B.I.T.E. Model Basics: Become Cult-Literate
The BITE model allows “Cults” to be identified by how an organization operates rather than subjective opinion.
The B.I.T.E Model
The BITE model was introduced by Steven Hassan in 1988 with the book Combatting Cult Mind-Control. It was a quiet but important turning point in psychological literature. Robert Lifton had already published the critical analysis of brainwashing in China, but not many efforts had been made to help the general public get cult-literate. Combatting Cult Mind-Control made the mechanics of cult-indoctrination and “undue influence” more accessible to the average person. Using his own experience from the Moonies cult, Steven Hassan offered a steadying hand and a clear head for anyone trying to make sense of their own identity-altering cult experience. The book also offers vocabulary for talking about cults and high-demand groups in mainstream conversation.
Read Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan.
Visit Steven Hassan’s Website.
In my opinion, those mainstream conversations about cults don’t happen nearly enough. Most people are either too loose with naming cults (using it for everything from make-up to favorite movies) or too reserved (see why We Need the Word “Cult” for more stories on that). And though most people know the word “cult,” not many could explain what makes one group a cult and another group a fringe community or even a nurturing family.
Thus, the BITE model is still very important. It analyzes how people and organizations exert…
Behavior Control
Information Control
Thought Control
&
Emotional Control
It isn’t a perfect diagnostic tool, but it is a very good start. I hope that in the future other researchers will improve upon it to give us a solid, reliable, legally defensible way to recognize and limit cults. As is, it’s still a handy checklist that enables more of us normal people to identify manipulation or overreach from the people, churches, companies, or groups we interact with.
This is a quick overview of each of these categories. At the bottom of this page, I’ve included a printable itty bitty BITE Model checklist to use any time you need to quickly diagnose a new group or leader. I created that list and the scoring card based on Combatting Cult Mind-Control and my own experience coming out of LDS Mormonism. Feel free to adapt it, as it makes sense to you!
1. Behavior Control
Behavior Control can be split into three parts and all of them have to do with physical presence in the world: your body, your environment, and how you physically relate to the world.
The central question of Behavioral Control is:
→ What are you allowed (or heavily encouraged) to do and not do physically?
To detect Behavioral Control, check for rules or strong expectations around your body:
- the foods you eat,
- the drinks, or other substances you use,
- how much sleep you get,
- the clothes you wear,
- the make up you wear,
- piercings or body art,
- the tone of voice you use
- your vocabulary (including things like swearing, oversharing, and code-switching),
- the medical care you receive,
- your sexuality,
- how, when, and if you get married
- your menstruation,
- your child-bearing choices etc.
Then, check for Behavioral Control regarding your physical environment:
- how you decorate your home,
- the types of music you listen to,
- the colors and color combinations you use,
- the books you display,
- the places you go regularly,
- the places you are not allowed or heavily discouraged from going to
- the places you consider holy
Third, check for Behavioral Control in how you physically relate to the world:
- the roles you play in your family,
- gender roles (anywhere)
- the type of parenting you practice,
- the schedule of your day and week,
- the hobbies you make time for,
- the way you relate to animals,
- the way you understand gender and gender politics,
- the way you relate to children,
- the way you relate to money,
- the way you relate to authority figures
!! A note about DEATH THREATS: most cults don’t seriously use death threats or threats of physical harm to exert Behavioral Control anymore. However, if your cult used it in the past or used it at a pivotal foundation stage of amassing followers, you are almost certainly in a destructive cult. If your cult or relationship currently uses physical threats, you are definitely in a destructive cult. !!
The minutiae of all these physical rules might seem random to an outsider, but the many physical rules are only the beginning. They prime someone for the more serious mind control. The more damaging identity-shaping and manipulation happens with the other types of control. But having a bunch of little physical rules is helpful in distracting people from what is happening deeper down in their psyches. If people are preoccupied with an overwhelming number of physical rules, they are less likely to notice how big other requests on their time, family, or wallet really are. After a group controls someone’s physical experience, then the real cult-indoctrination begins.
