I found Cialdini's "Influence" to be one of the most valuable books I have ever read. While most want to heap praise on Cialdini's ability to help us understand compliance techniques used in a business context -Marketing, I'd like to focus on the insight It provides in terms of the psychological and mental manipulation used by cults. Indeed, even Cialdini Provides examples dealing with Jim Jones' Peoples Temple, and the Hare Krishnas. As a former cult member myself (Maharaji's Elan Vital-formerly known as Divine Light Mission), I felt the book really helped me in gaining a greater understanding of how the process of the cult's mental manipulation Took hold in my life. And in fact, understanding, I'm able to regain at least some of the freedom That I lost in the cult. The freedom to say yes When I want to. The freedom to say no when i want to. Most of all ... the freedom to be myself. My thanks to Robert Cialdini!
