Richard Kelly’s review of Jon Atack’s new book opening minds: the secret world of manipulation, undue influence and brainwashing How would I describe Jon Atack’s most recent book, Opening Minds:…? I could start with “totally engaging, thought-provoking, damning, and scary …
A REVIEW BY RICHARD E. KELLY In his breakthrough 1956 book, When Prophecy Fails, Leon Festinger hooks the reader in his very first paragraph, “A man with conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he …
Watchtower and Scientology have much in common, especially when it comes to unduly influencing new recruits and their current members. But very little attention has been given to how both groups use hypnotic techniques to create and manage personality changes. To learn …
I realize that it’s just a book, but I suspect readers will develop a very comfortable relationship with Bonnie Zieman during the course of their read. She is an exceptional writer who has actually been there, done that, and even heard “that” a hundred times. And, if someone is being shunned and shamed as an ex- Jehovah’s Witness (no matter how many years they’ve been out), as they read Bonnie’s …Healing Handbook they will thoroughly enjoy Bonnie’s presence, acceptance, and positive regard for others.
This is the third and final article in a series about the clear and present danger of undue influence in the manipulative hands of charlatans, con artists, abusive partners, and cults. In this post, we will explore positive practices that directly …
After reading my first article on the prevalence and danger of “undue influence,” I’m sure that many of you may have questioned my ability to edit my own writing. Some readers may have thought that I’d developed some strange quirk – or simply …
I am deeply concerned about the growing menace of undue influence in our society and how quickly it takes place in the manipulative hands of terrorist groups, cults, cults masquerading as benevolent religions (like Watchtower), violent gangs, human traffickers, and political cults, …
Salutary, Pathogenic and Pathoplastic Aspects of the Jehovah’s Witness Culture: Say What? By Richard E. Kelly I am pleased to share a research paper that was published this month in the Journal of Family Studies about the culture of Jehovah’s …