Examining Mormon Mind Control w/ Luna Lindsey Corbden - Mormon Stories 1446: Recovering Agency Pt. 4

John Dehlin interviews author Luna Lindsey Corbden, who employs social psychology to identify ways in which the Mormon Church uses coercive techniques.

Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control by Luna Lindsey Corbden

Luna's website

"Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgments," Asch, S. E., Groups, leadership and men; research in human relations, 1951

Under the Influence by John Goldhammer

Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace by Margaret Thaler Singer

Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini

"Personal Revelation: The Gift, the Test, and the Promise," Boyd K. Packer, General Conference October 1994

"Attacks on peripheral versus central elements of self and the impact of thought reforming techniques," Ofshe, R., et. al., Cultic Studies Journal, 1986

"Mormon Women, Prozac, and Therapy," by Kent Ponder

Suddenly Strangers by Brad Morin

Motivational Interviewing Values Cards

Mixed Emotions Oracle Cards by Petra Martin and Kris Wiltse

Cults 101: Checklist of Cult Characteristics by Janja Lalich and Michael Langone

Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse by Michael Langone

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay

"The Governing Ones," William R. Bradford, General Conference October 1979

"A New Aristocracy," by James E. Faust, Ensign, November 1974

"The Essential Role of Grief in a Mormon Faith Crisis," The Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis

Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves by Steven Hassan

Spiritual Perversion by Steve Sanchez

"Winning the War Against Evil," James J. Hamula, General Conference October 2008

"Using Our Free Agency," Delbert L. Stapley, General Conference April 1975

Russell M. Nelson on Facebook saying members will be persecuted for their beliefs

"Balancing Church History," by Steven E. Snow, New Era, June 2013

"The Mormon Moment," by Walter Kirn, Newsweek, June 5, 2011

The Jonestown "Death Tape" (CW: Disturbing content)

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A study of "brainwashing" in China by Robert Jay Lifton

Gordon B. Hinckley 1967 quote on virtue (original source has been removed from the Church's websites)

Losing My Mind Bit by Bit: A Story of Mormon Motherhood by Pam Kazmaier

Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith by Martha Beck

The Pattern of Double-Bind in Mormonism by Marion Stricker

Captive Hearts, Captive Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Other Abusive Relationships by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias

"There is something in my past that I know I should confess to the bishop," New Era, October 1989

The Mormon Cult: A Former Missionary Reveals the Secrets of Mormon Mind Control by Jack B. Worthy

00:00:00 Introduction and recap of Parts 1-3
00:10:19 Following the group is often correct, but can override your own judgment
00:22:52 Social pressure resolves the cognitive dissonance between "I don't believe this" and "I want to fit in"
00:44:51 Self-awareness and personal boundaries as remedies to social pressure
00:51:03 Totalist groups hold themselves out as the very best; members are special as long they remain in the group
01:01:03 Everyone is equal---but some are more equal than others
01:16:51 Totalist groups invent an external enemy, which maximizes dependency on the group
01:23:05 Dehumanizing those outside of or who have left the group
01:45:57 The persecution complex cycle: They're against because we're right, so we must invent enemies to prove that we're right
02:01:48 Nonconformity or leaving the group has dire consequences
02:12:12 Creating the appearance of a choice by limiting the options
02:28:45 Totalist groups offer choices where you can't win but failure is blamed on you; the group then offers itself as the solution
02:43:23 Examples of double-binds in Mormonism
02:56:10 Totalist groups intrude into member's private lives and circumscribe solutions to member's problems
03:15:57 Past transgressions may be used against the confessor
03:34:12 Further reading and closing remarks

#Mormon #LDS #Cults #ExMormon #PostMormon #Religion #MentalHealth #Education

[shelleyrobinson]

Clear headed, concise and beautifully articulated...this is the perfect unpeeling of the last layers of my mormon indoctrination union. It's all here. Thank you John and Luna!!

