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Topic: Sex, Drugs, and Cults (Read 2407 times) |
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David Lucifer
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Enlighten me.
  
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Sex, Drugs, and Cults
« on: 2003-09-20 15:14:50 » |
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I would like to propose that we hold a scheduled #vbc discussion about hkhenson's paper:
Sex, Drugs, and Cults. An evolutionary psychology perspective on why and how cult memes get a drug-like hold on people, and what might be done to mitigate the effects
By H. Keith Henson
Abstract
In the aggregate, memes constitute human culture. Most are useful. But a whole class of memes (cults, ideologies, etc.) have no obvious replication drivers. Why are some humans highly susceptible to such memes? Evolutionary psychology is required to answer this question. Two major evolved psychological mechanisms emerge from the past to make us susceptible to cults. Capture-bonding exemplified by Patty Hearst and the Stockholm Syndrome is one. Attention-reward is the other. Attention is the way social primates measure status. Attention indicates status and is highly rewarding because it causes the release of brain chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins. Actions lead to Attention that releases Rewarding brain chemicals. Drugs shortcut attention in the Action-Attention-Reward (AAR) brain system and lead to the repeated behaviour we call addiction. Gambling also causes misfiring of the AAR pathway. Memes that manifest as cults hijack this brain reward system by inducing high levels of attention behaviour between cult members. People may become irresponsible on either cults or drugs sometimes resulting in severe damage to reproductive potential. Evolutionary psychology thus answers the question of why humans are susceptible to memes that do them and/or their potential for reproductive success damage. We evolved the psychological traits of capture-bonding and attention-reward that make us vulnerable for other maladaptive functions. We should be concerned about predator and pathogen memes and the mechanisms that make us vulnerable. The possibility of modeling important social factors contributing to the spread of dangerous cult memes is discussed. The history of the author’s experiences that led to understanding the connection between drugs and cults is related.
Keywords: evolutionary psychology, memetics, Stockholm syndrome, capture-bonding, reproductive success, dopamine, endorphins, cults, drugs and attention rewards, brainwashing, mind control, deprogramming, scientology.
http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/cults.html
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Mermaid
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Re:Sex, Drugs, and Cults
« Reply #1 on: 2003-09-21 00:11:46 » |
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when is this proposed book chat? date, time..etc?
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Mermaid
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Re:Sex, Drugs, and Cults
« Reply #3 on: 2003-10-24 10:17:35 » |
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I have plans for oct 28th during the chat timings..i'll be logged on anyways..or i'll check the logs later..
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