Destructive Psychological Manipulation in Scientology

Destructive Psychological Manipulation in Scientology

Page last updated: Jul 29, 2021 @ 2:34 pm

Much more detailed description of Scientology methods described on this page can be found on page Overts and Withholds and on pages related to PTS/SP Technology. This page amends, enhances and simplifies that analysis in light of the framework presented on BASIC FRAMEWORK page.

There is an excellent definition (and description of the general tactics) of Psychological Manipulation on Wikipedia:

Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the behavior or perception of others through abusive, deceptive, or underhanded tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at another’s expense, such methods could be considered exploitative, abusive, devious, and deceptive.

 

Subversion of Thinking and Perception

Ron Hubbard issued subversive tech (theoretical principles and methods) with respect to freedom and ability of one’s THINKING and IMAGINATION on the subject of Scientology and other people, especially when it comes to Hubbard himself and other authorities in Scientology.

This, on one side, has to do with introducing an idea that “critical thoughts” stem from some misdeeds (overt acts) that an individual has supposedly done to or withheld (did not confess) from the target of criticism where the response to someone’s critical thoughts in Scientology becomes to basically interrogate the person on the subject of his or her supposed misdeeds in order to “resolve” the criticism.

It is a destructive methodology designed to subvert subject’s thinking processes and deprive such individual of freedom and self-determination with respect to forming one’s own thoughts and perceptions.

It is an authoritarian and subversive method to get the subject to CHANGE THOUGHT, not through an open discussion, argumentation and analysis of the ACTUAL REALITY of the target of critical thought, but through COERCIVELY introverting subject’s attention onto some supposed wrongs with oneself. In this way, this “technology” is also used to ENFORCE EVALUATIONS into the subject’s mind of the subject’s own thinking and perception and the supposed causes behind such thinking and perception.

How can someone SEE another person if they are not free to THINK and IMAGINE whatever they want about that person?

IMAGINATION is a necessary aspect of perception. That is, without translating information into “IMAGES” (including concepts and abstractions), how could someone get to actually “see” anything?

It is the MIND that sees. [See videos from neuroscience on BASIC FRAMEWORK page.]

So if THINKING ABOUT other people is restricted, so will be the ability to PERCEIVE other people, or any target individual (or group) toward which “critical thoughts” become blocked or somehow inhibited.

PERCEPTION is about gathering / capturing and evaluating (analyzing, computing) information – basically – be it sensory information or any other kind of information.

So if someone cannot freely produce THOUGHTS and STATEMENTS regarding other persons or some target individual or group – due to the subversive tech targeting “critical thoughts” (see Overts and Withholds) – such individual will not be able to form adequate perception of these realities.

[STATEMENTS and COMMUNICATION as means of forming THOUGHT and PERCEPTION – understand the link between LANGUAGE, THOUGHT and PERCEPTION].

 

Control of Communication, Thinking and Perception – the true purpose of SP declare and Disconnection

Enforcement of fixed and subversive evaluations with respect to someone’s critical thoughts and coercive interrogations to undermine one’s ability and self-determination with respect to forming thoughts and perception is only one side of the “equation” (in terms of tech) – the other (in terms of policy) is the practice of labeling open / public STATEMENTS critical of Scientology as “SUPPRESSIVE ACT,” declaring those making them as “SUPPRESSIVE PERSON” (SP), and then initiating hostility and destructive actions against persons who were such declared.

Note that the act of labeling speech critical of Scientology as “suppressive” and initiating aggressive actions against those who engage in such speech is the actual suppression, of speech.

The threat of being accused of committing “suppressive acts” and getting potentially declared as a “suppressive person” serves as an effective deterrent to prevent members from engaging in any kind of communication critical of Scientology (or anyone in Scientology, especially when it comes to its various authorities) which, especially when combined with systematic (methodical) subversion of critical thoughts as described above, also works to prevent members from even being able to form or entertain any negative thoughts and develop perception of something wrong with Scientology. This effectively prevents members from being able to SEE what is wrong with Scientology.

Suppression of NEGATIVE (“disparaging”) STATEMENTS ABOUT SCIENTOLOGY effectively acts as a form of “mental trap” by preventing the manipulated subject(s) from freely COMMUNICATING ABOUT Scientology which in turn drastically reduces subject’s ability to clearly perceive and understand what Scientology actually is and how it works. Instead, one is made to think with “prepackaged” positive thoughts about Scientology designed to conceal its true subversive and manipulative nature.

The practice of DISCONNECTION is another aspect of this – enforced prohibition of communication with persons who have been declared “suppressive.”

ENFORCED DISCONNECTION is in itself an actual act of suppression against individuals on whom such disconnection is enforced, as it aims to block individual’s freedom of THOUGHT, PERCEPTION, and ACTION with respect to the supposed “suppressive person” or “suppressive group.” [Note, if someone refuses to terminate any relationship and communication with a person or group declared “suppressive,” such a person will also be declared as a “suppressive person” themselves.]

There is, of course, no argument that people should be able to CHOOSE whether they want to communicate with someone or not, but Scientology “disconnection” effectively deprives individuals of that choice: not only the choice of action and communication, but also the choice of forming one’s own THINKING and PERCEPTION with respect to declared individuals or groups – since when someone gets declared, EVERYONE in Scientology has to agree with such “conceptual picturization” (abstract visualization) or representation of target group or individual without having a choice and freedom to communicate with such individuals or groups to make one’s own assessment based on DIRECT OBSERVATION. [Such agreement could be understood as COLLECTIVE THOUGHT CONFORMITY]. Contact with and assessment of the ACTUAL REALITY of the declared individual or group is blocked and is substituted with VILIFICATION PROPAGANDA which then dictates perception and attitude of Scientology members. This is an exercise in direct, authoritarian control over the thinking, actions, and perception of Scientology members in relationship to other people.

