Janja Lalich
Encyclopedia
Janja Lalich is Professor of Sociology
at California State University
, Chico
, known for her study of the inner workings of cults
.
She was a member of the radical "Democratic Workers Party
" for 11 years, a group she now considers a cult. Motivated by her personal history ("I wanted to figure out what the heck happened to me"), her research has focused on cults
, specializing in charismatic authority
, power relations, ideology, and social control. Lalich published her Ph.D.
dissertation on "Bounded Choice: The Fusion of Personal Freedom and Self-Renunciation in Two Transcendent Groups" in 2000. It was later developed into the 2004 book Bounded Choice
.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
, Chico
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
, known for her study of the inner workings of cults
Cults
Cults is a suburb on the western edge of Aberdeen, Scotland. It lies on the banks of the River Dee and marks the eastern boundary of Royal Deeside.Cults, known for its historic granite housing, sits approximately six miles from the coast of the North Sea...
.
She was a member of the radical "Democratic Workers Party
Democratic Workers Party
The Democratic Workers Party was a United States Marxist-Leninist party based in California headed by former Professor Marlene Dixon, lasting from 1974-1986. It has been seen as an example of a political cult with Dixon serving as its charismatic leader....
" for 11 years, a group she now considers a cult. Motivated by her personal history ("I wanted to figure out what the heck happened to me"), her research has focused on cults
Cults
Cults is a suburb on the western edge of Aberdeen, Scotland. It lies on the banks of the River Dee and marks the eastern boundary of Royal Deeside.Cults, known for its historic granite housing, sits approximately six miles from the coast of the North Sea...
, specializing in charismatic authority
Charismatic authority
The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority as "resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him." Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out...
, power relations, ideology, and social control. Lalich published her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
dissertation on "Bounded Choice: The Fusion of Personal Freedom and Self-Renunciation in Two Transcendent Groups" in 2000. It was later developed into the 2004 book Bounded Choice
Bounded Choice
Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults is a nonfiction psychology book on cults, by Janja Lalich, Ph.D.. The book was published by University of California Press in 2004....
.
Education
- Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, 1967 - Fulbright Scholar, postgraduate research, University dAix-en-Provence, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Master's DegreeMaster's degreeA master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, Human DevelopmentDevelopmental psychologyDevelopmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to... - Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, Human and Organizational Systems, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
Books
- Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships (2006), ISBN 0-9720021-5-4, with Madeleine Tobias (2nd ed. of Captive Hearts, Captive Minds)
- Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic CultsBounded ChoiceBounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults is a nonfiction psychology book on cults, by Janja Lalich, Ph.D.. The book was published by University of California Press in 2004....
(2004), ISBN 0-520-23194-5 - Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial FieldMisunderstanding Cults (book)Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins. The book was published by University of Toronto Press, on December 1, 2001 and includes contributions from ten religious, sociological and psychological scholars.The book...
(2001), ISBN 0-8020-4373-9, contributor - Women Under the Influence: A Study of Women's Lives in Totalist Groups. Cultic Studies Journal 14:1 (special issue), 1997.
- "Crazy" Therapies: What Are They? Do They Work? (1996), ISBN 0-7879-0278-0, with Margaret SingerMargaret SingerDr. Margaret Thaler Singer, was a clinical psychologist and a part-time Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, U.S....
- Cults in Our Midst (1995), ISBN 0-7879-0051-6, with Margaret Singer
- Captive Hearts, Captive Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Abusive RelationshipsCaptive Hearts, Captive MindsCaptive Hearts, Captive Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Other Abusive Relationships is a nonfiction psychology book dealing with cults, by Madeleine Landau Tobias, Janja Lalich, Ph.D., and Michael Langone...
(1994), ISBN 0-89793-145-9
Articles
- "Repairing The Soul After A Cult Experience", CSNetwork Magazine, Spring 1996, pp. 30–33
- "Using the Bounded Choice Model as an Analytical Tool: A Case Study of Heaven's Gate", Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 3, No.3
- "The Cadre Ideal: Origins and Development of a Political Cult", Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 9, No.1
- Introduction: "We Own Her Now", Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No.1
- "Dominance and Submission: The Psychosexual Exploitation of Women in Cults", Cultic Studies Journal, Vol.14, No.1
- "Women Under the Influence: A Study of Women's Lives in Totalist Groups", Guest Editor, Special issue, Cultic Studies Journal, Vol.14, No.1
External links
- CNN Interview with Yanya Lalich, CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Impact, March 30, 1997 - Profile, Cultic Studies Review