Steven Hassan PhD

This isn’t about left versus right. It’s about the future of America and the principles that hold it together. I agree with Bono that what we’re witnessing is a heist, an aggressive takeover that threatens the country’s foundations. Video credit @theinterview_nyt

Absolutely 👇

Your insecurity is their sales strategy! I talk with marketing expert Dr. Mara Einstein about cult-like marketing techniques, rage bait, and the endless scrolling that can turn anxiety into purchases. Full video here: youtu.be/K1h_1FPPIPk

Thank you, Alan, for using your platform to demand answers. We need more public figures willing to speak up for transparency, accountability, & the survivors who deserve to be heard. If you know a public figure who cares about these issues, encourage them to speak out! 📹 @celebsagainstdonald

This is one of the dangers of authoritarian control, because a leader's claimed spiritual authority can make it difficult for followers to question their behavior, even when that behavior is abusive. Have you heard about this?

The Shakahola tragedy is a devastating reminder of how far authoritarian control can go when a leader's influence takes over a person's identity, beliefs, and decisions. Video credit @dailymail

I’m joining forces with Dave Troy, tech entrepreneur, journalist, disinformation analyst, & founder of America2.news today 2-3pm ET to talk about Russia’s influence operations, Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin, and Elon Musk’s growing power over American politics, technology, and information

www.eff.org/deeplinks/20... A federal court in New York definitively ruled that the Office of Personnel Management violated the law when it disclosed millions of federal employee records to DOGE agents. The court will decide the remedy at a later date.

Are the Jehovah’s Witnesses a cult? When people ask whether a group is an authoritarian cult, it helps to look at the specific ways control is actually being used. My BITE Model of Authoritarian Control® was developed to do exactly that.

I watched the documentary about Elon Musk, and there is a great deal I want to discuss, including what was left out Join me for a livestream today 2-3pm where we'll explore this documentary together & discuss an incredible book I read, as well as my interview with Gil Durán for an upcoming podcast

Do we really need religion to teach our children right from wrong? Author @katecohen.bsky.social challenges the idea that morality must come from scripture. We discuss faith, metaphor, and teaching kids to think for themselves. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/WDwIuMyIGdE

UPDATE: While the No Kings Instagram is back up, admins remain locked out and cannot post Meta must restore full access immediately Until then, continue following for updates: @ACLU.org , @MoveOn.org , @publiccitizen.bsky.social & @Indivisible.org -TN

👑 NO KINGS 👑 NO KINGS 👑 No Kings banner at Ocean Beach in San Francisco for the #nokings day 🗽 #UnitedAgainstTyranny #DefendDemocracy #VoteBlue2026

This is right out of the fascist authoritarian playbook! I completely agree with Sheryl Crow & I’m so glad celebrities like her are speaking up. Because critics like us are not "coming after you". All we want are affordable prices, kindness, compassion, and good healthcare. 📹@rollingstonecountry

What do we know about the Exclusive Brethren, and why are they facing scrutiny over their political connections? Join me LIVE this Friday, October 16, from 2 to 3 PM Eastern Time, as I speak with two fascinating former members of the Plymouth Brethren, also known as the Exclusive Brethren.

A public execution could actually make the problem of radicalization worse! I’m concerned that turning an execution into a public spectacle could create a martyrdom narrative for extremists, potentially helping them recruit MORE people rather than preventing future violence. 📹: @reuters

There’s so much happening around the midterms right now, from foreign meddling and big oil to Elon Musk giving over $275 million to the midterms to try to corrupt their politicians to win. So come and join me live today, October 14th, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET here!

I have some exciting news! I’m removing the paywall from my Substack - Cults, Culture & Coercion, and making it completely free for everyone, including my archive of years of content! Please spread the word, and let’s build a movement around education, awareness, and freedom of thought.

This is one of Tim Snyder’s best interviews. As a veteran of combating authoritarian cults for 50 years, I can say he is so right that we need to use values and words that elicit morality and believe in a better future! www.theguardian.com/us-news/vide...

I respect Gibney’s docs so much and can’t wait to see this one. If Musk can stop it from coming out in HBO and Musk is spending hundreds of millions on the midterm elections, the Information Control is authoritarian. So much for Musks BS about believing in “free speech!” apnews.com/article/elon...