This form of oppressive psychological manipulation works to BLOCK PERCEPTION of the actual reality of target individuals or groups and substitutes it with enforced imaginative propaganda. This oppression, when complied with, results in:

  1. ILLUSORY (APPARENT) PROBLEM due to blocked perception (see the appropriate section on page PROBLEMS AND PERCEPTION) – the disconnected individual may falsely attribute a sense of affliction to the declared “source of suppression” when that affliction is actually caused by the blocking of perception and communication by Scientology group authority itself who IS the actual source of suppression that also enforces a FALSE perception over the mind of the influenced subjects within the group. That is, Scientology group authorities perpetrate suppression in blocking someone’s perception and communication while declaring that the source of suppression is the declared individual or group (or some source of information) toward which communication is blocked. [Also see Mechanics of Abuse and Subversive Manipulation.]
  1. A condition of insanity identified in this project as INDUCED PSYCHOSIS (also programmed or conditioned psychosis: see the appropriate section on page Problematic Conditions).

The effect of such policies extends to effectively block and inhibit individual’s freedom and ability to form one’s own thoughts, perception, and choose one’s own actions with respect to ANY individual since the very fact of existence of such policies that can be “applied” at any moment holds one hostage in continuous, even if subconscious, fear of potential negative consequences in any form of relationship or communication that may potentially have some kind of negative reflection on Scientology. Thus, Scientologists almost uniformly only associate with other Scientologists and are prevented from developing extensive relationships with non-Scientologists who are not restrained by such Scientology “ethics” system and so can become a potential source of “negative communication” with respect to Scientology.

To take a step further, the idea that communication or information itself can be “suppressive” is used to effectively block Scientologists from access to any information critical of Scientology. Reading a book or watching a video critical of Scientology is often looked at within Scientology “ethics” as getting oneself “connected” to a “source of suppression,” and sharing any such information, especially, would fall under the notion of committing a “suppressive act” and be subject to “suppressive person” declare.

Indoctrinated into the false and subversive technology with respect to “critical” thoughts and statements, and conditioned to believe that some forms of speech or information can in themselves be “suppressive” – such conditioned subjects can themselves effectively become suppressive and destructive to the development of THOUGHT and PERCEPTION in others, such as in the course of promoting such “technology” in society and trying to “apply” it to others. In such a way the followers and promoters of this aspect of Ron Hubbard’s “technology” can themselves effectively become a “suppressive group” serving as a destructive influence toward the formation and communication of thoughts by others, especially with respect to Scientology itself.

 

BLOCKADE OVER CONSCIOUSNESS

COMMUNICATION is based on the ability to direct ENERGY and AWARENESS toward the target of communication, so when someone’s communication toward something is blocked, it effectively blocks that person’s ability to produce and direct energy toward such target of communication. Such blocking, though appearing to be applied only in specific direction, inevitably works to inhibit one’s capacity and self-determination with respect to the production and direction of energy in general, toward any reality of one’s choice. In this way, the practice of suppressive person declare and disconnection effectively creates a kind of psychological BLOCKADE over the consciousness of individuals under the effect of such practices – an authority/institution blocking people from being able to direct and exchange communication and to form awareness, perception, and understanding of their choice.

 

LACK OF DUPLICATION

In order for someone to SEE and to UNDERSTAND what someone else may be saying or thinking, one must be able to accurately reproduce, or “duplicate,” such thoughts and statements in one’s own mind. This is very easy to understand and is in line with Ron Hubbard’s own “communication formula.”

1. COMMUNICATION is the interchange of ideas or particles between two points. More precisely, the definition of Communication is: Cause, Distance, Effect with Intention and Attention and a duplication at Effect of what emanates from Cause.

Dianetics 55! (1979 edition)

1. the consideration and action of impelling an impulse or particle from source point across a distance to receipt point with the intention of bringing into being at the receipt point a duplication and understanding of that which emanated from the source point. (HCOB 5 Apr 73) … 8. the interchange of perception through the material universe between organisms or the perception of the material universe by sense channels. (Scn 0-8, p. 83) 9. the interchange of ideas across space. (Scn 0-8, p. 36) 10. the use of those sense channels with which the individual contacts the physical universe. (DAB, Vol. 11, p. 218)

Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary (1975)

Since Scientologists are actively blocked and subverted from being able to form and fully consider thoughts and statements critical of Scientology, any real and open dialog with Scientologists about Scientology itself becomes virtually impossible.

Any semblance of critical view toward Scientology is commonly met with attacks on the person’s thinking or attacks on the person’s character for entertaining such a view. Scientologists avoid or attack statements and thoughts critical of Scientology (or of themselves as people) – they do not duplicate them.

According to Ron Hubbard’s “PTS/SP technology,” the approach to dealing with a source of “antagonism” toward Scientology (or toward oneself) is to HANDLE or DISCONNECT, but since the aspects of Scientology “technology” described above effectively preclude Scientologists from considering thoughts and statements critical of Scientology, any actual handling (such as full and open communication with a person critical of Scientology in order to understand and address the actual reasons for their criticism) becomes all but impossible. In reality, it becomes ATTACK or DISCONNECT – that is, either attack the person into a state of cognitive debilitation and submission, which Scientology itself occasions in its followers, or terminate communication and any association with the person or group holding critical ideas (or really any form of unwanted or disagreeable ideas).

 

Page initially published on CivilizationUpgrade.com: September 30th, 2018
Moved to ScientologyAnalysis.com: June 20, 2020

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