One of the ways that control is maintained over members of a coercive group is by conveying the message that belief and conformity with the group is the only way to achieve some desired outcome. Personal happiness, salvation, world peace, financial security, emotional well being, and really any positive thing that normal individuals may consider worthy goals are held like carrots in front of believers – but alway paired with the idea that they may be attained only by following the prescriptions of the group. Any alternate pathways to attempt to achieve those goals is dismissed as ineffective, dangerous or misguided. The net effect of such teaching is that the individual is denied personal judgement and choice in establishing their own means to achieve their personal priorities. Because the warnings of choosing another way invariably include threats of spiritual, emotional or physical danger – the manipulation involved is inherently coercive and an individual must break out of these controlling narratives in order to regain their personal agency.

The children’s animated series “Adventure Time” includes an episode which wrestles with this complex concept in a way that is instructive and worth review. I have broken down the episode in a YouTube video which you can view here: