In Part One, the masks and foundations of ultra-authority are brought to light. Ultra-authority has existed for thousands of years. Most recently, people have heard about ultra-authority in the forms of cults and sects, battering relationships and domestic violence, and totalitarian governments and organizations. The terms often associated with it have been ‘brainwashing’, ‘mind control’, and ‘thought reform’.
In Part Two, the Integrated Model of Ultra-Authority is explained. Ultra-authority is the result of a vastly complex network of interlinking factors. Never before has a researcher or author broken apart every component to reveal the depths and breadth of ultra-authoritarian dynamics. Ms Peterson’s breakthrough Integrated Model explores those factors as no one else has done before, bringing to light the part each factor plays in the development and maintenance of this highly destructive type of relationship. The Integrated Model demonstrates the
*Toeholds: the vulnerabilities within ourselves
*Techniques: the manipulative tools used by ultra-authorities, and
*Time: how these act together to draw in an ultra-authority’s victim.
People Who Play God not only develops the theory, however. In Part Three, it takes the reader on an inside journey through four real-world examples of ultra-authority. These case studies give a compelling and frightening view of the scope ultra-authority can play. They are: the one-on-one battering relationship of Mickey and Francine Hughes; the mystic cult of Charles Manson; the religious-political cult of Jim Jones; and the totalitarian regime of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich.
In Part Four, Ms Peterson presents the personality styles of ultra-authorities and introduces her Model of Ultra-Authoritarian Development. This second model details the stages which a person moves through as they themselves become an ultra-authority. There are also chapters on recovery for those who have been in a relationship with an ultra-authority, and prevention issues to help protect those who are not currently involved with one.
This book is not only a definite ‘must-read’, it is also a ‘must-share’. For yourself and those you love, nothing is more important than learning to recognize and protect yourself from the People Who Play God.
