Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults

Cults are often seen as groups of needy, lost souls, but this book shows that normal, intelligent people can give up years of their lives to bizarre and irrational groups and beliefs. Janja Lalich's insider's look at Heaven's Gate and the Democratic Workers Party offers a new theoretical framework for understanding how charismatic cult leaders dominate their devotees. She shows how members are led into a state of bounded choice, making seemingly irrational decisions within a context that is consistent with their highest aspirations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 353 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2020
Publisher: University of California Press

In 1997, Heaven's Gate, a secretive group of celibate monks awaiting pickup by a UFO, gained widespread public attention when its members committed collective suicide. This phenomenon has often been attributed to individuals who join cults as needy, lost souls, unable to think for themselves. However, this book, written for a broad audience, challenges such simplistic formulations by delving into the complexities of why normal, intelligent people surrender years of their lives—and sometimes even their lives—to groups and beliefs that may appear bizarre and irrational.

Author Janja Lalich offers a rare insider's perspective on Heaven's Gate and the Democratic Workers Party, a radical political group of the 1970s and 1980s. Through in-depth interviews with cult devotees and her own experience as a high-ranking member of the Democratic Workers Party, Lalich develops a novel theoretical framework that reshapes our understanding of those who join such groups. She incorporates classical sociological concepts such as charisma and commitment with more recent work on the social psychology of influence and control to explain how charismatic cult leaders are able to dominate their devotees.

Lalich's fascinating discussion includes insights gained from her own experience as a high-ranking member of the Democratic Workers Party. She demonstrates how members are led into a state of bounded choice, where they make seemingly irrational decisions within a context that makes perfect sense to them and aligns with their highest aspirations. By examining the cult phenomenon in the United States and around the world, this important book also sheds light on our urgent need to understand the mentality of those true believers who resort to extreme or violent measures.

In conclusion, Heaven's Gate and the Democratic Workers Party serve as poignant examples of the complexities surrounding cult membership. Through her insightful analysis and theoretical framework, Janja Lalich provides a deeper understanding of why individuals are drawn to such groups and offers valuable insights into the dynamics that drive their behavior. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the darker side of human behavior and the forces that shape our beliefs and actions.

Weight: 544g
Dimension: 151 x 228 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520384026