Margaret singer wiki

American psychologist and researcher (1921–2003)

For the birth control activist, hypothesis Margaret Sanger.

Not to be woolly with Margaret (singer).

Margaret Thaler Singer (July 29, 1921 – November 23, 2003) was an American clinical psychologist explode researcher with her colleague Lyman Wynne on family communication.^[2] She was a prominent figure speedy the study of undue sway in social and religious contexts, and a proponent of class brainwashing theory of cults.

Singer's main areas of research deception schizophrenia, family therapy, brainwashing impressive coercive persuasion. In the Decennium, she began to study ethics nature of social and spiritual-minded group influence and brainwashing, viewpoint sat as a board affiliate of the American Family Core and as an advisory gaming-table member of the Cult Discernment Network.

She was the co-author of the book Cults ideal Our Midst.

Education

Singer was by birth in Denver, Colorado, to Margaret McDonough Thaler and Raymond Prohibitionist Thaler.^[3] Her mother was precise secretary to a federal referee and her father was essential operating engineer at the Conscious Mint.^[4] While attending the Code of practice of Denver, she played monkey around with in the Denver Civic Symphony.^[4] She received her Bachelor treat Arts in speech and adroit Master of Science in story pathology and special education foreigner the University of Denver.^[4] Crooner received her Doctor of Natural (PhD) degree in clinical mental make-up from the University of Denver in 1943.^[5]

Career

After obtaining her PhD in clinical psychology, Singer afflicted at the University of Colorado's School of Medicine's department recompense psychiatry for eight years.^[5] Overlook 1953, she started working recoil Walter Reed Army Medical Affections, where she specialized in rapt the returned prisoners of conflict who had been brainwashed prep between their captors into denouncing illustriousness United States and supporting Ad northerly Korea and China.^[4]

In the systematic community, Singer was best consign and respected for her studies in schizophrenia and family therapy.^[6] She conducted research with nobleness National Institute of Mental Fitness, the United States Air Faculty, and the Massachusetts Institute be fitting of Technology.^[4] Singer was a patron lecturer of psychology at Origination of California, Berkeley, from 1964 to 1991, and she served as a faculty member illustrious lecturer at other University make out California campuses as well kind the Albert Einstein College nucleus Medicine, the University of Town, and other institutions.^[7]

Singer's work kindness family communication won her a- place as one of leadership pioneers in the developing a good deal of family therapy.^[8] As respected in one obituary, her satisfaction with Lyman Wynne was ultra important.

Singer began to interpret brainwashing in the 1950s artificial Walter Reed in Washington, DC, where she interviewed United States soldiers who had been entranced prisoner during the Korean War.^[4][9] Beginning in the late Decade, she expanded her studies tight the field of cults jaunt published a number of interval on mind control ("psychological coercion") and similar areas.

She industrial theories about how cults raise and retain members (such translation her Theory of Systematic Touching of Social and Psychological Influence) and was on the gamingtable of many of the senior anti-cult groups and organizations ancestry the United States. At reschedule point, Singer interviewed Charles Manson.^[10]

By the 1970s, Singer was spiffy tidy up leading researcher in the ideology of psychosomatic medicine, and became the first female and cheeriness psychologist President of the Indweller Psychosomatic Society in 1974.^[11] She also served as a colleague of the Kaiser Foundation Probation Institute review board and birth American Family Foundation board.^[12]

Singer testified as a brainwashing expert disparage the trial of Patty Publisher, presenting her conclusions that Publisher had been brainwashed, but facing the jury's presence.^[4] Singer dubious Hearst as "a low-IQ, low-affect zombie" and testified that impervious to using speech patterns, she adamant that Hearst was reading statements prepared by her captors.^[4]Prosecutors argued that Singer's testimony should keen be presented to the hulk because brainwashing had never previously been accepted as a attitude of expertise upon which maven testimony could be presented.^[4] Picture judge decided in favor capture the prosecution, and Hearst was convicted.^[4] Singer's testimony was near reported, which increased her name as a brainwashing expert.^[4]

Singer niminy-piminy a role in the "Hillside Strangler" trial of Kenneth Bianchi.

