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Laura Johnston Kohl - a survivor of the Jonestown Massacre - was a regular woman who had just gotten out of a failed marriage, at age 22, in 1970. She joined the People's Temple. Everything felt welcoming, but when they moved to California, she started to realize everything wasn´t what she thought it would be. On the day of the massacre, the people in Guyana, where the massacre was, never reached out to Laura, who had lived in Georgetown, saying everyone is dying or dead and that she needed to commit suicide right now. This message was given to her secretary, but it was never delivered to the people of Georgetown. There are no known active participants of this cult today.

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https://forms.gle/qF33md6NFgSdfeHh9

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What is it? - The mere exposure effect is a phenomenon by which people tend to develop a preference for things just because they are familiar to them.

Example from the text: "Traditional churches do not force people to attend, or accept beliefs that are illegal, or completely outside of the mainstream. Cults use peoples’ natural inclination to find God in times of trouble, and then weaponize that to draw in vulnerable members of society."

Explain? - People in this case who demonstrate this phenomenon are being drawn into the cults because of religious manipulation. They are familiar with their religion, so they think they must be familiar with the cult.

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What is it? - Groupthink tends to be when individuals come together to reach a consensus without critical thinking or evaluation of the consequences nor alternatives.

Example from the text: Many were people of color who had been ostracized and treated poorly in their everyday lives, and they were looking for a place that offered an escape from that. In every cult, there is a similar pattern of leaders who seek out vulnerable people and then offer a Utopian, idyllic paradise as the answer. Charles Manson picked up young people who came from broken homes or who didn’t fit in with the rest of their friends. The Children of God (Family International) movement, a radical Christian cult, lured in young, vulnerable women and men, promising them an answer to their woes. Regardless of the type of cult, the leaders tend to portray themselves as an answer to whatever pain a person is facing. Those who come from broken homes or suffered abuse as children are most at risk because they are usually looking for a community and sense of belonging.

Explain? - Most of the people who were more interested in the idea of the cult because of their backgrounds. They wanted an escape, so they were less worried about the consequences. This is an example of group think, given that the individuals weren't clearly thinking about the consequences, and they just wanted to be involved with the group.

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What is it? - Any force that draws people together.

Example from the text: “The people were the attraction of the Temple,” Kathryn Barbour says of her initiation into the group. “So much of it was revolving around Jim Jones, and he was the one who was always given the credit for everything, but the people were the attraction. It was amazing to be walking into a place and have African-Americans really warmly welcoming you and talking to you, and sharing stories with you. It was sweet.”

Explain? - The people of the temple were the attraction. In psychology, the term attraction refers to something drawn to another. People were drawn into the cult by the fellow cult members. The cult itself was an escape from problems, so people were also attracted to that idea.

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https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/jonestown-13-things-you-should-know-about-cult-massacre-121974/
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https://www.straighttalkcounseling.org/post/the-psychology-of-cults-and-groupthink-by-lauren-christiansen
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46241372

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What is it? - An activity that one wouldn't normally participate in unless they were part of a crowd.

Example from the text - The whole Jonestown Massacre is an example of deindividuation. The people who were lined up to drink the poisonous kool-aid most likely would not have done it if no one else was doing it.

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What is it? - Conformity is a type of social influence that is causing a change in your beliefs in order to fit in with the group.

- Example from the text -  Decades later, survivors of Jonestown still remember being part of a church/organization that they devoted a good portion of their lives to. “The people were incredible,” says Jean Clancey, who worked on the Temple newspaper. “People who were capable of committing themselves to something outside of their own self-interests.”

Explain? - The people of the cult committed to participate in an activity, just because everyone else was doing it. As a society, we tend to do things not because we want to, but because it's either expected or we want to fit in with everyone else.

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1. Before 9/11, the Jonestown Massacre represented the most amount of civilian casualties in a single non-natural event.
2. Jones didn't die because of the kool-aid like everyone else in the Jonestown massacre, but instead a gunshot wound to the head.

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- Also known as the "People's Temple Agricultural Project"
- 906 people died from drinking cyanide poisoning - "kool-aid".

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What is it? - Obedience is

- Example from the text:  “ 'Jones could be counted on to deliver busloads of obedient, well-dressed disciples to demonstrations, campaign rallies, and political precincts.' ”

Explain? - The people of the cult listened to Jones, considering he was the leader. They would do what he said because they felt that they were supposed to listen to him.

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- Many people thought of the cult participants as brain-washed and psycho, but a lot of them were hard working people who were, " 'decent, hardworking, socially conscious people, some highly educated' ”, and “ 'wanted to help their fellow man and serve God, not embrace a self-proclaimed deity on earth' ” (The Guardian).
- The peoples temple "advocated socialism and communitarian living."

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- Jonestown was started by a leader known as, "James (Jim) Warren Jones."
- In 1965, Jim ordered the People's Temple to move to California.
- Over 900 people were killed in the mass-suicide, many of which were children in 1978.