The case of Elizabeth Smart:
Was she "brainwashed?"
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During the late 1990s and early 2000s, belief in the reality of
brainwashing by religious cults was gradually diminishing. Academic
researchers in the field determined that belief in
brainwashing had no grounding in reality. Then, the recovery of
Elizabeth Smart, a kidnap victim, returned the topic to front-page
headlines.
Elizabeth Smart, 14, of Salt Lake City, UT, was kidnapped in 2002-JUN-5,
allegedly by "Emmanuel" (Brian David Mitchell) and his wife Wanda Barzee.
Elizabeth is a member of a Mormon family affiliated with the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mitchell
is an ex-communicated Mormon. He considers himself the prophet of God,
and is the founder of his own fundamentalist Mormon splinter group which consisted only
of himself and Barzee. He allegedly believes that he received a revelations
from God instructing him to take seven more wives. Like many other Mormon
break-away sects, his "group" advocates a return to the original teachings
of founder Joseph Smith; they consider the practice of polygyny to be of
prime importance in this life and the next.
Smart was rescued on 2003-MAR-12. Mitchell and Barzee were charged on
2003-MAR-18 with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and
aggravated burglary. They also received charges of aggravated burglary and
attempted aggravated kidnapping for allegedly attempting to kidnap Smart's
cousin in 2002-JUL. As of 2004-JUN, The judge has declared Barzee
incompetent to stand trial. Mitchell's trial is proceeding.
5
Beliefs of representatives from the anti-cult movement:
Anti-cult leaders, such as Rick Ross and Steven Hassan, subsequently
appeared on media talk shows. They claimed that Elizabeth's case is similar
to that of Patty Hearst who they believe involuntarily converted to the
beliefs of the Symbionese Liberation Front (SLA) during brainwashing.
They drew parallels to what they assert are techniques commonly used by
religious cults to involuntarily convert their recruits. They see victims of
such brainwashing as having lost their personal autonomy and free will. They
are reduced to almost a zombie-like state. Elizabeth Smart's father agrees
with this assessment. 1
Paul Martin, is a mental-health counselor and a founder of the
Wellspring Retreat & Resource Center, near Athens CT. He said: "For
every Elizabeth Smart out there, I can tell you there are probably 100,000 a
year that don't go reported. There are 100,000 teen-agers that join groups
like that, maybe not as bizarre but equally destructive....These are serial
killers of the soul. It's a national tragedy.''
Rick Ross is founder of the Ross Institute, which specializes in
reporting on mind control and cult activity. He commented: "All a cult requires is a
leader and at least one follower...Based on his 27-page manifesto and his
behavior, it's clear that Brian Mitchell saw himself as a leader and was
attempting to gather a cult following....He was largely a failure. He had
only one dedicated follower (Barzee). I think it could be said he simply did
not have the charisma and skill to do either.'' Whoever held Smart has
an instinct for mind control, Ross said: "He understood the importance of
isolation. He controlled her within a kind of bubble, like a world within a
world. ...Basically, he totally monopolized Elizabeth's conversation, her
interaction with others, cutting her off from her family, friends, community
and church. ...We don't admit how we rely on others for what's going on in
our lives.'' 2
In support of their brainwashing theory, investigators found that, while
under the control of Mitchell and Barzee, Elizabeth Smart walked around
freely close to her neighborhood without trying to regain her freedom. When
she was rescued, she denied her identity. When she
finally admitted who she was, here only concern was for the welfare of her
captors. 4
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Beliefs of academic researchers:
The brainwashing theory was found to be a propaganda device created by
the CIA to explain conversions of a small percentage of American POWs during
the Korean War. Twenty-year-long studies of brainwashing conducted by the
CIA and U.S. Defense Department starting in the early 1950s were complete
failures. After studying the coercive treatment of American prisoners of war
by the Communist Chinese and North Korean armies, researchers found that the
11 American POWs out of a population of 3,000 who converted to Communism and
a larger number who made anti-American statements were influenced by
programs involving fear, force, torture, and duress, rather than
brainwashing.
