Course instructor

Janja Lalich, PhD

Janja Lalich, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Sociology, is an international authority on cults and coercion. Researcher, author, and educator, she specializes in recruitment, indoctrination, and methods of influence and control. She has been studying the social psychology of controversial groups and exploitative and abusive relationships for 35 years. Dr. Lalich is the author and/or coauthor of six books, including the now classic, Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships and Escaping Utopia: Growing Up in a Cult, Getting Out, and Starting Over.

NEED OBJECTIVES

  • Identify and explain the four interlocking components of Dr. Lalich’s Bounded Choice framework (Authoritarian Leadership, Transcendent Belief System, Influence/Indoctrination, and Group Culture) and describe how they create a "self-sealing" social system that restricts individual autonomy.

  • Outline the chronological progression from initial Recruitment (Step 1) through Indoctrination, Change, and Reinforcement, culminating in the creation of a Deployable Agent (Step 5), noting the specific psychological "carrots and sticks" used to maintain compliance at each stage.

  • Recognize cultic behaviors and "spidey sense" red flags (such as lack of transparency and restricted criticism) within non-traditional settings, including the wellness industry, workplace training programs, and internet-based communities, while identifying the unique vulnerabilities of children born into these high-control environments.

Continuing Education Credit

This course is approved for 1 CE credit ✅

Cheetah House is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cheetah House maintains responsibility for this program and its content

Course curriculum

    1. Coercion and Control: Who Is Responsible and Why?

    1. Verification

    1. Instruction

    2. The instructor(s)

    3. Professional & Ethical Issues

    4. Remote Environment

    5. Learning

    6. Participant Information

    7. Narrative

About this course

  • $40.00
  • 1.5 hours of video content

Stop wondering "Why did they stay?"

and start understanding how they were kept. Join us for a deep dive into Dr. Janja Lalich’s Bounded Choice framework.

Sign Up Here!