John Gordon Clark
Encyclopedia
John 'Jack' Gordon Clark (1926–1999) was a Harvard psychiatrist
and authority in research on the alleged damaging effects of cult
s.
He was the target of harassment from Scientologists
after he testified against them to the Vermont congress in 1976.
His similarly harassed colleague Louis Jolyon West
remarked: "I was lucky that I was a full-time professor in a big university like UCLA. Others, like Harvard's Jack Clark. who was primarily in private practice, nearly had their lives ruined by the Scientologists."
In 1985, John G. Clark received the Leo J. Ryan Award
, named for the California congressman murdered in Jonestown
.
The Psychiatric Times, when naming him 1991 psychiatrist of the year, described him as "a quiet, courageous man of conviction, who was fighting an all-too-lonely and unappreciated battle against well-financed, ruthless organizations."
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and authority in research on the alleged damaging effects of cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s.
He was the target of harassment from Scientologists
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
after he testified against them to the Vermont congress in 1976.
His similarly harassed colleague Louis Jolyon West
Louis Jolyon West
Louis Jolyon West was an American psychiatrist, human rights activist and expert on brainwashing, mind control, torture, substance abuse, post traumatic stress disorder and violence....
remarked: "I was lucky that I was a full-time professor in a big university like UCLA. Others, like Harvard's Jack Clark. who was primarily in private practice, nearly had their lives ruined by the Scientologists."
In 1985, John G. Clark received the Leo J. Ryan Award
Leo J. Ryan Award
The Leo J. Ryan Award was established by the Leo J. Ryan Education Foundation in honor of Congressman Leo J. Ryan; the only United States Congressman to be killed in the line of duty. He was assassinated in Guyana, while investigating Jonestown and The Peoples Temple. Ryan was posthumously awarded...
, named for the California congressman murdered in Jonestown
Jonestown
Jonestown was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones. It became internationally notorious when, on November 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement as well as in a nearby...
.
The Psychiatric Times, when naming him 1991 psychiatrist of the year, described him as "a quiet, courageous man of conviction, who was fighting an all-too-lonely and unappreciated battle against well-financed, ruthless organizations."
Works
- Testimony of John Clark regarding cults Read on 3 November 1977 by Leo J. Ryan to the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
- Clark, John G. Cults. Journal of the American Medical Association. 242, 279-281. 1979
- Clark, J.G., et al.: Destructive cult conversion. Weston, MA: American Family Foundation. 1981
- Clark, John G.: On the further study of destructive cultism. In Halperin (ed.), 363-368 1983
- Langone, Michael D. and John G. Clark, Jr.: New religions and public policy: research implications for social and behavioural scientists Weston (MA.): American Family Foundation 1983
See also
- John G. Clark Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Cultic Studies
Further reading
- Prozac frees Ex-Scientology Leader from Depression, The Psychiatric Times, Volume VIII, June 1991