The recent mass suicide of members of the Heaven's Gate cult at Rancho Santa Fe has devastated and shocked people around the world. We wonder in disbelief how intelligent people are led to believe that a UFO sailing in the wake of a comet holds the promise of a better life, and to believe it with such conviction that they commit suicide without regret to get there. These materials may help explain how a systematic process called coercive persuasion induces people to take these extreme and seemingly irrational actions.  

A Technical Overview Of The Tactics Of Cumulative Programs Of Psychological Coercion

Common Questions About Coercive Persuasion

Religion And Coercive Persuasion

The Influence Continuum

Criteria For Determining If A Group Is A Dangerous And Destructive Cult

For more information on cults and coercive persuasion check out the FACTNet library and archive.