Book review of Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems, 2nd ed

Abstract

In Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems , Alexandra Stein draws on her own experience living in a cult, interviews with other former cult followers, and psychological theories of attachment to explain why individuals fall under the complete control of totalist systems. Mapping out the steps of totalist control from recruitment to indoctrination, Stein sheds light on how average individuals can be radically manipulated by extreme groups to completely submit their lives and even perform acts of violence. In the second edition of this book, Stein builds on her research by including recent insights on political extremism and totalitarian states. She explores a range of totalist systems, from political cults like the Newman Tendency, to totalitarian regimes, such as Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge and Mao’s Communist Party in China. While these totalist systems operate at different scales, Stein points out their commonalities in brainwashing and isolating subjects. Stein