Mind Control - Techniques of Psychological Manipulators - Steven Hassan's BITE Model

Mind control is a real phenomenon. Whilst some would like us to believe that “you” are completely in control of your own thoughts, speech and actions, the truth is more nuanced, and you won’t be surprised to know that it involves the unconscious mind.

In this episode I discuss the various techniques of psychological manipulation, using Steven Hassan’s BITE Model as a guide. My hope is that by understanding the principles of mind control, that you can equip yourself to see it for what it is, and turn encounters with manipulative people into fuel for spiritual growth.

As part of this I discuss persuasion and empathy, the role of the unconscious, modern trends in cult and mind control dynamics, subtle and covert tactics, as well as the four types of control covered by the BITE model: Behavioural, Information, Thought and Emotional control.

Unfortunately I had some audio challenges when recording this episode. I inadvertently used the built-in laptop mic rather than the studio mic as I had thought. So there is a bit more background noise than usual, but I have done my best to remove most of it in the editing and it is thankfully still very listenable. I'll improve on this for next time.