A social psychological analysis of Aum Shinrikyo's criminal behavior.

Abstract

Examined the psychological process of Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) cult members who committed crimes such as scattering poison gas to murder, and others. Ss were 4 defendants of Aum and 40 male and 36 female former members (mean age 30.5 yrs) of the Aum group in Japan. The defendant Ss were interviewed and the other Ss were administered questionnaires about their experiences and lives with Aum including 3 of the interviewees. The results show: (1) that many Ss were absolutely obedient to their guru as authority; (2) that psychological manipulation by their guru toward the defendant Ss was stronger than manipulation toward the other Ss; (3) that the higher the status of the Ss in Aum, the higher the manipulation level; and (4) that their crimes were due to obedience to authority and from fear of being killed themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)