Extreme Groups and Their Influence on Individuals

April 12, 2007

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Did you know approximately 60 million innocent people died as a result of genocidal and terrorist atrocities in the 20th Century? Why do some people kill? And how do some people treat killing as if it's a normal everyday job?

Dr. Anthony Stahelski, CWU Department of Psychology, has been researching the workings of extreme groups for a book he's writing due to be published this summer. "I've always been interested in extreme behavior," says Stahelski. "The idea to write a book about it was triggered by 911."

Stahelski will share his findings Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 4 p.m. in the CWU Science Building, room 147 as part of the Social Sciences Lecture Series. His presentation focuses on how ideology and cult indoctrination contribute to genocide and atrocities.

"Most people believe that individuals who join cults and become killers are crazy or psychotic," explains Stahelski. "They are basically normal people. Research shows the intense small group experiences they go through (in a cult) transforms them from normal individuals into perpetrators of these crimes."

In its first year, the Social Sciences Lecture Series highlights the breadth of faculty research in the College of the Sciences. The series features a total of six free public lectures offering the campus and Ellensburg communities an opportunity to engage with new ideas and theories presented by the speakers. The next presentation, featuring Justice Bobbe J. Bridge from the Washington Supreme Court is on April 26.