Thread: Recommended reading.

For anyone interested in the psychology behind MLM, gurus, cults and so called personal development courses I would recommend reading:

Dangerous Persuaders
Penguin 1994
Updated e-book 2007

Now available online as a download in .pdf format Free download here

How do cults gain recruits? Why do so many people seeking personal development find themselves becoming dependant on a powerful organisation? Are there any legal restraints on how groups recruit members? How dangerous are cults and personal development courses? Louise Samways, a practising psychologist, explains what cults and personal development courses are, how they operate, and the mind-control techniques they use on recruits. She describes how these types of organisations ensure their message is continually reinforced, and how people become unable to question the group's demands or to break away from it.
Louise Samways offers practical help and advice to the victims and their families. She also provides information about organisations that are involved in releasing members from the grip of cults, and that provide support for the families. She alerts readers about how approaches are made, and suggests strategies for avoiding them.
Cult members may be recruiting in your workplace, your social club, your school. This book will help you to recognise and resist their dangerous persuasion.

Many organisations tried to stop Publication of this book. Louise and Penquin fought legal battles and Louise was physically attacked. ( For the full story read the Preface to this online edition) "An expose of Gurus, Cults and Personal Development Courses and How They Operate". This book had to be reprinted three times in the first ten weeks of its release. Essential reading for anybody contemplating a personal development course, joining a new or evangelical religious movement, or involvement in multilevel marketing and political organisations. Learn to recognise if you are being manipulated and avoid being exploited.
Louise exposes the mind control techniques used widely and insidiously by individuals and groups to manipulate people and community values.
These reviews speak for themselves:
"This is a brave book........."
"Dangerous Persuaders is an essential weapon of illumination....." James Murray "The Australian"
"Dangerous Persuaders is a vitally important book.." Who Weekly.

Readers will also become aware of how many of the techniques described in Ms Samways' book are successfully used by online fraudsters and HYIP promoters.

Highly recommended reading.

Thank you LRM for drawing our attention to this remarkable book.

Although it is written with many references to Australia, it is as valid for any other country or culture.

This should be compulsory reading, along with Lynn Edgington's Robbing You With a Keyboard Instead of a Gun. Together they give a complete picture of the techniques and practices behind many of the fraudulent schemes we come across and are fighting against

Believe me,

people would have kittens if they knew the extent to which they are being manipulated and the psychology being used to separate them from their money.

I've seen 2" and 3" thick "how to" manuals showing in minute detail how to achieve maximum manipulation of people attending workshops, seminars and personal development sessions.

EVERYTHING, right down to seating position, lighting, music, lighting, word usage and room dimensions is carefully orchestrated to weaken the ability of attendees to reject whatever information they're being "fed"

What's even more alarming is that the "suggestions" do not necessarily involve money, although that is certainly a primary objective of those doing the manipulation.

One has only to think of the Jonestown and Heavens' Gate tragedies to realize just how all encompassing psychological manipulation can be.

Worse is the fact there are people who slavishly follow an MLM "system" and/or do everything according to the "plan," and who are inadvertently using extremely powerful manipulative tools without even being aware of the fact they are doing so.