One researcher, Professor James T. Richardson of the University of
Nevada, claims that both Elizabeth Smart and Patty Hearst were subjected to
physical coercion and control by their kidnappers. Their experiences were
unrelated to those of recent willing converts to NRMs.
According to Dick Anthony, a research and forensic psychologist
specializing in NRMs, "the brainwashing thesis is all smoke and mirrors,
i.e. it is not based upon methodologically sound research and it does not
even in principle provide or constitute a well-formed theory that could in
the future be scientifically evaluated by methodologically sound research.
Incidents such as the Elizabeth Smart event and the earlier Patricia Hearst
events do nothing to change that situation one way or the other....On
the other hand, Smart was only 14 years old when she was kidnapped and she
apparently had had a strict Mormon upbringing. She may actually have been
predisposed to accepting the stern religious authority of the self-appointed
prophet Brian David Mitchell. Mitchell’s messianic creed is somewhat akin to
those of various fundamentalist sects that have split off from the
mainstream Mormon church, and which the mainstream Mormon church regards as
beyond the pale of legitimate Mormon theology and conduct." 1
Richard Hecht, an expert on religion and psychology at the University of
California at Santa Barbara, said: "I think to call it all brainwashing
is far too simplistic. There are powerful motives for what appears to be
very passive behavior, and they have to do with survival and the loss of any
context and connection with the outside world." 4
Noting that she was kidnapped at knife-point during the middle of the
night, Douglas Goldsmith, a child psychologist at the Children's Center in a
Salt Lake City, UT commented that: "She must have been simply terrified
throughout the ordeal, living in constant fear that he could hurt her, and
the best way to survive was simply not to act out... 4
Cynthia Berg, a developmental psychologist at the University of Utah,
said: "Here she was camping out, in very different surroundings than she
had known, living among the homeless, in caves, and clearly this is going to
affect how you view yourself." 4
According to reporter Benedict Carey, "Raised in a tradition with
strong emphasis on respect for elders and authority figures, Smart may have
had some predisposition to respect religious authority, however bizarre and
intimidating Mitchell may have been, experts say." 4
Geraldine Stahly, a psychology professor at California State
University at San Bernardino said that people who spend long stretches
of time with their captors often begin identifying with them. This is called
the Stockholm Syndrome. She said: "If they are held for a length
of time, they begin to have distortion in their thinking, to take the side
of the hostage-taker and see police as a threat...When someone has the
ability to make life or death decisions about you it's powerful...When they
show you any kindness, brainwashing is possible." 3
According to Linda Bortell, a child psychologist in South Pasadena, CA,
adolescents attempting to return to their normal life after an abduction are
often mistrustful of adults and angry at people they thought should have
protected them. She said: "These issues are going to persist, whether the
kidnapping lasted nine days, or nine months....The question is how the
family deals with them, and how resilient the child is." 4
References:
- Dick Anthony, "Brainwashing allegations and the Elizabeth Smart
abduction,"
- Mark Ellis, "Kidnapped Teen-ager Smart Possibly Held by Mind
Control," The Columbus Dispatch, 2003-MAR-23, at:
http://www.rickross.com/
- Vincent J. Schodolski and V. Dion Haynes, "Captive girl's
actions hint at brainwashing,"
Chicago Tribune, 2003-MAR-15.
- Benedict Carey, "The Controversy on Elizabeth Smart: Experts Say
Teen's Compliance Was Not Brainwashing," Los Angeles Times,
2003-MAR-15. Online at:
http://www.cesnur.org/2003/smart.htm
- "Trials in the News," About.com, 2004-JUN-14, at:
http://crime.about.com/
Copyright 1997, 2000, and 2002 to 2004 incl., by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Latest updated: 2004-JUL-12
Author: B.A. Robinson
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