Dick Anthony
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Dick Anthony is a
forensic psychologist Forensic psychology is the development and application of scientific knowledge and methods to help answer legal questions arising in criminal, civil, contractual, or other judicial proceedings. Forensic psychology includes both research on various ...
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 A new religious movement (NRM), also known as alternative spirituality or a new religion, is a religious or spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin or th ...
.


Academic career

Anthony holds a PhD from the
Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962 ...
,
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...
, California. Zablocki, Benjamin; Robbins, Thomas. ''
Misunderstanding Cults ''Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field'' was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins (sociologist), Thomas Robbins. The book was published by University of Toronto Press, on December 1, 2001, and inclu ...
'', University of Toronto Press 2001, p. 522,
He has supervised research at the Department of Psychiatry of the
University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
at
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
and at the Graduate Theological Union, and is a former director of the Graduate Theological Union's
UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...
-affiliated Center for the Study of New Religions.Sipchen, Bob (1988-11-17)
"Ten Years After Jonestown, the Battle Intensifies Over the Influence of 'Alternative' Religions"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''
His research has been supported by government agencies including the
National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the prima ...
, the
National Institute of Drug Abuse The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a United States federal government research institute whose mission is to "advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual a ...
and the
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
, and he has frequently testified or acted as a consultant in court cases involving allegations of religious coercion or harm resulting from involvement in a religious group. Anthony has authored or co-authored a large number of scholarly articles on the topic and has co-edited several books.


Involvement in the brainwashing debate

Anthony has characterized brainwashing as "a pseudo-scientific myth", and spearheaded efforts which from 1990 onward led to the general rejection of brainwashing testimony as unscientific in United States courts. Anthony asserted in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' that "no reasonable person would question that there are situations where people can be influenced against their best interests, but those arguments are evaluated on the basis of fact, not bogus expert testimony."Oldenburg, Don (2003-11-21)
"Stressed to Kill: The Defense of Brainwashing; Sniper Suspect's Claim Triggers More Debate"
''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''.
Dismissing the idea of
mind control Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashin ...
, he has defended
new religious movements A new religious movement (NRM), also known as alternative spirituality or a new religion, is a religious or spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin or th ...
, and argued that involvement in such movements may often have beneficial, rather than harmful effects. Anthony was a key consultant for the government in the Fishman case and acted as a consultant in many subsequent cases of a similar nature, "frequently getting pseudoscientific mind control testimony excluded from evidentiary hearings".Lucas, Phillip Charles; Tobbins, Thomas (eds.). ''New religious movements in the twenty-first century: legal, political, and social challenges in global perspective'', Routledge 2004, p. 13, Richardson, James T. "Sociology and the New Religions: 'Brainwashing', the Courts, and Religious Freedom", in: Jenkins, Pamela J.; Kroll-Smith, Steve (eds.). ''Witnessing for Sociology: Sociologists in Court'', Praeger Publishers 1996, pp. 128–130, According to sociologist James T. Richardson, he was the "intellectual driving force" behind an amicus curiae brief on brainwashing endorsed by the
American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...
. In the Fishman case, the court accepted Anthony's argument that
Margaret Singer Margaret Thaler Singer (July 29, 1921 – November 23, 2003) was an American clinical psychologist and researcher with her colleague Lyman Wynne on family communication. She was a prominent figure in the study of undue influence in social and ...
's brainwashing theory lacked scientific support, a decision that set a
legal precedent A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...
and led to the exclusion of Margaret Singer and her colleague
Richard Ofshe Richard Jason Ofshe (born 27 February 1941) is an American sociologist and professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is known for his expert testimony relating to coercion in small groups, confessions, and int ...
as expert witnesses in this and subsequent trials. Wilson, Bryan R.; Cresswell, Jamie (eds.). ''New religious movements: challenge and response'', Routledge 1999, pp. 227–228, Afterwards, Singer and Ofshe twice sued Anthony, as well as the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association and several other scholars, for
defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
and conspiracy to deprive them of their livelihoods. Both suits were dismissed; in the second the judge granted the defendants a
SLAPP Strategic lawsuits against public participation (also known as SLAPP suits or intimidation lawsuits), or strategic litigation against public participation, are lawsuits intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with ...
motion, requiring Singer and Ofshe to pay Anthony's and the other defendants' legal costs.Richardson, James T. ''Regulating Religion: Case Studies from Around the Globe'', Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers 2004, pp. 134–135, . Anthony contributed a 100-page chapter on the brainwashing hypothesis to the book ''
Misunderstanding Cults ''Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field'' was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins (sociologist), Thomas Robbins. The book was published by University of Toronto Press, on December 1, 2001, and inclu ...
'', edited by sociologists
Benjamin Zablocki Benjamin Zablocki (January 19, 1941 – April 6, 2020) was an American professor of sociology at Rutgers University where he taught sociology of religion and social psychology. He published widely on the subject of charismatic religious movement ...
and Thomas Robbins, in which he criticized the "tactical ambiguity" of brainwashing theorists like Zablocki. In Anthony's view, brainwashing proponents have, in their efforts to resurrect a discredited hypothesis, continually modified key assumptions underlying the concept in order to avoid any possibility of its empirical verification. Zablocki, Benjamin; Robbins, Thomas. ''
Misunderstanding Cults ''Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field'' was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins (sociologist), Thomas Robbins. The book was published by University of Toronto Press, on December 1, 2001, and inclu ...
'', University of Toronto Press 2001, p. 21,
The chapter argues that "the term brainwashing has such sensationalist connotations that its use prejudices any scientific discussion of patterns of commitment in religious movements."


