The Cult Leader’s Manual: Eight Steps to Mind Control

Cameron Allsop

Step 5: Reduce autonomy, induce dependency

Begin to introduce rules and routines into the life of your new recruit. They can be quite random: dress, food, sleep patterns, behaviour. Remove familiar possessions. Keep your recruit isolated and out of touch with their usual networks. You need them to depend on the group for all information and support.

Many organisations use a special vocabulary. This gives a mystical quality to the group’s activities, and the recruit begins to feel that they ‘belong’ as they learn the words.

The stupefying properties of sleep deprivation cannot be overstated. A person who is sleep-deprived becomes disorientated and malleable, a fact well known to military interrogators. Sustained sleep deprivation will lead to a loss of grip on reality.

At the same time, the group should offer rewards for obeying the rules: love, support, comfort, rest. The carrot and the stick.