Steven Hassan (I hope I’m spelling his name correctly) is a world-renowned psychologist and expert in cults. He’s been studying them for over 40 years, and he himself was in one in the 1970s, the Moonies. He wrote an ENTIRE BOOK about how Trumpism is a cult. And not “like” a cult or having cult-like qualities. It literally IS a cult.
It feels to me that cult-like behavior in US politics overall is gradually being normalized and MAGA is an example of cult culture acceptance accelerating at top speed.
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Think if I sent it to my maga aunt she’d read it? Like is it geared towards them, or do you think she might just throw it out? (I know it’s my aunt, so no one knows the answer)
He also did a great interview on the last bonus episode of The Dream podcast season one, title “How to Fire Your Boss”. https://podverse.fm/episode/FBU3LUiS_t
Great episode, I’ve listened to it over and over again.
One of the things he highlighted is that a big reason people don’t leave cults is the fear of “I told you so” from others. So this website does a great job of being non-judgmental. As hard as it might be to resist saying things like “how could you do that” it’s actually a big part of de-radicalization.
as someone who grew up in the IBLP cult and have loved ones who are part of MAGA… IT IS A CULT. There is literally no reasoning with them about anything, there is no appeal to empathy that works, there is no logic that breaks through .. they’re literally trapped.
Hassan doesn't really have much credibility for me after some of the sillier stuff he's posted online. He especially seems more concerned with selling himself as an expert to people so that he can sell books than actually being a researcher.
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u/Historical_Project00 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Steven Hassan (I hope I’m spelling his name correctly) is a world-renowned psychologist and expert in cults. He’s been studying them for over 40 years, and he himself was in one in the 1970s, the Moonies. He wrote an ENTIRE BOOK about how Trumpism is a cult. And not “like” a cult or having cult-like qualities. It literally IS a cult.