Wow... just spent a few hours researching psychopaths, wondering "Could a GROUP be classified as psychopathic?" I came here to post about it and see your post, Moshe.
Much has been written about the psychopathic leanings of the founders of the Watchtower religion and the resultant cost in wasted human lives.
I was thinking about the psychopathic leanings of the entire organization...the structure, the members, all of it.
I think that organizations CAN be psychopathic, though I can't find much research on it yet.
Doesn't 'psychopathic' describe Jehovah's Witnesses, both as individual members of their group and as a group?
They wear a mask of charm to get what they want: converts.
They have no empathy for people who they feel threaten the group identity.
They will cut off their own Mother or Father or child quickly and cleanly.
They will be vicious in emotionally abusing those that threaten the group or how great the group looks.
They rationalize their abuse of others.
They have a grandios vision of themselves. They believe themselves to be the best religion in the world and they believe themselves to be the most knowlegable about the Bible of any people in the world, they believe they are the most rightous people in the world, the most honest people in the world, they believe themselves to be the most pure, the most GOOD, and on and on and on. They are the BEST. Period.
They lie and manipulate to gain converts or to look good to the outside world.
They have no remorse for pain caused to outsiders.
They often appear arrogant, opinionated, domineering, and cocky.
no respect for the differing opinions of others.
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It's almost like if you drop normal a person into the Witnesses, they qualify as a psychopath. You take them out, they don't.