About this episode

Dr. Steven Hassan discusses the BITE Model and how controlling systems influence individuals.

What does control actually look like when you strip away the labels and get down to behavior? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Steven Hassan to talk about the BITE Model, one of the most practical frameworks for understanding how controlling people, high-demand groups, and manipulative systems gain influence over others. Dr. Hassan draws from his own experience of being recruited into the Unification Church, often referred to as the Mooney’s cult, and explains how the work of psychiatrist Robert J. Lifton helped him understand what had happened to him. From there, he breaks down the four parts of the BITE Model, Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control, and explains how these methods can slowly override independent thinking and trap people in unhealthy systems. This conversation goes beyond cults. It helps us think through coercive control in families, relationships, organizations, religious groups, and other environments where power gets used to dominate rather than serve. If you’ve ever asked yourself how intelligent, capable people can get pulled into harmful systems, this interview gives you a clear, grounded place to start. Watch all the way through, because…

People in this episode

Host: Profiling Evil

Guest: Dr. Steven Hassan

Topics covered

• coercive control
• BITE Model
• manipulative systems
• cult psychology
• independent thinking

Keywords

• BITE Model
• coercive control
• cult psychology
• manipulation
• independent thinking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Unification Church

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