Best Posts in Thread: Was the GMA a cult? Twomoo takes the BITE Test

Amyways for those of you who dont know, the BITE test is a test for determining if a group is a cult/has cult like behaviour. BITE stands for behaviour, information, thinking and emotions. Anyways here are the results for the GMA. (Apologies for the poor formating.)

Behavior:

1. Regulate individual’s physical reality

-Yes, towns physical makeups were changed

2. Dictate where, how, and with whom the member lives and associates or isolates

-town locations were often forced and significant expansion almost always needed permission from me

3. When, how and with whom the member has sex

-Not applicable

4. Control types of clothing and hairstyles

-Not applicable

5. Regulate diet - food and drink, hunger and/or fasting

-Not applicable

6. Manipulation and deprivation of sleep

-Not applicable however some members may have stayed up late

7. Financial exploitation, manipulation or dependence

-Absolutely

8. Restrict leisure, entertainment, vacation time

-Some, leisure time was often requested to be used to grow the gma

9. Major time spent with group indoctrination and rituals and/or self indoctrination including the Internet

-Significant time was devoted to keeping up with the community however rituals, not so much

10. Permission required for major decisions

-Yes

11. Thoughts, feelings, and activities (of self and others) reported to superiors

-Yes

12. Rewards and punishments used to modify behaviors, both positive and negative

-Yes

13. Discourage individualism, encourage group-think

-Yes

14. Impose rigid rules and regulations

-To an extent

15. Instill dependency and obedience

-Lots, much of the model was based on dependency

16. Threaten harm to family and friends

-No and not applicable however applying it to town staff, town staff were often “reclaimed” from ex gma towns

17. Force individual to rape or be raped

No, and not applicable

18 Encourage and engage in corporal punishment

-No and not very applicable

Information:


1. Deception:
a. Deliberately withhold information

-Yes

b. Distort information to make it more acceptable

-Yes

c. Systematically lie to the cult member.

-Yes

2. Minimize or discourage access to non-cult sources of information, including:
a. Internet, TV, radio, books, articles, newspapers, magazines, other media

-Not applicable

b.Critical information

-Yes

c. Former members

-Yes

d. Keep members busy so they don’t have time to think and investigate

-No

e. Control through cell phone with texting, calls, internet tracking

-No

3. Compartmentalize information into Outsider vs. Insider doctrines
a. Ensure that information is not freely accessible

-Somewhat

b.Control information at different levels and missions within group

-Somewhat

c. Allow only leadership to decide who needs to know what and when

-Yes

4. Encourage spying on other members
a. Impose a buddy system to monitor and control member

-No

b.Report deviant thoughts, feelings and actions to leadership

-Yes

c. Ensure that individual behavior is monitored by group

-Yes

5. Extensive use of cult-generated information and propaganda, including:
a. Newsletters, magazines, journals, audiotapes, videotapes, YouTube, movies and other media

-No

b.Misquoting statements or using them out of context from non-cult sources

-Not that i can recall

6. Unethical use of confession
a. Information about sins used to disrupt and/or dissolve identity boundaries

-No

b. Withholding forgiveness or absolution

-No

c. Manipulation of memory, possible false memories

-Yes

Thoughts:


1. Require members to internalize the group’s doctrine as truth
a. Adopting the group's ‘map of reality’ as reality

-Yes

b. Instill black and white thinking

-Yes

c. Decide between good vs. evil

-Yes

d. Organize people into us vs. them (insiders vs. outsiders)

-Yes

2.Change person’s name and identity

-Towns to some extent but overall, no

3. Use of loaded language and clichés which constrict knowledge, stop critical thoughts and reduce complexities into platitudinous buzz words

-No

4. Encourage only ‘good and proper’ thoughts

-Somewhat

5. Hypnotic techniques are used to alter mental states, undermine critical thinking and even to age regress the member

-No and only somewhat applicable

6. Memories are manipulated and false memories are created

-Somewhat

7. Teaching thought-stopping techniques which shut down reality testing by stopping negative thoughts and allowing only positive thoughts, including:
a. Denial, rationalization, justification, wishful thinking

-Yes

b. Chanting
c. Meditating
d. Praying
e. Speaking in tongues
f. Singing or humming

-No for the others

8. Rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism

-Somewhat

9. Forbid critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy allowed

-Mostly

10. Labeling alternative belief systems as illegitimate, evil, or not useful

-Mostly

Emotions:


1. Manipulate and narrow the range of feelings – some emotions and/or needs are deemed as evil, wrong or selfish

-No

2. Teach emotion-stopping techniques to block feelings of homesickness, anger, doubt

-No

3. Make the person feel that problems are always their own fault, never the leader’s or the group’s fault

-No/Barely

4. Promote feelings of guilt or unworthiness, such as
a. Identity guilt

-No

b. You are not living up to your potential

-Somewhat

c. Your family is deficient

-Not applicable

d. Your past is suspect

-Barely

e. Your affiliations are unwise

-Sometimes

f. Your thoughts, feelings, actions are irrelevant or selfish

-No

g. Social guilt

-Somewhat

h. Historical guilt

-Somewhat

5. Instill fear, such as fear of:
a. Thinking independently

-No

b. The outside world

-Somewhat

c. Enemies

-Yes

d. Losing one’s salvation

-No

e. Leaving or being shunned by the group

-Yes

f. Other’s disapproval

-Mostly

6. Extremes of emotional highs and lows – love bombing and praise one moment and then declaring you are horrible sinner

-No

7. Ritualistic and sometimes public confession of sins

-Barely

8. Phobia indoctrination: inculcating irrational fears about leaving the group or questioning the leader’s authority
a. No happiness or fulfillment possible outside of the group
-Barely


b. Terrible consequences if you leave: hell, demon possession, incurable diseases, accidents, suicide, insanity, 10,000 reincarnations, etc.

-Yes

c. Shunning of those who leave; fear of being rejected by friends, peers, and family

-Yes

d. Never a legitimate reason to leave; those who leave are weak, undisciplined, unspiritual, worldly, brainwashed by family or counselor, or seduced by money, sex, or rock and roll

-Yes

e. Threats of harm to ex-member and family


-Somewhat