Are you supporting a cause or movement?

If you or someone close to you, ever formed part of a mass movement, joined a cult, became a religious fanatic or adhered to a political ideology – and in the process lost his identity. Then this article may give you with some answers.

No matter what we think, the cliché that humans are social animal is outright correct. We me consider ourselves independent and rational, yet we always gravitate towards a certain school of thought and proudly identify with it. But the difference between a follower and a fanatic is like a line in the sand. For a mass movement, we can’t precisely determine the turning point of a follower into a zealous devotee to an extremist.

Why do we identify with a mass movement?

Joining a movement isn’t just a way to associate ourselves with a group. There are certain Psychological reasons influencing us to be part of a movement:

• For some it’s a process of “getting rid of our unwanted self”, A refuge from the anxieties, purposeless and futility of life. Mass movement provides a purpose with direction; the self becomes irrelevant in relation to the grander cause of the movement. In doing so we find meaning, drive and a purpose.

• Modern times have somewhat faded the bond of a tribe or clan. The sense of belonging and fitting in has been lost, joining a mass movement restores that.
• For some it’s a way of running away from the responsibilities of life. People unburden themselves from taking decisions. That’s why young Germans prescribed to the Nazis ideology fervently. Young minds are most prone to such movements.
• Lastly we all have a hunger inside us to find a way-out for our mundane and ordinary existence, to keep our legacy alive no matter how it manifests by being part of something bigger. So we become part of something grander and proposedly everlasting.

It is pertinent to mention that mass movement isn’t followed by those in abject poverty. They are already struck in the rut, just surviving and completely disinterested in some grand vision. It’s those who have a bit more, who have their eyes opened for greater things. Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some.

What makes these movements so powerful?

It’s because they are so full of passion whether religious, political or social. The promise of a dramatically better world overpowers normal moral inhibitors. “what we don’t have” will always be a stronger motivator than “what we have”. The cause seems so holy that it justifies all means, and the followers can act out in malicious and sinister ways just to unfold their grand vision.

When we attach emotions to a certain cause, it forms part of our physiological self. Just like, when our physical self is attacked we feel threatened, our adrenaline rushes and we prepare for fight or flight, same hormonal changes take place when our physiological self is attacked. Then view point, facts, truth doesn’t matter, it’s a matter of survival. It’s us vs them.

To a spectator, this self-sacrifice and fanatic display of devotion may seem irrational. But for a follower, they are just a small part in the grand scheme of things, just doing their share. Consequently, they lose a sense of their own individuality, fully integrated in the collective whole, they are no longer the person you know but just an offshoot of the tribe they represent

Conclusion

If the world was black and white, then action would be clear, but that’s not the case. For a layman it’s difficult to step back and observe the larger scheme of things. Even harder to detach himself emotionally from something which has become a part of his psychological self.

It takes open-mindedness, true knowledge and introspection to reflect on why am I part of a movement and perhaps avoid the abyss in which so many people have found themselves.