Jonestown massacre: The deadliest group compliance of modern times
On November 18, 1978, a piece of news shocked the world. More than 900 people committed mass suicide in a remote settlement called Jonestown in Guyana, South America.
But how could something of that magnitude happen? The reasons got known to the world in the ensuing days- it was orchestrated by the leader of the cult, Reverend Jim Jones who ordered the cult members to drink a cyanide-laced fruit drink along with him to end their lives.
Jim Jones was an American cult leader and founder of the Peoples Temple- a racially integrated church focused on social justice. The Peoples Temple gained popularity in California during the 1960s and 1970s, attracting a diverse group of followers.
As Jones gained more influence and control over his followers, the atmosphere within the Peoples Temple became increasingly authoritarian and abusive. Jones employed manipulative tactics, isolation, and psychological coercion to exert control over his followers. He was known for his charismatic personality and the ability to inspire loyalty among his followers.
In 1977, media reports exposed allegations of abuse and misconduct within the Peoples Temple, which prompted Jones to move his followers to a remote settlement called Jonestown in Guyana, South America. Life in Jonestown was characterized by strict rules, surveillance, and a sense of collective responsibility. Jones exerted complete control over the residents, employing physical and psychological abuse to maintain his hold on them.
On November 18, 1978, a U.S. congressman, Leo Ryan, visited Jonestown in response to concerns about the treatment of residents. During Ryan's visit, some members of the community expressed a desire to leave with him. However, as they were preparing to depart, they were ambushed at the nearby airstrip, and Ryan, along with several others, was killed.
Fearing the repercussions of Ryan's murder, Jones initiated a mass suicide event that he had long been planning. He ordered his followers to consume a cyanide-laced fruit drink, resulting in the deaths of over 900 people, including children.
The investigations have tried to uncover the reasons for the tragedy. The mystery remains how could such a huge number of people obey the command of a person which they knew would end their lives.
The people of the cult were normal individuals with strong beliefs but with no underlying disorders that they could not decide for themselves. They were poor, uneducated and wanted their leader to decide for them. They wanted to follow him. They were heavily influenced by the charisma of their leader but that alone cannot influence a mass of people to commit suicide. Beyond these plausible reasons, there was something more to the event.
Firstly, the cult shifted its operations from California to a forest area in Guyana, alienated from the world. This was a totally foreign land and a strange setting for the members. They had nowhere to look up to other than their peers and their leader. A single member was influenced by the acts of the other members who were influenced by their leader as there was uncertainty in an alien land.
Secondly, in a cult, there always exist fanatically blind believers who are willing to obey any command passed on to them. In Jonestown, they may even have been trained beforehand for such an occurrence. They became the catalysts for actions that otherwise seem implausible. Jonestown also had a score of such blind followers who concurred with the idea of their leader and started consuming the cyanide-laced drink and forcing other people to follow the commands of their leader.
Thirdly the masses in a cult are close-knit and often are acquaintances, neighbours, or relatives. The action of a person calmly consuming the cyanide drink would certainly influence his peer who has no anchor to place his contrary belief. The Social Proof bias i.e. mechanically following what others do in a situation seemed to be the only logical option available to the masses. Try avoiding looking towards the sky when 10 other people on the street are doing it.
On another level, a member would feel against betraying the community at this important juncture. The event was the last chance to extend loyalty to the cult and an occurrence that would prove the superiority of the cult over the world.
The mass suicide was thus a reflection of not so much the dramatic personality of the Reverend Jones, but of his capacity to tap the phenomenon of persuasion through peers. He understood the psychology of the masses and their limitations to cope in alien places. He knew the ways and means to extend his influence and control the masses through the use of psychological principles of Social Proof.
Cults exist in all parts of the world. In India, we have seen incidents where followers are willing to stand against the law to protect their self-styled godman who has committed a crime against the law. The cases of violent protests around the arrests of Baba Rampal, Baba Ram Raheem, and some others are testaments to the effects of group pressure that people succumb to.
In 2017 a court convicted Ram Raheem for the allegations against him. A young female supporter openly challenged on live TV that India would be wiped off from the face of the world if her Baba was arrested. She probably was deriving strength from the anger of her peers and lost track of her words. She was arrested shortly and cried relentlessly in jail begging for mercy from the government while her peers were being charged by the police on the streets for causing vandalism.
Source: 'Influence' by Robert Cialdini
