Is your dojo a cult?
When we mention the word “cult”, many visions come to mind. There is Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of a religious group in Guyana who was photographed while inducing his followers into a trance to the famous “Drink the Kool-Aid”, which had been enriched with poison.
Your promised reward: A journey to PARADISE and eternal SALVATION.
Of course, that’s not much of a different strategy than the radical terrorists who recruit from the underprivileged, desperate, and angry ranks of the world on the promise that they will meet large numbers of beautiful women at the end of their violent journeys.
Usually, according to experts, there are several criteria that must be met before we can comfortably label a group as a cult, distinguishing it from, say, your local bridge club or the AYSO football league.
The term becomes alarming when we associate it with COERCIVE organizations that seek to diminish the power of members to set their own priorities, make free decisions, and enjoy the typical latitude of being an independent individual.
Specifically, by one definition, a coercive cult meets these criteria:
1. People are in situations of physical or emotional distress.
2. Your problems boil down to a simple explanation, which is repeatedly emphasized
3. They receive unconditional love, acceptance, and attention from the leader.
4. They get a new identity based on the group
5. They are subject to cheating and their access to information is severely controlled.
Does this mean that your martial arts dojo could be a coercive cult?
Maybe.
Sparring and confrontational force happen all the time in dojos, and these are situations of physical and emotional distress. Participants become especially open to suggestions.
Some dojos use reductionist explanations of all or nothing to describe internal states of being. For example, they might say, “Either you are IN CAUSE or IN EFFECT, and there is no middle ground” and “You are either for us or against us!”
The leader can act as an omnipotent and omniscient tribal chief, bestowing and withholding emotional rewards such as positive attention, public praise, or condemnation and marginalization. Some go out of their way to change the identities of their members by stating that “We are your family, now!” This is an attempt to change the fundamental allegiance of one’s natural and typical allies and support system from one to the adoptees, leaders, and appointees of the organization.
Obviously, if your dojo subscribes to the belt system, your behavior is closely governed by rank as well, which becomes your primary identity.
“Brown belt line!”
Dojos catch and catch?
The real test is witnessing how members who choose to remain inactive or disenroll are treated. Are those who leave vilified, attacked, decertified and excommunicated? However, are they wishing them good luck and encouraged to stay loosely connected and return at some future date?
I think the ultimate test is whether the dojo seeks and has the effect of enhancing or diminishing your PERSONAL POWER to be, act, and think independently. If your approach is to try to substitute groupthink and the goals of the leader or the collective with the rationality and personal sensitivity of the individual, you have crossed the line.
Are there good cults and bad cults? Certainly, however, don’t be fooled into thinking that distinguishing between the two is simply a matter of labeling or semantics. That’s more Kool-Aid to be on guard against ingestion.