of others, he decided to "dedicate his life to studying cults and developing strategies to help their members escape."<ref name="bmag" />{{r|rudin|pages=37-38}} Hassan returned to his Jewish faith after leaving the Unification Church.<ref name="freedomofmind">{{Cite web |url=https://freedomofmind.com/the-truth-about-steven-hassan/ |title=The Truth About Steven Hassan |work=Freedom of Mind Resource Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708040704/https://freedomofmind.com/the-truth-about-steven-hassan/ |archive-date=July 8, 2020}}</ref>
Line 35: Line 35:


=== Deprogramming and exit counseling === === Deprogramming and exit counseling ===
Hassan took part in a number of "]s" in the late 1970s, but has been critical of them since 1980 and has instead advocated exit counseling.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hassan |first=Steven Alan |title=Refuting the Disinformation Attacks Put Forth by Destructive Cults and their Agents |url=http://www.freedomofmind.com/stevehassan/refuting/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212132017/http://www.freedomofmind.com/stevehassan/refuting/ |archive-date=December 12, 2006 |access-date=September 5, 2022 |work=Freedom of Mind Resource Center}}</ref> According to Hassan, he never abducted, restrained, threatened or disrespected anyone in any deprogrammings in which he participated. However, this is contradicted by affidavits from victims, and also by Hassan's own written description of a deprogramming he conducted.{{r|shupe2006|p=150-51}} Nevertheless, according to Shupe and Darnell, Hassan represents "a maturation of the anti-cult movement toward professionalisation and away from coercive vigilantism".{{r|shupe2006|p=152}} Hassan took part in a number of "]s" in the late 1970s, but has been critical of them since 1980 and has instead advocated exit counseling.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hassan |first=Steven Alan |title=Refuting the Disinformation Attacks Put Forth by Destructive Cults and their Agents |url=http://www.freedomofmind.com/stevehassan/refuting/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212132017/http://www.freedomofmind.com/stevehassan/refuting/ |archive-date=December 12, 2006 |access-date=September 5, 2022 |work=Freedom of Mind Resource Center}}</ref> According to Hassan, he has not kidnapped anyone, nor tortured, deprived anyone of food or sleep or been disrespectful towards the clients.{{r|shupe2006|p=150-51}} An affidavit from one participant, and Hassan's own written description of the same deprogramming, indicate that the subject was restrained by his friends.{{r|shupe2006|p=150-51}} Nevertheless, according to Shupe and Darnell, Hassan represents "a maturation of the anti-cult movement toward professionalisation and away from coercive vigilantism".{{r|shupe2006|p=152}}


Hassan's preferred approach, exit counseling, is also a form of family-initiated intervention, but distinguishes itself by allowing the subject to leave at any time and by adopting a non-violent, persuasive approach.{{r|langone|pages=166, 171–4}} In '']'' (1988), Hassan stated that although "the non-coercive approach will not work in every case, it has proved to be the option most families prefer. Forcible intervention can be kept as a last resort if all other attempts fail."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hassan |first=Steven |date=1988 |title=Combatting Cult Mind Control |publisher=Park Street Press |isbn=0-89281-243-5 |page=114}}</ref> Hassan's preferred approach, exit counseling, is also a form of family-initiated intervention, but distinguishes itself by allowing the subject to leave at any time and by adopting a non-violent, persuasive approach.{{r|langone|pages=166, 171–4}} In '']'' (1988), Hassan stated that although "the non-coercive approach will not work in every case, it has proved to be the option most families prefer. Forcible intervention can be kept as a last resort if all other attempts fail."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hassan |first=Steven |date=1988 |title=Combatting Cult Mind Control |publisher=Park Street Press |isbn=0-89281-243-5 |page=114}}</ref>


], a psychologist and advocate for exit counseling, questioned Hassan's ] counseling approach in 1995. According to Langone, Hassan's "Strategic Intervention Therapy" operates on the assumption that, deep down, all members of "mind control groups" want to get out of the group. In the context of family intervention, the "counselor knows best what the cultist really wants" approach contains the risk of the counselor "manipulating the cultist from point A ("I'll talk to you because my family requested it") to point B ("I want to leave the cult") while mistakenly believing that he is helping the cultist "grow"." For Langone, the fact that the counselor's assistance has in no way been sought by the subject casts further doubt on the ethical propriety of such manipulation.{{r|langone|page=175}} ], a psychologist and advocate for exit counseling, questions Hassan's ] counseling approach in a 1995 work. According to Langone, Hassan's "Strategic Intervention Therapy" operates on the assumption that, deep down, all members of "mind control groups" want to get out of the group. In the context of family intervention, the "counselor knows best what the cultist really wants" approach contains the risk of the counselor "manipulating the cultist from point A ("I'll talk to you because my family requested it") to point B ("I want to leave the cult") while mistakenly believing that he is helping the cultist "grow"." For Langone, the fact that the counselor's assistance has in no way been sought by the subject casts further doubt on the ethical propriety of such manipulation.{{r|langone|page=175}}


Although exit counseling models like Hassan's emphasise the voluntary nature of the procedure, Shupe questioned in 2011 how willing the NRM member can be when: (i) they are not actually the client of the counselor (who has been hired by others), and (ii) they are not aware that the counselor's primary, preconceived purpose is to convince them to abandon their faith.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shupe |first=Anson |author-link=Anson D. Shupe |title=Violence and New Religious Movements |title-link=Violence and New Religious Movements |publisher=] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-19-973561-7 |editor1-last=Lewis |editor1-first=James R. |editor1-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |page=401 |language=en |chapter=Deprogramming Violence: The Logic, Perpetration, and Outcomes of Coercive Intervention}}</ref> Although exit counseling models like Hassan's emphasise the voluntary nature of the procedure, Shupe questioned in 2011 how willing the NRM member can be when: (i) they are not actually the client of the counselor (who has been hired by others), and (ii) they are not aware that the counselor's primary, preconceived purpose is to convince them to abandon their faith.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shupe |first=Anson |author-link=Anson D. Shupe |title=Violence and New Religious Movements |title-link=Violence and New Religious Movements |publisher=] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-19-973561-7 |editor1-last=Lewis |editor1-first=James R. |editor1-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |page=401 |language=en |chapter=Deprogramming Violence: The Logic, Perpetration, and Outcomes of Coercive Intervention}}</ref>
Line 46: Line 46:
In 1985, Hassan completed a Master’s degree in ] at ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cambridgecollege.edu/alumni-friends/stories/steven-hassan|title=Steven Hassan|access-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607040800/http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/alumni-friends/stories/steven-hassan|archive-date=2017-06-07|url-status=dead|website=]}}</ref> Hassan studied ] and is a member of the ]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Member Referral Search |work=ASCH.net |publisher=] |access-date=February 5, 2016 |url= http://www.asch.net/Public/MemberReferralSearch.aspx}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}} and the International Society of Hypnosis.<ref name="hypnosis">{{Cite web |title=The International Society of Hypnosis |work=WN.com |publisher=] |access-date=February 5, 2016 |url=http://wn.com/the_international_society_of_hypnosis}}</ref> In ''Combatting Cult Mind Control'' he described his own recruitment as the result of the unethical use of powerful psychological influence techniques by members of the church.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hassan |first=Steven |title=Combatting Cult Mind Control |date=1998 |publisher=Park Street Press |isbn=0-89281-243-5 |chapter=Ch. 1}}</ref> In 1985, Hassan completed a Master’s degree in ] at ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cambridgecollege.edu/alumni-friends/stories/steven-hassan|title=Steven Hassan|access-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607040800/http://www.cambridgecollege.edu/alumni-friends/stories/steven-hassan|archive-date=2017-06-07|url-status=dead|website=]}}</ref> Hassan studied ] and is a member of the ]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Member Referral Search |work=ASCH.net |publisher=] |access-date=February 5, 2016 |url= http://www.asch.net/Public/MemberReferralSearch.aspx}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}} and the International Society of Hypnosis.<ref name="hypnosis">{{Cite web |title=The International Society of Hypnosis |work=WN.com |publisher=] |access-date=February 5, 2016 |url=http://wn.com/the_international_society_of_hypnosis}}</ref> In ''Combatting Cult Mind Control'' he described his own recruitment as the result of the unethical use of powerful psychological influence techniques by members of the church.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hassan |first=Steven |title=Combatting Cult Mind Control |date=1998 |publisher=Park Street Press |isbn=0-89281-243-5 |chapter=Ch. 1}}</ref>