Reception

David G. Bromley David G. Bromley (born 1941) is a professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA and the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, specialized in sociology of religion and the academic study of new religious movements ...
and
Anson Shupe Anson D. Shupe, Jr. (21 January 1948 – 4 May 2015) was an American sociologist noted for his studies of religious groups and their countermovements, family violence and clergy misconduct. He was affiliated with the New Cult Awareness Network, a ...
, writing in the ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Society'' (1998), have credited Anthony and his co-author, sociologist Thomas Robbins, with having written "the most articulate critique" of the
anti-cult movement The anti-cult movement (abbreviated ACM, and also known as the countercult movement) consists of various governmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals that seek to raise awareness of cults, uncover coercive practices used to a ...
's perspective on brainwashing.Swatos, William H.; Kivisto, Peter. ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Society'', Rowman Altamira 1998, p. 62, . Retrieved 2010-06-20. The sociologist James T. Richardson has referred to Anthony's scholarly work on brainwashing as "without peer".Richardson, James T. ''Regulating Religion: Case Studies from Around the Globe'', Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers 2004, p. 145, ; the APA later withdrew its endorsement for "procedural and not substantial reasons".


Publications


Book chapters and articles

* "Brainwashing and Totalitarian Influence", in ''Encyclopedia of Mental Health'', ed. Howard S. Friedman, Academic Press, 1998, , pp. 331–346 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Cults, Brainwashing and Counter-Subversion," ''Annals'' 446(1979):78–90 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Cults in the Late Twentieth Century", in ''Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience. Studies of Traditions and Movements'', eds. Charles H. Lippy and Peter W. Williams, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York (1988) Vol II,
"Deprogramming, Brainwashing and the Medicalization of Deviant Religious Groups"
''Social Problems'', Vol. 29, No. 3, February 1982 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Getting Straight with Meher Baba: A Study of Drug Rehabilitation, Mysticism, and Post-adolescent Role Conflict", ''
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion The ''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'' (''JSSR'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell in the United States under the auspices of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, dedicated to ...
'', 1972 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Law, Social Science and the 'Brainwashing' Exception to the First Amendment," ''Behavioral Sciences and the Law'' 10(1992):5–30 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Pseudoscience versus Minority Religions: An Evaluation of the Brainwashing Theories of Jean-Marie Abgrall", in ''Regulating Religion'', ed. James T. Richardson, Springer, 2004, , pp. 127–149 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Religious Movements and 'Brainwashing' Litigation" in ''In Gods We Trust: New Patterns of Religious Pluralism in America'', eds. Dick Anthony and Thomas Robbins, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ, (with Thomas Robbins) * "Religious Totalism, Violence, and Exemplary Dualism," in ''Terrorism and Political Violence'' 7(1995):10–50 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Sects and Violence," in ''Armageddon at Waco'', ed. S. A. Wright (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995): 236–259 (with Thomas Robbins) * "Tactical Ambiguity and Brainwashing Formulations: Science or Pseudo-Science?, in ''
Misunderstanding Cults ''Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field'' was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins (sociologist), Thomas Robbins. The book was published by University of Toronto Press, on December 1, 2001, and inclu ...
'', eds. B. D. Zablocki and Thomas Robbins, University of Toronto Press, 2001, , pp. 215–317 * "The 'Brainwashing' Metaphor as a Social Weapon: A New Conceptual Tool for the Therapeutic State", for a symposium on
deprogramming Deprogramming is a controversial tactic that attempts to help someone who has "strongly held convictions," often coming from cults or New Religious Movements (NRM). Deprogramming aims to assist a person who holds a controversial or restrictive be ...
held at the annual meetings of the
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (founded in 1949) was formed to advance research in the social scientific perspective on religious institutions and experiences. The ''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'' is published by ...
, 1977 (with Thomas Robbins and Jim MacCarthy)
"The Limits of Symbolic Realism: Problems of Emphatic Field Observation in a Sectarian Context"
''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'', 1973 (with Thomas Robbins and Thomas E. Curtis)
"Theory and Research on Today's 'New Religions'"
''Sociology of Religion'', Sociological Analysis 1978 39(2):95-122; (with Thomas Robbins and James T. Richardson)
"Youth Culture Religious Movements: Evaluating the Integrative Hypothesis"
1975, ''Sociological Quarterly'', Volume 16 Issue 1, Pages 48–64 (with Thomas Robbins and Thomas E. Curtis)


Books

* ''In Gods We Trust: New Patterns of Religious Pluralism in America'', Transaction Publishers, 1990, (with Thomas Robbins) * ''Spiritual Choices: The Problems of Recognizing Authentic Paths to Inner Transformation'', Paragon House, 1987, (with Thomas Robbins and
Ken Wilber Kenneth Earl Wilber II (born January 31, 1949) is an American philosopher and writer on transpersonal psychology and his own integral theory, a philosophy which suggests the synthesis of all human knowledge and experience. Life and career Wilbe ...
)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Dick Living people 21st-century American psychologists Researchers of new religious movements and cults University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill people Year of birth missing (living people)