183. Steven Hassan - Does Reliance on Cult-like Personalities Over Reality Always end in Total Disaster

Worldwide there is an apparent rise in strongmen and authoritarian leaders, and there is no dearth of leaders who encourage personality cults. What issues arise when leaders seek devotees rather than support from citizens? There may be nothing wrong with leaders enjoying a mass following, the danger is when leaders are consumed by and trapped in the image and the mythology, they engineer for themselves, and start to make unwise, destructive decisions that impact their nations, economies, and the world. The risks increase the longer an authoritarian leader remains in power, and the greater their corrosive influence on institutions, the media, and electoral systems. Does reliance on cult-like personalities over reality always end in disaster and what motivates people to revere cult leaders? Steven Hassan is a world-renowned expert on cults, undue influence, and Authoritarian Control. He is the creator of the BITE Model and Influence Continuum. Steven specializes in recovery and strategic intervention for those people within cults. He is a TEDx speaker, the author of 4 books, as well as being a mental health professional, and researcher. ~/~/~/~/~ LINKS: https://twitter.com/CultExpert https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhassan/ ~/~/~/~/~ BOOKS: Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs by Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Press Combating Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-Selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults by Steven Hassan, Daniel Greenberg, et al. The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control by Steven Hassan and Simon & Schuster Audio ~/~/~/~/~