by cantleave 32 Replies latest jw friends
We all know theory, that a cult personality masks the authentic. But after reading some of the cult indoctrinated posters here , I am beginning to think that they are showing their authentic personalities.
They don't appear to show any true human emotion or demonstrate any independant thinking ability, ony what they are told feel and think by the cult. Is it possible that some people are born to be cult members in order to survive?
Good question. I'll just listen and learn.
Some are naturally more subservient than others. There was a thread recently discussing the Meyers-Briggs personality type and A LOT of us who left the Borg on our own are INTJ personalities.
So if there is a personality that is more naturally prone to break away from a cult, it may well be that there are personality types that are more prone to join and/or stick with cults. It might not be a "cult personality" as we understand it from the things we've read, but maybe it is a personality that allows itself to be subsumed by outside influences.
Anything is possible. Most people develop the most emotionally, physically, and intellectually between the ages of 0-25, therefore a born-in or a less than 4-year old convert would not have had the chance to discover their authentic personality. A male narcissistic or sociopathic personality would thrive in the WTBTS, because they would know how to manipulate the system for their benefit.
The only time that you can tell the authentic personality is when you get the JW out of the WTBTS influences and doing something that they love. I know this because my Former Friend and I had a lot of fun dancing, going for hikes, blading, etc., but after a DC or assembly you could see the dramatic change in her personality as the JW persona stated exerting control.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
I don't know the answer to your question, but I am heartened whenever I see someone break free who used to come across like a 100% drone.
Sometimes people who portray the greatest conformity have the deepest doubts.
They need a safe place where they can investigate, be honest, and vent.
A slave who wants to be a slave is a slave who doesn't realize that he's a slave, IMHO.
People want to be free.
CANTLEAVE- Real, authentic human love can always triumph over a fake , masked cult personality. If a person seems to not respond to authentic real love- it's because they are mentally damaged by the cult " dissociative disorder " personality they adopted in the Witnesses and they may need professional help from a psychiatrist. Real human love is normal. Cult psychotic personalities - are not. It may be that the cult personality is so deeply ingrained that some need professional assistance to lose it. Just my two cents
A male narcissistic or sociopathic personality would thrive in the WTBTS
A bible student, that is an interesting observation, I am sure that my old CoBE was narcissistic, whether he had a conscience or not, I cannot say, but he never demostrated it.
Mad sweeny, I agree that some personality types are more suited to the cult environment. But I think A bible student makes another interesting point when he wrote
a born-in or a less than 4-year old convert would not have had the chance to discover their authentic personality
LeavingWT I think some people find cults an ideal place to operate. They can find status and control others, by a position they attain in the cult, that they probably would find elsewhere. Do these people want to be free?
Flipper I would like to think you are right, but I think a very small minority of cult members can not or do not want to grasp the concept of love, instead preferring to build relationships on a set of rules.
My thoughts are that a persons true personality can not come from outside control. While a person born in, or just naturally disposed to being subservient might seem to be naturally in the mind-set of the religion, I think it's closer to the truth that they just never had a chance to develop naturally into who they could have been. Removed from the outside influence of the controlling JW's they can begin to grow into a real person and that would be their real personality.
All of us who were born in experience this sudden and painfully late growth into real adulthood when we throw away the false belief. For some recovery and growth is faster than others, and some never fully become themselves, always remaining somewhat stunted emotionally and socially.
At least that is the way it seems to me so far.
There have been a few Evangelicals here who I think fit the Bill...
