Cults tend to have a TOTAL explanation for everything- everything that ever happened, everything that is happening now, and everything that ever will happen. That certainly fits Watchtower. They have a black-and-white perception of everything, they are never wrong, there are no gray areas. Either you are 100% with them or you are with the enemy deserving of destruction.
Watchtower wields the absolute power of a totalitarinism and teaches that their doctrines are absolute (until they change them, then they are NOW absolute). Benito Mussolini and fascism politicized every last aspect of daily life in WW 2 Italy, going so far as to abolish things like art-for-art's-sake and made everything about the state, within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state and any art was for the sake of the state. Watchtower does the same but calls it "spiritual." Every aspect of life should be about Jehovah (or His organization), within Jehovah's organization, nothing outside of the organization, nothing against the organization. Any art or music or entertainment would be spiritually up-building or else should be limited if not eliminated.
The members should expect that the leaders have their best interests in mind and completely trust them without question.
In the past, people were drawn to Jehovah's Witnesses because they had an answer for everything. Only in the information age and with former JW's managing to get together have those answers been easily shown to be flawed. But many members don't see that yet. To keep them from examining things, the totalism is enforced on the members. You must totally agree with everything- teachings about the past, the present, the future, the lifestyle that should now be the norm, shunning, thinking that the leaders have members' best interests in mind, EVERYTHING. Or you are not worthy of everlasting life.
Members are to be "no part of the world." This aspect of totalism is separatism. For the most part, they are "in the world, but no part of the world" unless they are at Bethel. But they still isolate themselves by who their friends are, as they should only be JW. They should limit their time with non-JW family. They should avoid birthday cake at work or school and anything to do with holidays. Basically, they are in the world to earn money to give to the cause and to recruit. The only good associations are JW's that are in good standing. They even should limit association with those that they consider weak JW's. Weakness is defined by how much a member follows/believes/gives time to the Watchtower.
A problem for Watchtower (and a glimmer of hope for us) is the lack of true closeness within this totalism. Members are afraid not to be always 100% pro-organization at all times in all situations when they talk with each other or help each other with anything. They are not really engaging with the authentic persons or the non-cult personalities of the members. Instead of freely exchanging thoughts on politics, sports, hobbies, and growing from discussions and disagreements, members of Watchtower are to be having deep discussions on "this week's study article" or points from the assembly or other things involving the totalism of being a JW. (Many have stories where they are in a car group for recruiting and they start joking around about something and Brother Elder or Sister Pioneer insists they steer back to spiritual discussions.) There are no Devil's advocate types of discussions and everyone will look to the printed material to form their opinion on anything. Conversations become superficial. There is only brief small-talk and then Watchtower-talk.
I say that situation is a problem for their totalism because it doesn't sit well with the members. It pings at their cognitive dissonance when they joke about the "pioneer stroll" or how they would like to have "that house there" when Jehovah destroys those members of Christendom. It gives headaches and heartaches to parents as they hear another lecture about the evils of sending their kids to college.
Finding and nurturing one's authentic self comes from developing your own thoughts, talking with others that agree and disagree for their own reasons, being challenged by such conversations and either thinking more deeply about why you feel the way you do or perhaps by changing what you feel when challenged.
Watchtower is going through huge turmoil right now. Members may fall in line with groupthink and trust the organization, but it will ping their authentic self or their non-cult personality. We cannot always "pounce" on every last thing as that will reinforce their ideas that things outside of the organization are "persecution" but we must at least pull at such opportunities, look for a way to discuss things that reach authentic personalities. Shunned people should probably reach out at least at family milestones, be they weddings or funerals or graduations or other important events. Try to invite Grandpa to the graduation or send a card and photo to your brother or whatever you can do at times.
Anyway, your thoughts are welcome to add to this as I seem to be finishing up my thoughts.