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Paul Andre Verdier (April 28, 1918 - July 3, 1996) [1] was a licensed psychologist in California.
| The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline .(May 2019) |
Paul Andre Verdier (April 28, 1918 - July 3, 1996) [1] was a licensed psychologist in California.
He was the first Vice President and one of the founders of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (currently over 30,000 members). Verdier was a graduate of McGill University and held degrees in mechanical engineering and psychology. He was born in Europe and immigrated to Canada. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II and obtained the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Dr. Verdier was associated with the National Research Council of Canada, the Defence Research and Development Canada, as a senior scientist with Litton Industries, and as a consultant to North American Aviation. [2]
During the late 70s, he was extremely notable and popular and was on a number of talk shows in San Diego and Los Angeles commenting on the Patty Hearst kidnapping as well as a number of cult related news stories. This was due, in large part, to the timely release of his book Brainwashing and the Cults: An Exposé on Capturing the Human Mind .
He died in Los Angeles, July 3, 1996, from complications brought on by pneumonia and sclerosis in the upper body.
Brainwashing is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subjects' ability to think critically or independently, to allow the introduction of new, unwanted thoughts and ideas into their minds, as well as to change their attitudes, values and beliefs.
Margaret Thaler Singer was an American clinical psychologist and researcher with her colleague Lyman Wynne of family communication. She was a prominent figure in the study of undue influence in social and religious contexts, and a proponent of the brainwashing theory of New Religious Movements. She was prohibited from testifying as an expert in American courts as a result of the Fishman case, due to the lack of scientific validity of her theories.
The term large-group awareness training (LGAT) refers to activities - usually offered by groups with links to the human potential movement - which claim to increase self-awareness and to bring about desirable transformations in individuals' personal lives. LGATs are noted for being unconventional; they often take place over several days.
Eric Berne was a Canadian-born psychiatrist who created the theory of transactional analysis as a way of explaining human behavior.
Robert Jay Lifton is an American psychiatrist and author, chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes and effects of wars and political violence, and for his theory of thought reform. He was an early proponent of the techniques of psychohistory.
In modern English, a cult is a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or by its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This sense of the term is controversial, having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia, and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study. The word "cult" is usually considered pejorative.
Louis Jolyon "Jolly" West was an American psychiatrist whose work focused particularly on cases where subjects were "taken to the limits of human experience". In 1954, at the age of 29 and with no previous tenure-track appointment, he became a full professor and chair of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. From 1969 to 1989, he served as chair of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.
The academic study of new religious movements is known as new religions studies (NRS). The study draws from the disciplines of anthropology, psychiatry, history, psychology, sociology, religious studies, and theology. Eileen Barker noted that there are five sources of information on new religious movements (NRMs): the information provided by such groups themselves, that provided by ex-members as well as the friends and relatives of members, organisations that collect information on NRMs, the mainstream media, and academics studying such phenomena.
Werner Erhard: The Transformation of a Man, The Founding of est is a biography of Werner Erhard by philosophy professor William Warren Bartley, III. The book was published in 1978 by Clarkson Potter. Bartley was professor of philosophy at California State University and had studied with philosopher Karl Popper. He was the author of several books on philosophy, including a biography about Ludwig Wittgenstein. Erhard wrote a foreword to the book. The book's structure describes Erhard's education, transformation, reconnection with his family, and the theories of the est training.
The APA Task Force on Deceptive and Indirect Methods of Persuasion and Control (DIMPAC/DITPACT) was formed at the request of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1983. The APA asked Margaret Singer, a leading theorist in cults and coercive persuasion, to chair a task force to “expose cult methods and tactics”. Some examples that led to the task force’s creation were the Manson family murders, Patty Hearst kidnapping, and the Jonestown massacre.
Goals of the APA Task Force:
- Describe the deceptive and indirect techniques of persuasion and control that may limit freedom and adversely affect individuals, families, and society.
- Review the data base in the field.
- Define the implications of deceptive and indirect techniques of persuasion and control for consumers of psychological services.
- Examine the ethical, educational, and social implications of this problem.
Jesse Stephen Miller was a psychologist and psychodynamic psychotherapist.
George Louis McGhee was a marriage and family therapist, one of the founders, originators, and first president of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He was also a lobbyist for marriage and family therapy laws in the state of California. Many states have patterned their laws regarding marriage and family therapy after California, this makes McGhee one of the founders and key influences in the field. The laws he helped pass and the organization he founded have done much to legitimize the profession in the United States.
The Center for Feeling Therapy was a radical psychotherapy community that existed in Los Angeles between 1971 and 1980. At its peak it had 350 resident patients and 2,000 members including several branches in other locations. Although lacking the typical religious component, the group has been described as a cult by various sources, including ex-members, researchers, and a judge. The Center was led by Richard "Riggs" Corriere and Joseph Hart, who would ultimately be stripped of their licenses to practice psychology as a result of the fallout from the group's collapse. The rise and fall of the Center has been called the greatest scandal in the history of psychology and led to the biggest psychology-related lawsuit of its time.
Bradford Keeney, Ph.D. is a creative therapist, cybernetician, anthropologist of cultural healing traditions, improvisational performer, and spiritual healer. Bradford Keeney has served as a professor, founder, and director of clinical doctoral programs in numerous universities. He is the originator of several orientations to psychotherapy including improvisational therapy, resource focused therapy, and creative therapy. He is the inventor of recursive frame analysis, a research method that discerns patterns of transformation in conversation. A Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, he received the 2008 Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Larry Ryan Squire is a professor of psychiatry, neurosciences, and psychology at the University of California, San Diego, and a Senior Research Career Scientist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego. He is a leading investigator of the neurological bases of memory, which he studies using animal models and human patients with memory impairment.
Paul Robert Morantz is an American attorney and investigative journalist. He is known for taking legal cases alleging brainwashing by cults, self-help groups and for sexual misconduct by psychotherapists. He is considered an expert on these subjects. His successful prosecution of Synanon led to an attempt against his life, by means of a rattlesnake.
Alexandra Katehakis is the Clinical Director of Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles and author of Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot, Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction,Sex Addiction as Affect Dysregulation: A Neurobiologically Informed Holistic Treatment,Sexual Reflections: A Workbook for Designing and Celebrating Your Sexual Health Plan, co-author of the award-winning daily meditation book, Mirror of Intimacy Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence, and contributing author of the award-winning clinical text Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts. Katehakis is a clinical supervisor at American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and clinical supervisor and member of the teaching faculty for the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) a national certifying body for sex addiction therapists. She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, as well as a prominent expert panelist at sexuality conferences and public events.
Dick Anthony is a forensic psychologist noted for his writings on the validity of brainwashing as a determiner of behavior, a prolific researcher of the social and psychological aspects of involvement in new religious movements.
Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT, is a clinician, researcher, teacher, and developer of A Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT).
Erika Fromm was a German-American psychologist and co-founder of hypnoanalysis.