For members of the group, the physical rules are a chance to judge and critique each other’s performance. This offers an illusion of intimacy because any member is allowed to comment on personal choices of other members. It also lures members into deeper levels of dependence, because they assume that greater conformity will bring greater closeness. For the organization, this has a dual benefit:
- it establishes the organization as an authority for determining how a person can show commitment to other people
- It sets up the organization as a gatekeeper for social status and closeness with others.
Remember though, that physical rules are an important aspect of human relationships everywhere. Hygiene, dress, manners, shared chores, and health practices are common features of many communities. Physical rules that we choose as a matter of personal discipline are also very common and perfectly non-culty. When determining if a physical rule is evidence of cult mind control or personal choice, look at:
- where/who the rule is coming from,
- how it is monitored, and
- what happens if the rule is broken.
In settings of genuine intimacy and support, breaking a rule will cause a proportional level of distress. In cults, small broken rules will often be treated with far more severity than major breaches of conduct.
2. Information Control
If Behavioral Control is all about your body, then Information Control and Thought Control are all about your mind. They are two ways of shaping the beliefs, fears, and identity of both individuals and groups.
The central question of Information Control is:
→ Who are you allowed to learn from or listen to?
To detect Information Control, look for things like:
- information coming from one place or a small selection of sources,
- anti-science attitudes or assumptions that science is faith-based just like religion,
- approved podcasts, books, and websites versus NOT-approved ones,
- apologists and apologetics (especially if they are funded by the organization),
- disparaging the personal life or character of persons who debunk the organization’s claims,
- claims the “the world” or that everyone else is trying to deceive the group members
- calling certain areas of study or history “dangerous,”
- valuing authority of the organization over authority in any other discipline,
- refusals to admit wrongdoing or to correct disproven information,
- framing education in terms of loyalty to the organization,
- difficulty in answering basic questions about the nature or beliefs of the organization clearly,
- urging caution instead of curiosity when it comes to learning from different perspectives.
Information Control builds on the practices of conformity created with Behavioral Control. From the organization’s perspective, rules around learning sifts out information that might challenge the organization’s worldview. It also creates a bubble around those who do venture beyond the approved sources for information.
In my tradition of LDS Mormonism, for example, members who introduce concerns from “outside sources” are immediately shut out of conversations by the faithful, just because the information came from beyond the borders of church approval. The logic for this has nothing to do with logic (ironically) and everything to do with loyalty and authority:
“We don’t listen to so-and-so because they are not obedient,” the faithful member would say, “and if they aren’t obedient, they cannot be trusted.”
Mormons or Members of the Church are also told to “fortify themselves spiritually” if they intend to study science or biblical history. Things like biological Evolution, the age of the Earth, or even the Nag Hammadi Scrolls contradict Church teachings, so when facing those facts, members are taught to compensate by self-indoctrinating extra hard. Additionally, members are trained to look towards Church-sponsored sources as the only credible sources of information for Church history. When members step outside of these expectations, they are penalized with social distance, skepticism, pity, calls to repentance, and sometimes more extreme types of shunning.
3. Thought Control
Thought Control picks up where Information Control leaves off: it uses all of the same techniques of Information Control but turns the scrutiny inward. Information Control filters information from coming in, Thought Control filters the information that arises from within you.
The central question of Thought Control is:
→ What are you allowed to think about, doubt, or critique?
To detect Thought Control, look for things like:
- Stories that feature good-guys & bad-guys,
- self-indoctrination practices (daily scripture study, extended or frequent prayer sessions etc),
- binary language (look for words like “purity,” “holy,” “sin,” “evil,” or “enlightened”),
- language framing the the organization and people in it as an “army” fighting for “righteousness” against “foes” or “enemies of light” etc.
- themes of moral superiority or divine chosen-ness,
- fetishizing “the truth,” especially as owned or copyrighted by the organization,
- specialized jargon,
- perceiving disagreement or intellectual non-homogeneity as an attack,
- thought-stopping clichés to “combat” doubt,
- un-disporvable claims (if you can’t think of any possible evidence that would disprove the claims of your group, that is a sign of Thought Control)
- an absence of meaningful public forums for dissent or for grassroots change
Thought Control is one of the more damaging layers of influence. It doesn’t just impact your physical expression or what you learn, but what you believe about yourself and how you treat yourself. The power of Thought Control lives in words, which is why people who experience heavy indoctrination can still be triggered by certain words, accents, or patterns of speech. For cult survivors who emerge with a tendency towards scrupulosity or negative self-talk, intentionally reclaiming your language can be a liberating practice of healing.