Hassan spent several years developing and promoting a model to evaluate what he calls "cult" and "cult-like" groups. In his third book, ''Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs'' (2012), Hassan presents Lifton's and ]'s models of evaluation alongside his own model represented by the acronym "BITE": control of Behavior, Information, Thought and Emotion.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hassan |first1=S. A. |last2=Shah |first2=M. J. |title=The anatomy of undue influence used by terrorist cults and traffickers to induce helplessness and trauma, so creating false identities |journal=Ethics, Medicine and Public Health |date=January 1, 2019 |volume=8 |pages=97–107 |doi=10.1016/j.jemep.2019.03.002 |doi-access=}}</ref> Hassan spent several years developing and promoting a model to evaluate cults and cult-like groups. In his third book, ''Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs'' (2012), Hassan presents Lifton's and ]'s models of evaluation alongside his own model represented by the acronym "BITE": control of Behavior, Information, Thought and Emotion.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hassan |first1=S. A. |last2=Shah |first2=M. J. |title=The anatomy of undue influence used by terrorist cults and traffickers to induce helplessness and trauma, so creating false identities |journal=Ethics, Medicine and Public Health |date=January 1, 2019 |volume=8 |pages=97–107 |doi=10.1016/j.jemep.2019.03.002 |doi-access=}}</ref>


Hassan's view of charismatic leadership in the groups he studies is echoed by some scholars with backgrounds in psychology and psychiatry, such as ] and ].<ref name="gallagher">{{Cite book |last1=Gallagher |first1=Eugene V. |title=Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America |date=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Press |editor1-last=Gallagher |editor1-first=Eugene V. |pages=36–37 |chapter=Leadership in New Religious Movements |oclc=70668683 |editor2-last=Ashcroft |editor2-first=W. Michael}}</ref> Sociologists ] and ], who disagree with Hassan and the ], have criticized his work.<ref name="shupe2006">{{Cite book |last1=Shupe |first1=Anson |title=Agents of Discord: Deprogramming, Pseudo-science, and the American Anti-cult Movement |last2=Darnell |first2=Susan |date=2006 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=0765803232 |ol=3430653M}}</ref>{{Rp|43}} Shupe wrote that he was creating "a moral crusade" as that was how he made a living. Anson and Shupe had earlier included a piece by Hassan in a volume they edited (which was otherwise mostly critical of the anti-cult movement) to voice his side, as they considered him as one of the best working in the anti-cult field.<ref name="bmag" /> Religious Studies Professor ] argued in 2006 that theorists like Hassan take well-founded suspicion of some manipulative religious leaders and generalize it into a mind control ideology applicable to all "cult" leaders and "cult" members.{{r|gallagher|p=37}} Hassan's view of charismatic leadership in the groups he studies is echoed by some scholars with backgrounds in psychology and psychiatry, such as ] and ].<ref name="gallagher">{{Cite book |last1=Gallagher |first1=Eugene V. |title=Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America |date=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Press |editor1-last=Gallagher |editor1-first=Eugene V. |pages=36–37 |chapter=Leadership in New Religious Movements |oclc=70668683 |editor2-last=Ashcroft |editor2-first=W. Michael}}</ref> Sociologists ] and ], who disagree with Hassan and the ], have criticized his work.<ref name="shupe2006">{{Cite book |last1=Shupe |first1=Anson |title=Agents of Discord: Deprogramming, Pseudo-science, and the American Anti-cult Movement |last2=Darnell |first2=Susan |date=2006 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=0765803232 |ol=3430653M}}</ref>{{Rp|43}} Shupe wrote that he was creating "a moral crusade" as that was how he made a living. Anson and Shupe had earlier included a piece by Hassan in a volume they edited (which was otherwise mostly critical of the anti-cult movement) to voice his side, as they considered him as one of the best working in the anti-cult field.<ref name="bmag" /> Religious Studies Professor ] argued in 2006 that theorists like Hassan take well-founded suspicion of some manipulative religious leaders and generalize it into a mind control ideology applicable to all cult leaders and cult members.{{r|gallagher|p=37}}


