Group psychological abuse

Group psychological abuse refers to groups where methods of psychological abuse are frequently or systematically used on their members. Such abuse would be practices that treat the members as objects one is free to manipulate instead of respecting their autonomy, human rights, identity and dignity. In a group can also play mind games with another person that can make the victim seem like they are accepted but in actuality they are back-stabbing the person when his/her back is turned. When the victims request assistance from the abusing group it is not given.

Psychological abuse refers to practices that, simply stated, treat a person as an object to be manipulated and used, rather than as a subject whose mind, autonomy, identity, and dignity are to be honored.

Such groups can be whole countries, applying psychological coercion on their population like the Taliban-era Afghanistan or North Korea, or political, commercial, or religious groups.

Some scholars in the wake of Robert Jay Lifton or Margaret Singer have associated group psychological abuse with brainwashing or mind control and with cults. The concepts to have similarities and overlap in some places, but they are not identical.

William V. Chambers, Ph.D. received the John G. Clark Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Cultic Studies [ [http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_profile/chambers_william.asp William Chambers, Ph.D.] , memorial
He received the John G. Clark award for his invaluable contributions to the development of the Group Psychological Abuse Scale.] from the American Family Foundation, for his work with Michael Langone, Ph.D. in developing the Group Psychological Abuse Scale [William V. Chambers, Ph.D., Michael Langone, Ph.D., Dole, A., & Grice, J. (1994). The Group Psychological Abuse Scale: A measure of the varieties of cultic abuse. CSJ, 11(1), 88-117.] .

External links

* [http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_articles/chambers_william_gpa_measure_abs.htm "The Group Psychological Abuse Scale"] , William V. Chambers, Ph.D., Michael D. Langone, Ph.D., Peter Malinoski, M.A., Presented to Division 36 (Psychology of Religion) American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, August 12, 1996

References

ee also

*APA taskforce on Deceptive and Indirect Techniques of Persuasion and Control
*Attack therapy
*William V. Chambers, Ph.D.
*John G. Clark Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Cultic Studies
*American Family Foundation
*Michael Langone, Ph.D.