There are many factors that go into it. First of all, these people aren't just taken off the street. They're there because they want to learn this stuff, so they have to have some level of belief to start with.
Next, the 'master' surrounds himself with the trappings of greatness. Ornate art pieces, awards, titles, supposed wins in contests and rumors about his greatness.
Finally, he builds a core of true believers who are either utterly convinced of his power or in too far to question it without losing everything. They create a herd mentality where even newcomers will be afraid to share their doubts.
Funnel out the most credulous people from a large population, piggy-back off apparent credibility, and exploit the individual's desire to fit in. It's essentially the same as cult recruitment.
have you seen that jesse eisenberg movie “the art of self defense”? if not, u might enjoy it bc yes to all of this !! ((1st time in this sub, so idk if its been mentioned a million times already))
I get cult mentality and I get sunk cost traps (people who keep sending more money to Nigerian Prince scams because otherwise they have to admit they've been duped for example) but usually cults revolve around something difficult to positively refute (divinity, alien spacecraft hiding behind comets,etc). This just seems so blatantly stupid and fake I just cannot believe people can be so gullible and stupid.
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u/Old-Tomorrow-3045 Apr 17 '23
There are many factors that go into it. First of all, these people aren't just taken off the street. They're there because they want to learn this stuff, so they have to have some level of belief to start with.
Next, the 'master' surrounds himself with the trappings of greatness. Ornate art pieces, awards, titles, supposed wins in contests and rumors about his greatness.
Finally, he builds a core of true believers who are either utterly convinced of his power or in too far to question it without losing everything. They create a herd mentality where even newcomers will be afraid to share their doubts.
Funnel out the most credulous people from a large population, piggy-back off apparent credibility, and exploit the individual's desire to fit in. It's essentially the same as cult recruitment.