Losing Reality: On Cults, Cultism, and the Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry

In this slim but not especially accessible book, psychiatrist Lifton (The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide) collects excerpts from previous work, interwoven with new commentary and material, to draw parallels between cult leaders’ and demagogic politicians’ attempts to control their followers’ thoughts. The first section samples Lifton’s 1960s work on Chinese communist thought reform and adds new descriptions of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and how Lifton was drawn into the 1970s American debate between cult members and the loved ones who wanted them “deprogrammed.” The second section, on apocalyptic thinking, asserts connections between the Aum Shinrikyo cult that perpetrated the 1995 Tokyo sarin gas attacks, ISIS, Nazi doctors, and Donald Trump’s relationship to his political base. The third section claims somewhat facilely that “a quest for authenticity” and truth-telling will protect the self and society against the depredations of would-be reality controllers. The overall mode here is one of authoritatively reporting conclusions, rather than laying out arguments to bring the reader along; knowledge of history is needed to fully comprehend the sections on China; and some less-than-plain language (Trump’s “solipsism emanates only from the self and what the self requires”) may put some readers off. Even those interested in Lifton’s provocative thinking won’t find this an easy access point. (Oct.)