Six Ways to Cult-Proof Yourself

Dwight tried so hard to start a cult.

We know the stories. There are thousands of them. Rational, well-educated people suddenly or slowly being co-opted into cult-like groups and movements.

Sheesh, Justin. That’s a heavy topic for a Monday.

Yeah, probably.

So I first want to acknowledge that “cult” is a loaded word. It carries with it a lot of variable contexts based on our individual experiences and biases. Consider this … when you read the word, what image came to mind?

For the sake of this discussion, I’m defining a cult as any group or movement that encourages low conscious thinking and behavior. Based on that definition, a cult could be a business, a religious group, a political movement, a sports team and/ or celebrity fan base — and even a family dynamic.

The analysis of why and how one becomes part of a cult is fascinating. However, I want to focus on this …

How do we cult-proof ourselves?

Here are six concepts to consider:

1. Know who you are. Many of us have not done the work to find out who we truly are. We are frequently a composite of our childhood experiences, social/group norms and general social conditioning. As such, we get our identities from our roles and skills; from the group we belong to. This creates a gap between the illusory…