Social Psychology

Class Set #______

Social Psychology

Cult Essay

In this essay you will be looking at a destructive cult that you choose from the following list and applying the learning we have done so far this semester in analyzing the destructive cult.

List of destructive Cults

 Heaven’s Gate  Order of The Solar Temple  Branch Davidians  People’s Temple  Aum Shinrikyo  Manson Family  Unification Church  Church of Bible Understanding  If you have an idea for a cult to research you will need instructor approval.

You will need to initially answer the following questions as background research

 Who joins destructive cults?

 How did the destructive cult you are researching form?

 What are the beliefs and/or world views of the cult?

 How were members recruited?

 What was the background of the leader?

 What did the cult do and what’s their story?

After you have answered these questions you will then need to apply the concepts and specific studies we have learned about in class in your analysis of the destructive cult. These include:

 Foot-in-the-door phenomenon  Group Think  In Group-Out Group  Conformity  Obedience  Authority  Learned Helplessness  Cognitive Dissonance  Attribution Theory  Self Fulfilling Prophesy

This is a formal essay that will require proper MLA citation and a bibliography. You can use information and handouts that you have received in class.

Length of papers is an arbitrary thing. Many times when students are told how long a paper must be they simply try and fill that requirement. It is much more important to me that you meet the thinking and analyzing requirements then just try and meet a length requirement. That being said, it would not be possible to meet the expectations of the paper in under 5 – 8 pages.

The Due Date and other information that may prove useful to your essay may be found on my teacher webpage. http://www.tumwater.k12.wa.us//Domain/594

The webpage is easily accessible through the BHHS homepage.