4. Emotion Control
Emotional Control builds on all the steps that came before. It is the One Ring (LOTR style) that will bind you into pouring time, money, labor, information, and love into a destructive organization. Your feelings direct every decision of your life from who you marry to what you watch on tv after dinner to your legacy contributions. Thus, control of your emotions is what all cults are ultimately aiming for.
Because when cults control your feelings, they control your whole self.
The central question of Emotional Control is:
→ What are you allowed to feel?
To detect Emotional Control look for patterns like this:
- “Happiness” being redefined as closeness to God (or as greater enlightenment) and closeness to God being defined as greater loyalty, obedience, or enmeshment with the organization
- children or teenagers being separated from the caregivers for long periods to allow for indoctrination,
- adults being separated for long periods from their partner or other close family to be indoctrinated,
- hypnotic drone-like voices used in indoctrination setting,
- hypnotic, repetitive music used in indoctrination settings,
- repetition or chanting as a group,
- repetitive topics discussed again and again,
- public confessions, shamings, and/or testimony meetings
- toxic positivity,
- emphasize the importance of obedience
- excessive gratitude or fawning behaviors toward organization or its leaders,
- perfectionism and fixations on worthiness,
- self-blame or blame-reversal as a way to deal with doctrinal or organizational inconsistency,
- scrupulosity (heavy self-judgement + obsessive guilt),
- social norms of “never complaining” “not criticizing” the organization and its leaders,
- hero-worship or idealization of leaders (framed pictures of leader(s) in the members’ houses),
- loyalty being emphasized as a key virtue,
- lots of rules about sexual activity, pornography,
- heavy monitoring of sexual attraction and gender identity,
- fears of being alone, broken, lost, or cosmically disowned for questioning or leaving the group.
Emotional Control tends to be the hardest hurdle for cults to achieve and the hardest one for indoctrinated people to deconstruct or recover from. We can check off boxes of how our religion told us not to listen to certain bands or to wear certain clothing without too much distress. But when it comes to emotions, we like to imagine that we are fully sovereign. We like to believe that our feelings are reliable.
This is exactly why the BITE model is so valuable: it externalizes the process of identifying how emotions have been manipulated. If we can recognize ways that our emotions have been influenced by a cult, we can also reclaim spiritual autonomy to stop being influenced by a cult. When we step away from one cult’s mind control, we strengthen our ability to step away from other cults’ control too. Getting radically humble about our own vulnerabilities to cult influence paradoxically shows us how to exit the binary worldview that got trapped us in cult dynamics in the first place.
Using the B.I.T.E. Model + A Few Extras
The important thing to remember about the BITE model is that many or all of the organizations, businesses, and even close relationships in our lives are influencing us in some way. So, the fact that a boyfriend, church, or employer is using some of the BITE model does not necessarily mean that person or organization is a cult. However, small groups are just as prone to becoming cults as large groups. A cult can begin with just one other person. Cult dynamics can show up anywhere that humans are in relationships, so it is a good idea for everyone to be educated on the warning signs to watch for.
Some additional cult-identification tips:
- If you have no power to change the relationship/organization, to call for a time-out, or voice dissent, then this indicates that the group is probably a mind-control cult. Even if there is a performance of democracy, the real mechanics of the group should be clear if you imagine what happens to people who speak up critically.
- If you cannot withdraw from the group with no negative repercussions, it’s probably a cult. Cults and high-demand organizations don’t offer opportunities to leave when they can help it, but when they cannot stop people from leaving, they will attempt to punish the leaving person through damaging their reputation, status, social acceptability, or career afterwards. (If you feel you are in danger, seek qualified professional legal and therapeutic help from outside the group to support you in your exit.)
- Watch for males and money in the authority structure. If rich men (and sometimes their wives) seem to be in charge of most things, most of the time, there’s a good chance the organization is slurping power and money away from underprivileged groups to pad the cushions of the leaders.
