Environmental control is a tactic used by groups to shape their environment and dictate communication within and outside the group. It involves specialized slang and protocols to deepen connections between members. Originally developed by Robert Jay Lifton for cult movements, it can occur in other environments. Environmental control limits communication and knowledge within a group, discourages seeking information from external sources, and creates a common language and dogma. It is a tool for cult leaders to keep members compliant, but its presence does not necessarily indicate a cult.
Environmental control is a tactic used within groups to insulate members from society and deepen connections with their associates. It involves the use of controls to shape the environment in which people interact and to dictate the terms of communication within and outside the group. A variety of tools, including specialized slang and protocols, can be used for this purpose to connect group members through a common language and dogma.
This concept was originally developed by Robert Jay Lifton, a psychologist interested in cult movements and ingroup identity formation. Lifton’s discussion of environmental control focused on the tactics used by cults. He classified it as a form of “thought reform,” a tactic designed to shape the attitudes of members within a cult or similar insular group. Other researchers have since applied it to other environments that meet the criteria but may not necessarily occur in a cultic setting.
In control of the environment, a person in a position of authority uses that power to limit communication and knowledge within a group. Group members are discouraged from seeking information available through external sources, for example. They cannot talk to people outside the group or are equipped with tools they can use to discount or debunk information provided by outsiders. Challenges to the group can create a closer association with group members, as people may feel beleaguered and justified in believing ideas developed and promoted within the group.
A common and specialized language is also part of controlling the environment. Members of a group may develop their own language or a particular form of slang that allows them to distinguish themselves and create common ground. As people travel, their passwords and slang can identify them, allowing other group members to find them. Organization members and affiliates may also subscribe to a specific dogma and experience social pressure to adhere to it rather than questioning it.
In the context of Lifton’s cult research, environmental control was an important tool for cult leaders. It was one of many things he defined as criteria for thought reform, evidence that a group might try to use brainwashing tactics on members to keep them compliant. The presence of environmental control does not necessarily mean that an organization is a cult, but it could indicate narrow thinking and a lack of interest in outside information, which can be a barrier for some organizations.
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