He has also applied his cult research to politics, which has proven more controversial.<ref name="slate" /> In 2019, Hassan published ''The Cult of Trump'': ''A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control''. The book represents a broadening of his focus from ]s into political culture.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Marc |title=Review: The Republican Party is in thrall to Trump. Does that make him a cult leader? |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-republican-party-is-in-thrall-to-trump-does-that-make-him-a-cult-leader/2019/10/03/63855136-d592-11e9-9343-40db57cf6abd_story.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The author compares ]'s behaviour to that of ], ], and Sun Myung Moon, and expresses the hope that the book will lessen political division.<ref name="globe" /> Its loose usage of the word "cult" led to initial dismissal and criticism, but following ] interest in Hassan's work in this field increased.<ref name="slate" /> He has also applied his cult research to politics, which has proven more controversial.<ref name="slate" /> In 2019, Hassan published ''The Cult of Trump'': ''A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control''. The book represents a broadening of his focus from ]s into political culture.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Marc |title=Review: The Republican Party is in thrall to Trump. Does that make him a cult leader? |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-republican-party-is-in-thrall-to-trump-does-that-make-him-a-cult-leader/2019/10/03/63855136-d592-11e9-9343-40db57cf6abd_story.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The author compares ]'s behaviour to that of ], ], and Sun Myung Moon, and expresses the hope that the book will lessen political division.<ref name="globe" /> Its loose usage of the word "cult" led to initial dismissal and criticism, but following ] interest in Hassan's work in this field increased.<ref name="slate" />

Revision as of 14:22, 26 October 2024

American mental health professional, writer

Steven Hassan
Hassan in 2023Hassan in 2023
Born1954 (age 69–70)
Flushing, Queens, New York, USA
OccupationMental health counselor, author, lecturer
NationalityAmerican
EducationPhD, MA, MEd, LMHC
Alma materQueens College, City University of New York
Cambridge College
Fielding Graduate University
GenreNon-fiction
SubjectPsychotherapy, mind control, cults
SpouseMisia Landau
Website
freedomofmind.com

Steven Alan Hassan (pronounced /hæsən/; born 1954) is an American mental health professional and author who specializes in the area of cults. He worked as a deprogrammer in the late 1970s, but since then has advocated a non-coercive form of exit counseling.

Hassan has written several books on the subject of mind control and is often described in the media as an expert on mind control and cults. Hassan's view of undue influence in such groups is echoed by some scholars with backgrounds in psychology and psychiatry. Some researchers in the sociology of religion are critical of his application of mind-control theory to what they characterise as new religious movements.

Hassan is a former member of the Unification Church, and founded Ex-Moon Inc. in 1979. In 1999 he founded the Freedom of Mind Resource Center.

Early life and Unification Church membership

Hassan was raised in a Jewish family in Queens, New York. At age 19, while pursuing a poetry degree at Queens College, Hassan was recruited into the Unification Church, and spent 27 months as a member.

Hassan was involved in recruiting, fundraising, and political campaigning for the Unification Church of the United States. Hassan was "a former Unification Church high official who was a national leader of CARP". He described living in communal housing and sleeping less than four hours a night. He said that he believed Richard Nixon was an archangel and that, during the Watergate scandal, he and other members of the church engaged in prayer and fasting to "prove their loyalty to the president". He surrendered his bank account to the Unification Church, and quit college and his job to work for the organization. Hassan said that "he was ready to kill or die for" Sun Myung Moon. His membership in the church concerned and confused his family.

In 1976, after working for two full days without sleep, Hassan fell asleep while driving, resulting in a serious automobile accident that required medical care. Hassan's parents hired "deprogrammers" who seized him from his sister's home and took him to an apartment. After five days of isolation and intensive deprogramming, Hassan became convinced that he had been "brainwashed" by the church. Feeling shame at his gullibility and guilt for his recruitment of others, he decided to "dedicate his life to studying cults and developing strategies to help their members escape." Hassan returned to his Jewish faith after leaving the Unification Church.

Career

Institutions

In 1979, Hassan founded a non-profit organization called Ex-Moon Inc. The organization consisted of over four hundred former members of the Unification Church. The organization is now defunct. In 1999, he founded the Freedom of Mind Resource Center. The center is registered as a domestic profit corporation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Hassan is president and treasurer. Hassan posts dossiers on the site about organizations he has investigated or received complaints about.

Deprogramming and exit counseling

Hassan took part in a number of "deprogrammings" in the late 1970s, but has been critical of them since 1980 and has instead advocated exit counseling. According to Hassan, he has not kidnapped anyone, nor tortured, deprived anyone of food or sleep or been disrespectful towards the clients. An affidavit from one participant, and Hassan's own written description of the same deprogramming, indicate that the subject was restrained by his friends. Nevertheless, according to Shupe and Darnell, Hassan represents "a maturation of the anti-cult movement toward professionalisation and away from coercive vigilantism".

Hassan's preferred approach, exit counseling, is also a form of family-initiated intervention, but distinguishes itself by allowing the subject to leave at any time and by adopting a non-violent, persuasive approach. In Combatting Cult Mind Control (1988), Hassan stated that although "the non-coercive approach will not work in every case, it has proved to be the option most families prefer. Forcible intervention can be kept as a last resort if all other attempts fail."

Michael Langone, a psychologist and advocate for exit counseling, questions Hassan's humanistic counseling approach in a 1995 work. According to Langone, Hassan's "Strategic Intervention Therapy" operates on the assumption that, deep down, all members of "mind control groups" want to get out of the group. In the context of family intervention, the "counselor knows best what the cultist really wants" approach contains the risk of the counselor "manipulating the cultist from point A ("I'll talk to you because my family requested it") to point B ("I want to leave the cult") while mistakenly believing that he is helping the cultist "grow"." For Langone, the fact that the counselor's assistance has in no way been sought by the subject casts further doubt on the ethical propriety of such manipulation.

Although exit counseling models like Hassan's emphasise the voluntary nature of the procedure, Shupe questioned in 2011 how willing the NRM member can be when: (i) they are not actually the client of the counselor (who has been hired by others), and (ii) they are not aware that the counselor's primary, preconceived purpose is to convince them to abandon their faith.

Education and writing

In 1985, Hassan completed a Master’s degree in counseling psychology at Cambridge College. Hassan studied hypnosis and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and the International Society of Hypnosis. In Combatting Cult Mind Control he described his own recruitment as the result of the unethical use of powerful psychological influence techniques by members of the church.

Hassan spent several years developing and promoting a model to evaluate cults and cult-like groups. In his third book, Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs (2012), Hassan presents Lifton's and Margaret Singer's models of evaluation alongside his own model represented by the acronym "BITE": control of Behavior, Information, Thought and Emotion.

Hassan's view of charismatic leadership in the groups he studies is echoed by some scholars with backgrounds in psychology and psychiatry, such as Anthony Storr and Robert Jay Lifton. Sociologists Anson D. Shupe and David G. Bromley, who disagree with Hassan and the anti-cult movement, have criticized his work. Shupe wrote that he was creating "a moral crusade" as that was how he made a living. Anson and Shupe had earlier included a piece by Hassan in a volume they edited (which was otherwise mostly critical of the anti-cult movement) to voice his side, as they considered him as one of the best working in the anti-cult field. Religious Studies Professor Eugene V. Gallagher argued in 2006 that theorists like Hassan take well-founded suspicion of some manipulative religious leaders and generalize it into a mind control ideology applicable to all cult leaders and cult members.

He has also applied his cult research to politics, which has proven more controversial. In 2019, Hassan published The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control. The book represents a broadening of his focus from new religious movements into political culture. The author compares Donald Trump's behaviour to that of Jim Jones, L. Ron Hubbard, and Sun Myung Moon, and expresses the hope that the book will lessen political division. Its loose usage of the word "cult" led to initial dismissal and criticism, but following January 6 interest in Hassan's work in this field increased.

Hassan received his doctorate from Fielding Graduate University and published a dissertation in January 2021. His dissertation was titled "The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: Undue Influence, Thought Reform, Brainwashing, Mind Control, Trafficking and the Law". Hassan describes his model as an effort to measure degrees of exploitative control or undue influence and as an attempt to evaluate behavior, information, thought and emotional controls. Hassan contributed two chapters relating to hypnosis and society to the 2024 edited volume The Routledge International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis.

In the media

Hassan is often described in the media as a cult and mind control expert. After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, he was interviewed by reporters to explain his view of the bombers' state of mind and how he believed mind control was involved.

Hassan's definition of "cult-like behavior" was described by the magazine Slate as "particularly wide ranging"; on a blog posting he once compared the British royal family's treatment of Meghan Markle to a cult, saying that "any organization willing to maintain its public image by sacrificing the well-being of its members relies on many of the same psychological theories and tactics used by authoritarian cults." He also described the fitness company SoulCycle as having cultlike aspects. A longtime friend of Hassan stated that he "has a tendency in some ways to see everything as undue influence because he’s primed to see it that way", due to his victimization by the Unification Church.