- If the group has lots of lawyers, sponsors an in-house law firm, or ends up in court a lot, pay attention. Lawyers themselves are not “bad” or “good”, but cults often get power by learning the loopholes of litigation and using the legal system to shield exploitative practices. Also, keeping a muscley team of lawyers around to prosecute normal people is a pretty obvious sign that the group is trying to control the public narrative (which would be a type of Information Control).
- If a group that asks for donations, claims to be a non-profit or a church and is not transparent in its finances, then it is hiding how it spends its money. Period. Non-profits that do what they say they are doing will proudly show you their numbers to prove it. Non-transparent financials, especially for non-profits, is a strong cult-indicator.
There is only one BITE criterion that automatically indicates a cult and that is death threats/threats of physical harm (as noted above). For most of us, though, the work of identifying cults will happen in looking at the overall patterns and the sheer volume of influence that is being exerted.
Any organization that checks off multiple items from all four categories is exerting undue influence and would be considered a high-demand group. If an organization is doing a lot of things in all categories, they are impacting identity formation and limiting authentic community and can objectively be called a cult. If an organization with significant influence in all four areas also uses social rejection, shunning, financial pressure, career removal, or any other physical penalties for withdrawal, then you can confidently label that organization a destructive cult.
Personal Side Note
LDS Mormonism or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its cousin organization of the FLDS, and most of the other offshoots that come from belief in Joseph Smith’s mythology fully meet the criteria of destructive cults. The FLDS are undoubtedly more intense than the mainstream branch with headquarters in Salt Lake City, but the effects for the mainstream group are still severe, long-lasting, and sometimes life-wrecking. Cult-recognition and cult-recovery are thus, central to the work of rehabilitating after leaving these groups. This is also why I frequently call for anyone with expertise in legal and justice system reform to work with social scientists like Steven Hassan to implement better cult-regulation at a state and federal level.
Just because an organization is old, rich, or full of kindly-faced grandpas does not make it ethical as a system.
Recovering From B.I.T.E. Control
The BITE Model is a powerful tool in pinning down exactly what kind of relationship dynamic you are in with your organization. For many of us, the indoctrination process was so long and so intense that we have serious doubts about our abilities to assess the organization with clarity. The BITE model offers tangible check-able criteria that can just be tallied up to assess a group’s impact. It also offers us the opportunity to identify cults with more clarity in our broader cultural conversations.
With the BITE model, “Cult” becomes not a statement of subjective opinion about an organization but rather a description of how that organization operates towards people.
Diagnosing your relationship or your organization with the BITE model is an important step in recovery, but it is still only one of the steps. If you are in the position of recognizing your organization as a cult for the first time, remember to be gentle with yourself. Avoid blaming or shaming yourself for being stupid or for being duped. It’s not your fault that an organization manipulated you. Recognize that many of the organizations that have been using undue influence or mind control often have deeper pockets and longer timelines than any of us as individuals. The fact that you were willing to challenge your own indoctrination despite that imbalance is inspiring.
After giving yourself time to integrate this new perspective, carefully consider how you will proceed. Many people love the communities and family that they have within the cult environment and for some of these environments, there is the possibility of change. But, if you recognize that your attempts would not be well-received, is leaving the cult possible for you? Would it be wise to secure legal, psychological, or other supportive individuals before you leave? How will you sustain yourself physically and financially if you leave?
Cult recovery doesn’t happen overnight but it is possible, especially with a good community, coach, and/or partner. You might think of it like a heavy wound–there will probably be an acute phase of recovery that lasts for a few months or years, then a longer stage of recovery that is less intense as you come back to full functioning. For some of us, that long stage of recovery is simultaneously a stage of discovery because we grew up not knowing who we really were beyond our cult.
Though it takes a while, recovery is a wonderful reawakening to the beauty of life and the magnificence or your own spirit. The joy of spiritual autonomy is worth every year you spend rehabilitating yourself. May you find freedom.
Download and Print: an itty bitty B.I.T.E. Model checklist
Image Disclosure: graphics in the body of this post were A.I. generated.
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Learning about this model has been so helpful in becoming more aware of what the social groups around me are doing and why. For example, I didn’t really understand why my university had a “rival”. Aren’t we all fans of higher learning? But having a sports rival is one of the elements that creates group cohesion by othering a different group.