WHAT DOES CRYPTO HAVE TO HIDE? I spoke with author and filmmaker @benmckenzie.bsky.social about crypto regulation, investor protections, and Trump's financial interests. Who benefits when transparency rules are weakened? Watch the full video: youtu.be/tZEbYNGEyp0

Inside Elon Musk’s $276 Million Midterm Rescue Mission for Republicans - with Gibney’s documentary on this malignant narcissist streaming October 16th, this could really turn voters off! Read Duran’s Nerd Reich book too! www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/u...

Repeatedly talking about conspiracy theories activates people’s paranoia while offering a sense of control to those who are anxious or worried about the future, particularly when those ideas come from an authority figure speaking with confidence and certainty. @msnow @cnn @briantylercohen @foxnews

Where Every Tree Hides ‘an Enemy’: How I Watched China’s Paranoia Grow www.nytimes.com/2026/10/11/w...

It seems everybody today is a narcissist or knows somebody who is, which is exactly why the word has started to lose its meaning. Malignant narcissism, however, is something different. Read the full article to learn more: open.substack.com/pub/stevenha...

Join me today 2pm EST for a live conversation with Dr. Ravi Chandra, psychiatrist, writer & Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, to examine growing concerns about institutional power, professional accountability & the treatment of dissent within the mental health field

Carney says Canadians will decide their future after Elon Musk expresses support for separatism apnews.com/article/musk...

What children are taught matters, but so does whether they’re being taught how to think for themselves. From my point of view, that kind of anti-intellectual, authoritarian approach can create dependency and obedience rather than critical thinking. 📹 @alaynaphipps @savv.labrant

Join me live today, 2pm ET for a conversation with former Democratic Majority Leader Dick Gephardt He serves on the board of two bipartisan nonprofit organizations working to protect free & fair elections, and we’ll be discussing the tactics and efforts they’ve been examining around the midterms.

Is Trump really in cognitive decline, or could something else be going on? I spoke with gerontologist Germaine Odenheimer, MD, about medication, aging, cognitive testing,an d how much we simply don’t know from public appearances alone. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/uxJ3aF3_Zts

This development in the military is deeply worrying to me. What concerns me most is the possibility of creating a religiously oriented office that could bypass the checks and balances designed to ensure all service members are protected, regardless of their beliefs. 📹 @followtheleighder

The danger isn’t just that Donald Trump lies. It’s what repeated lies can do to the way people process reality. When someone in authority speaks with certainty and confidence, the brain registers that certainty and confidence, even when the words themselves are false.

If you’ve ever felt like something isn’t right with Trump, MAGA, or the way fear is being weaponized, you’re not imagining it. I’ve spent 50 years researching cults and authoritarian control, and I’m using my platform to break it all down for you. Follow along for more!

You don’t think the left wing can use the same manipulation and mind-control techniques as the right? @jimpicariello.bsky.social here, and yes, I’m hacking Steve’s livestream again. Join me here today www.youtube.com/live/lezLEFP... at 2:00 PM EST.

Is Social Media Teaching Us to Brainwash Ourselves? @friedrichmoser.bsky.social and I discuss how echo chambers can distort our model of reality by feeding us more and more of what we already believe. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/QSGVAI2V63U

So many wonderful, beautiful people have died because of the Watchtower Society’s policies against blood transfusions. Now the policy has changed, and I’m thrilled about that. I always want authoritarian cults to reform extreme policies.

Savannah makes an incredibly important point here! What happened in Nazi Germany was not simply the result of “insane” people. Her point about sociocultural disease deserves more attention. Video credit @savannahraecarreno

The life of a Moonie was one of servitude and, in my experience, labor trafficking. But people who have been brainwashed, like I was, can wake up, get out, and build a life afterward. If you’ve left a high-control group, what part of everyday life was hardest for other people to understand?

As a very NorEaster bears down on east coast, we must stop allowing Big Oil to use their money and power to destroy our planet! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Devoss must very unhappy! Bill Keep, MLM expert is featured in my Substack and podcast discussing MLM fraud and crypto. www.ftc.gov/news-events/...