Avoiding Cults

There are certain things you can do to make sure you stay out of contact with a cult however cults are very powerful and it can be very difficult. One way is to detect the warning signals of cult influence. This is so that you know when you are trying to be lured in to a cult so that you can prevent it before it starts to happen. Another way is asking key questions to find out whether an organisation is a cult or not. This is a good idea because it can prevent you from becoming part of a cult but also if it is not a cult you will not miss out on becoming part of a group that could possibly change your life for the better. If you are at a meeting that you feel may be part of a cult recruitment programme you need to be able to know the best way to protect yourself so you don't get lured in. You should always check if the religion of a certain cult is legal or not. This will ensure that you go nowhere near that cult as you do not want to run the risk of being in trouble with the law. If you are being bother by a dangerous cult then you should inform the police right away so that they can help you escape it rather than trying to protect yourself which may not work out. You should always try to not go live in an isolated area by yourself. Even if you are not enjoying living where you are it is never better living with an organisation as they often are based in rural areas and there is very little hope of escaping. Try and avoid people who always give you compliments and tell you what you want to hear as they most likely have a motive and just want you to join their cult by playing on your feelings.  You should also try and ask the leader as many possible questions as possible based on what they have appeared to be doing that has originally drawn you in. If asked enough questions the leader will usually panic and give up trying to lie to you. You may also have to stop looking for the perfect answer to why things are the way they are and accept a reasonable or good one. Individuals also need to try and be themselves and not always give in to conformity as cults are the ultimate expression of conformity. If people are more willing to be individuals cults will not thrive as much as they do as people will be less concerned of being associated with a group. 

Both informational social influence and Normative influence fall under the category of conformity.

Informational Social influence is when one person conforms to other to other peoples behaviours as they believe that provides information about reality. This sort of conformity comes around when a person cares truly about receiving the correct answer and is trying to be rational. For example a person may be more likely to go to a grocery store that is well known and that a lot of people go to rather than the one that may be closest to them.

ISI occurs most often when: >The situation is ambiguous/ We have choices but don't know which one to select
> There is a crisis and we have to act instantly.
>Other people involved are experts

The difference between that and Normative social influence is that this time we conform to others behaviour because they expect us to. This type of conformity makes the person believe that it will have positive consequences, such as inclusion into a group or bettering your reputation. On the other hand not conforming may cause the person to worry about being disapproved of or left out of a potential group of friends. An example of this type of conformity is if you smoke cigarettes because the people you are hanging out with say you should.  Research was conducted on this social influence by Solomon Asch using lines on cards he discovered that 76% of people tested followed the rest of the groups answer as they were not entirely sure of the answer themselves and did not want to deviate from the group.