[lynnwalton]

This ranks up there as one of the top 10 Mormon Stories series

[sophiakaster]

So so grateful for this series truly truly Thank you my entire 15 people family

[akgirl]

I grew up Seventh Day Adventist and was able to study my way out of the cult. When you are taught your whole life that the devil will cause many to fall away from the one true church in the "last days", leaving becomes very scary. Your eternal salvation is on the line. If you are not keeping the Sabbath after knowing the "truth" there is no hope for you. It is hard when you were programed since birth to look at the religion objectively and feel confident in your decision to reject it. This series will help so many feel more comfortable in leaving high demand religions and teaches them how to take a critical look at what they believe. Thank you

[caseyjude]

This series is excellent, I am really enjoying it!

[janetmarugg]

I bought both Recovering Agency and the companion, BITE Model ebooks. So good!

[natashapeeters]

WOW! Just excellent beauty of the words. ...

[KitKat-gwrh]

When the expectations are unspoken it's so hard to identify what's happening or explain it to anyone else. So I'm confused, frustrated, full of rage, but can't put anything to words and don't even know why I feel that way.

[arielkmusic]

Luna's work with Johnathan Streeter helped me so so so much in deconstructing the manipulation in the church. Loving these videos ❤️❤️❤️

[poiever]

Luna is a fantastic scholar. Thank you!

[kasspriscilla]

Love bombing is so addictive and in abusive relationships it's extremely hard because I had been in one and the narcissist they can turn it on and off like a light switch and it makes it very hard to leave I'm so thankful I'm not with my abuser or not living with them but it is hard to get out of dislike when you're in a church like this

[sharkofjoy]

I understand what John means when he says that Mormonism "isn't as bad" as Scientology, but as was said in a previous episode, "wanting to die is wanting to die". It doesn't matter how nicely the news was delivered to you that you should not exist and your natural being is a sin.

That being said, I think I would have flunked out of Scientology as a teen. But I could see myself being a hardcore dedicated Mormon for decades. I could have suppressed my unholy thoughts about Angelina Jolie as a kid, but my life would have been torture internally, and I would have hated being a stay-at-home young mother more than anything. Sometimes when listening to Mormon Stories, I feel like a ghost of another life walks through me and I shudder with who I might have been.

Having been very close to a group Mormons when I was young, I am shocked by all of these stories. I only ever saw the shiny happy plastic distractions they wanted me to see. These are often impossibly difficult stories to tell, but I am grateful I am able to listen.

[sandaroocompilations]

Luna is brilliant! This book is so invaluable.

[lauraoverstreet]

As a one time believer; I went to a church marriage counselor, because I had faith in them. I didnt even imagine, that theyd belittle me, and objectify me, like they did!!!

[lindabay]

I came across Luna's book in trying to understand mormons since I am a nonmormon living all around mormons in southern Utah. One of the practices of mormons that makes me not trust mormons is their "friendshipping" process. We were dropped as "friends" because we were not buying the morman faith and did not act on the invites to church. We now look at active members as superficial and devious.

[Vicia]

I remember being 6 or 7 and wishing I could die (in a car accident or something hopefully painless) before I was baptized as I'd heard those that died before they could be baptized (anyone under 8) would automatically go to the celestial kingdom. I wasn't depressed or bullied...just religious scrupulosity.

[sjordan]

Even if one does not consider the breakdown of coercive techniques, people who are mentally healthy, living happy lives without major challenges/hardships, are far more difficult to lure into cults than those who are not. They are also better able to think logically than submit to any kind of pressure, or be in need of material and/or financial help.

[kathrynclass]

This is my second time through this episode and this question popped up again for me, what exactly constitutes “true motherhood”? Some of the phrases the church leaders use are so loaded with vague but important sounding words. “True motherhood” strikes me as one of those. Women will fill in the meaning of that, and you know it’s going to be something that is lofty, probably unattainable for that person because we are always fed messages that we could be doing more and doing it better than we are now. Someone could take it to mean bearing biological children and that’s super problematic too, so emotionally harmful.

[pattykake]

When you make people feel “Special” and therefore elite, you can exercise enormous control over them. Generally people want to be highly thought of, and will do almost anything to keep their status. “ The One True “ church endlessly feeds this narrative to members making them sycophants to the “Brethren”. BINGO. Great podcast yet again. 👌🏽

[kasspriscilla]

Test everything question everything exam do research to find out the truth about what that organization believes in or does it is your right to have freedom of choice