Personal life

He is married to Misia Landau, who he met in 1998. She is his second wife.

Publications

See also

References

  1. Montell, Amanda (June 11, 2021). "Is The Royal Family A Cult? This Expert Thinks So". Bustle. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "Steven A Hassan PhD: About". Psychology Today. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "The Truth About Steven Hassan". Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Allen, Rachel (June 1, 2021). "The Man Who Wants to Free Trump Supporters From "Mind Control"". Slate. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "Steven Hassan, M.Ed., LMHC, NCC, Cult Expert". Apologetics Index. March 8, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "The International Society of Hypnosis". WN.com. World News Network. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  7. ^ Rudin, A. James; Rudin, Marcia R. (1980). Prison or Paradise?: The new religious cults. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-0637-4. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Elton, Catherine (September 1, 2007). "The Other Side of Enlightenment". Boston. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  9. Saner, Emine; Saner, Interview by Emine (September 3, 2012). "'I was a Moonie cult leader'". The Guardian.
  10. Lamoureux, Mack (August 11, 2017). "How Cults Use YouTube for Recruitment". Vice.
  11. "Business Entity Summary for Freedom of Mind Resource Center". corp.sec.state.ma.us. Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  12. Hassan, Steven Alan. "Refuting the Disinformation Attacks Put Forth by Destructive Cults and their Agents". Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Archived from the original on December 12, 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  13. ^ Shupe, Anson; Darnell, Susan (2006). Agents of Discord: Deprogramming, Pseudo-science, and the American Anti-cult Movement. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0765803232. OL 3430653M.
  14. ^ Langone, Michael D. (1995). Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse. New York: W. W. Norton. pp. 166, 171–175. ISBN 9780393313215. OL 26296576M.
  15. Hassan, Steven (1988). Combatting Cult Mind Control. Park Street Press. p. 114. ISBN 0-89281-243-5.
  16. Shupe, Anson (2011). "Deprogramming Violence: The Logic, Perpetration, and Outcomes of Coercive Intervention". In Lewis, James R. (ed.). Violence and New Religious Movements. Oxford University Press. p. 401. ISBN 978-0-19-973561-7.
  17. "Steven Hassan". Cambridge College. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  18. "Member Referral Search". ASCH.net. American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  19. Hassan, Steven (1998). "Ch. 1". Combatting Cult Mind Control. Park Street Press. ISBN 0-89281-243-5.
  20. Hassan, S. A.; Shah, M. J. (January 1, 2019). "The anatomy of undue influence used by terrorist cults and traffickers to induce helplessness and trauma, so creating false identities". Ethics, Medicine and Public Health. 8: 97–107. doi:10.1016/j.jemep.2019.03.002.
  21. ^ Gallagher, Eugene V. (2006). "Leadership in New Religious Movements". In Gallagher, Eugene V.; Ashcroft, W. Michael (eds.). Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America. Greenwood Press. pp. 36–37. OCLC 70668683.
  22. Fisher, Marc. "Review: The Republican Party is in thrall to Trump. Does that make him a cult leader?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  23. ^ Pennington, Juliet (December 17, 2020). "Author and cult expert talks Fiji, diving, and future grand plans". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  24. Hassan, Steven Alan (2020). The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: Undue Influence, Thought Reform, Brainwashing, Mind Control, Trafficking and the Law (Thesis). ProQuest 2476570146.
  25. Linden, Julie H.; De Benedittis, Giuseppe; Sugarman, Laurence I.; Varga, Katalin, eds. (2024). The Routledge International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis. Abingdon/New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-032-31140-1.
  26. Devenga, Chauncey (March 25, 2021). "QAnon and the Trump cult: Expert Steven Hassan on whether they can be saved". Salon.com.
  27. Hassan, Steven; Hoover, Kit; McHale, Joel (February 28, 2014) . "Radicalism and mind control". New England Cable News. Retrieved December 6, 2023. Interview. If video does not auto-load, quickly click "Reload" in top-left of video area before the page auto-loads a new video.
  28. Hassan, Steven; Burnett, Erin (April 23, 2013). "Officials: Suspect claims they were self-radicalized on Internet". Erin Burnett OutFront. CNN. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Interview. Video no longer available, but some relevant text remains.

External links

Opposition to new religious movements
Concepts
Secular groups
Secular individuals
Religious groups
Religious individuals
Governmental organizations
Individuals in government
Historical events
Publications
Categories: