The Pattern of The Double-Bind in Mormonism (Paperback)

by Marion Stricker (Author) "The Pattern is a method used that subjugates and dehumanizes..." (more)
Key Phrases: psychological cannibalism, punished for being punished, unearned guilt, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Closed System (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
How does one summarize a convoluted Pattern that defies common sense? Perhaps, that says it. The Pattern of The Double-Bind is a convoluted, insidious stratagem that turns our mental and emotional common sense world upside down. It is a circular pattern that ends in a vortex of depression and possible suicide.

This book is the culmination of a twenty-year odyssey, a personal quest for a solution to an unknown problem that had become emotionally and intellectually intolerable for the author. What she found through trial and error, following threads and connections, was a pattern of behavior that she finally identified and named The Pattern of The Double-Bind. She first discovered it in her Mormon marriage, and then in Mormonism itself.

Part I describes The Nature of The Pattern and The Double-Bind; it defines and gives examples of what The Pattern is, how it is used in different stages - and what results are incurred in each stage. Parts II and III present personal experiences of The Pattern in the lives of former members of the Mormon church. The last section, Part IV, gives a Summary of The Pattern and its antidote ... in How to Free Oneself from The Pattern.

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Universal Publishers; 1 edition (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581127391
• ISBN-13: 978-1581127393
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,615,417 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting story written in plain language, January 15, 2005

By	Bill (USA) - See all my reviews

There is an on-line version of this book that I stumbled onto late one night. If someone is thinking about joining the LDS church, I would recommend they read this book first. The author tells a great story of transformation and evolution. She started out accepting everything she was told by church authorities, even though she had some doubts. Then she developed the courage to explore some of those doubts, which led her down a path of enlightenment.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a MUST READ for Mormons and non-Mormons alike, March 21, 2008

By	Mr. IT (The OC) - See all my reviews

"The mind is a dark genius, it can rationalize anything"
-- Denis Waitley

This is a remarkable and unique book!

It probes deeply into the psyche and values of the Mormon/LDS Church in a way that the standard "Bible thumping" book doesn't. It was interesting that when Mitt Romney was running for President that in a Gallup Poll they found that Evangelicals had doubts about Mormons due to their theology while non-Evangelicals (including those without ties to any organized religion or faith in God) had doubts about them because, "they're just weird!".

This book explains primarily the latter while explaining how one could hold faith in the former even though it is one of the most convoluted and irrational belief systems in the world.

Personally I've found that most of my Mormon friends -- often some of the most intelligent people that I know -- have complex, illogical and often contradictory reasons for staying in the LDS Church. This book answered the question that I've been asking in that regard for years, "Why?"

The stories cited here are both sobering and scary! They demonstrate just how error prone and self destructive we mere mortals can be.

Finally, I would add that you should read this book if you interested in gaining a better understanding of how people get drawn into cultic systems and then (even more bizarrely) stay IN them long after they've decided that they're in error. This isn't JUST a book for and about Mormons. True, Mormonism is used as the case study here but the implications are universal. Specifically, this books gives TREMENDOUS insight into the psychology and mechanics of cults, sects and other dysfunctional groups bound together in a state of group psychosis.

For example this reviewer (who is a Evangelical Charismatic) was reminded of situations where he had been on both sides of the Binder-Bound equation during his experiences growing up in the Nazarene Church, in the Jesus Movement and the Charismatic Renewal of the 1970's, in the Shepherding Movement of the 1970/80's, and the Reconstructionism of the 1980's. I was also reminded of Business cultures I have worked in that were as much as a cult as any community of faith that I'd be in. While my experiences were NEVER, even remotely, close to how the Double Bind is employed in the LDS Church there were still many similarities.

My experience isn't really that unusual or unique and I suspect that others who have had to endure (or are enduring) extreme and/or manipulative authority systems that employee Double Bind techniques would also find much to relate to here!

So if you don't buy the "paper" book then by means, please read the online version (just google on "Marion Stricker" and you'll find it). This is a book that, in my opinion, everyone should read.

Related books that also address the themes discussed in this book and review:
===============================================================
Twisted Scriptures: A Path to Freedom from Abusive Churches

Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships

Keeping the Faith: Guidance for Christian Women Facing Abuse

Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, The, repack: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church

Boundaries

Healing Spiritual Abuse: How to Break Free from Bad Church Experiences

Tired of Trying to Measure Up, repack: Getting Free from the Demands, Expectations, and Intimidation of Well-Meaning Christians

Toxic Faith

Toxic Churches: Restoration from Spiritual Abuse

5.0 out of 5 stars Embodiment of Courage, December 5, 2008

By	Goldstein "When Penguins Fly" - See all my reviews

I wouldn't be able to praise this book enough, but here it goes. Her book towers above any scholar's work about the truth because of her courage. Szasz wrote that looking at the truth takes courage. Nice words, but with this book, you can see it in action! Truly an amazing person. Anyone can look at the truth, provided you have courage to fearlessly ask questions and "reason without fear."
Books like this are dangerous because they they are too dangerously close to telling the truth about big religion. Every free thinker should read this book.