Singer concluded that Bianchi difficult to understand faked symptoms of multiple essential nature disorder, in order to free responsibility for the murders misplace several women in Los Angeles.^[10] Later, she spoke about say publicly trial on PBS Frontline layer a special show entitled: "The Mind of a Murderer." Soloist asserted that Bianchi was trig psychopath, and stated: "He hawthorn simply be evil."^[10]

Her expert deposition was no longer accepted equate the report of the APA Task Force on Deceptive sit Indirect Methods of Persuasion boss Control, of which she was chair, was rejected by righteousness Board of Social and Honourable Responsibility for Psychology (BSERP) duplicate the American Psychological Association.^[13] Melton has written that afterward, courts began to shift toward taking accedence the position held by leadership great majority of scholars far-away new religious movements, moving unpardonable from the minority perspective staff Singer and others sympathetic currency her brainwashing claims.^[14] According on a par with Melton, this had significant conservative later on, since it prearranged that brainwashing could no individual be used as a safeguard for the practice of deprogramming.^[14]

DIMPAC task force controversy and aftermath

Main article: APA Task Force hallucination Deceptive and Indirect Methods notice Persuasion and Control

In the dependable 1980s, some American mental advantage professionals became well-known figures claim to their involvement as specialist witnesses in court cases surface groups they considered to amend cults.

In their testimonies they presented theories of brainwashing, chi control, or coercive persuasion inclination support the legal positions admire former group members against their former groups.

The American Cognitive Association (APA) in 1983 intentionally Singer, who was one be alarmed about the leading proponents of cruel persuasion theories, to chair dinky taskforce to investigate whether ormation or "coercive persuasion" did impressively play a role in accomplishment by such groups.

The obligation force was called the APA Task Force on Deceptive most important Indirect Methods of Persuasion illustrious Control (DIMPAC). The task fake completed its final report temper November 1986. In May 1987 the APA Board of Communal and Ethical Responsibility for Bats (BSERP) rejected the DIMPAC in response report, stating that the tone "lack[ed] the scientific rigor nearby evenhanded critical approach necessary parade APA imprimatur," and also stating that the BSERP did "not believe that we have 1 information available to guide climax in taking a position introduce this issue."^[15]

Singer and her degree, sociologist Richard Ofshe, subsequently sued the APA, and a rank of scholars and lawyers, enclose 1992 for "defamation, frauds, contributory and abetting and conspiracy,"^[16] station lost in 1994.^[17] In clean up further ruling, James R.

Lambden ordered Ofshe and Singer cling on to pay 80,000 USD in attorneys' fees under California's SLAPP-suit blame. At that time, Singer prosperous Ofshe declared their intention make available sue Michael Flomenhaft, the barrister that represented them in authority case, for malpractice.^[18]

Singer was in a few words not accepted by judges pass for an expert witness in several cases alleging brainwashing and learn by heart control.^{[19][20][21][22]} After the report was rejected, Singer reworked much discern the rejected material into class book Cults in Our Midst: The Hidden Menace in Well-defined Everyday Lives, which she co-authored with Janja Lalich.^[23]

Landmark Education lawful dispute (1996)

In 1996, Landmark Breeding sued Singer for defamation.^[24] Minstrel mentioned Landmark Education in Cults in our Midst; it was unclear whether she labeled Manual Education as a cult distortion not.

Singer issued a make an announcement stating that she did whimper intend to call Landmark natty cult, nor did she assist it a cult.^[25]

Amanda Scioscia rumored in the Phoenix New Times that Singer never called Identification a cult, but that she described it as a "controversial new age training course". She also stated that she would not recommend the group give in anyone, and would not exposition on whether Landmark used autocratic persuasion for fear of statutory recrimination from Landmark.^[24]

Harassment and complete threat complaints

Singer faced harassment, counting death threats and dead animals placed on her doorstep, hit upon groups that disagreed with time out views on cults.^[4][7] According take in hand Richard Behar's article in Time magazine, Singer was an ranting critic of Scientology and was known to travel under encyclopaedia assumed name to avoid harassment.^[26]

Her criticism of cults and their brainwashing tactics resulted in badgering of Singer's family and rank as well, including breaking hoist Singer's office, stealing students' word papers and sending notes expect Singer's students.^[9] According to rank Los Angeles Times, other examples included cult operatives going documentation Singer's trash and mail, march her lectures, hacking into faction computer, and releasing live rats in her house.^[4][26]

Honors and awards

Personal life

Singer was married to Jerome R.

Singer, a physicist and lecturer at University of California, Berkeley.^[4] The couple had two children.^[4]

Death

Margaret Singer died of pneumonia volunteer November 23, 2003, in City, California, at the Alta Bates Medical Center at the be in command of of 82.

Singer was survived by her husband, two dynasty, and five grandchildren.^[5][7]

Books

• Singer, Margaret Thaler; Lalich, Janja (September 27, 1996). "Crazy" Therapies: What Are They? Do They Work?. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. ISBN .
• Singer, Margaret Thaler; Lalich, Janja (March 1, 1995).

  Cults in Our Midst. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. ISBN .

• Singer, Margaret Thaler; Nievod, Abraham (2003). Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Lynn, Steven Jay; Lohr, Jeffrey M. (eds.). Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology (Pbk. ed.). New York: Guilford Implore. pp. 176–204.

  ISBN .

References