Plastic chairs, etc., with text file

[Guest guest]

Subj: Re: Plastic Chairs and a Big Book

Let's try it again with the file attached! (sorry)

, Bette et al,

There is a very interesting article written by Jan Groenveld (Internet

Address: py101663@... Fidonet Address : 3:640/316 © Cult

Awareness & Information Centre, PO Box 2444, Mansfield 4122, Australia) posted

on the Internet at http://www.saber.net/~walter/cults.htm. Everyone who has

ever been coerced into going to an AA meeting ought to read it. Hopefully some

of the " lurkers " on this list will look at it too. It would probably make them

uncomfortable.

In his article, entitled " Social Psychology and Group Dynamics, " Groenveld

describes psychologist Leon Festinger's " Cognitive Dissonance Theory. " The

three components he describes are: " CONTROL OF BEHAVIOR " - " CONTROL OF

THOUGHTS " and " CONTROL OF EMOTIONS "

Each component has a powerful effect on the other two: CHANGE ONE AND THE

OTHERS WILL TEND TO FOLLOW. When all three change, the individual undergoes a

complete change. Festinger summarized the basic principle: " If you change a

person's behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the

dissonance. When there is a conflict between thoughts, feelings or behavior,

then those in conflict will change to minimize the contradiction. This is

because a person can only tolerate a certain amount of discrepancy between

these components which make up his identity. In cults this dissonance is

created to exploit and control them. "

Let's say a person is forced into AA by the courts or by his family or for

whatever reason, and the first thing that happens to him is

that the group begins to try to change his behavior. I am speaking from

personal experience here. Ever heard of " 90 meetings in 90 days " ?

Groenveld's article describes exactly what usually happens next. Groenveld

uses the Jehovah Witnesses as an example of how this theory operates (perhaps

he had personal experience with them), but as I read it, all I could think of

was how it completely describes the way AA works. I have never read anything

that laid it out so simply. It makes you want to smack your forehead and go

" duh! "

I have attached the article as a text file called " HowAA works " , for anyone

who's interested, or you can go check it out yourself at the above-mentioned

website.

Henders

" Keep on Thinking Free "

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[Guest guest]

Thanks, Henders, for the text file.

Bette

In a message dated 11/15/1998 3:47:12 PM Eastern Standard Time,

Henders88@... writes:

> There is a very interesting article written by Jan Groenveld (Internet

> Address: py101663@... Fidonet Address : 3:640/316 © Cult

> Awareness & Information Centre, PO Box 2444, Mansfield 4122, Australia)

> posted

> on the Internet at http://www.saber.net/~walter/cults.htm. Everyone who has

> ever been coerced into going to an AA meeting ought to read it. Hopefully

> some

> of the " lurkers " on this list will look at it too. It would probably make

> them

> uncomfortable.

>

> In his article, entitled " Social Psychology and Group Dynamics, " Groenveld

> describes psychologist Leon Festinger's " Cognitive Dissonance Theory. " The

> three components he describes are: " CONTROL OF BEHAVIOR " - " CONTROL OF

> THOUGHTS " and " CONTROL OF EMOTIONS "

>

> Each component has a powerful effect on the other two: CHANGE ONE AND THE

> OTHERS WILL TEND TO FOLLOW. When all three change, the individual undergoes

> a

> complete change. Festinger summarized the basic principle: " If you change

a

> person's behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the

> dissonance. When there is a conflict between thoughts, feelings or

behavior,

> then those in conflict will change to minimize the contradiction. This is

> because a person can only tolerate a certain amount of discrepancy between

> these components which make up his identity. In cults this dissonance is

> created to exploit and control them. "

>

> Let's say a person is forced into AA by the courts or by his family or for

> whatever reason, and the first thing that happens to him is

> that the group begins to try to change his behavior. I am speaking from

> personal experience here. Ever heard of " 90 meetings in 90 days " ?

>

> Groenveld's article describes exactly what usually happens next. Groenveld

> uses the Jehovah Witnesses as an example of how this theory operates (

> perhaps

> he had personal experience with them), but as I read it, all I could think

> of

> was how it completely describes the way AA works. I have never read

anything

> that laid it out so simply. It makes you want to smack your forehead and go

> " duh! "

>

> I have attached the article as a text file called " HowAA works " , for anyone

> who's interested, or you can go check it out yourself at the above-

mentioned

> website.

>

> Henders

>

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