Singer, Margaret
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{{epname|Singer, Margaret}} | {{epname|Singer, Margaret}} | ||
| − | '''Margaret Thaler Singer''' (July | + | '''Margaret Thaler Singer''' (July 29, 1921 – November 23, 2003) was a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor emeritus of [[psychology]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. Singer's main areas of research included [[schizophrenia]], [[family therapy]], [[brainwashing]] and [[coercive persuasion]] of [[cult]]s. Throughout her career, Singer performed research at the [[University of Colorado]]’s [[School of Medicine]], the [[Walter Reed Army Medical Center]], the [[National Institute of Mental Health]], the [[United States Air Force]] and the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. Her groundbreaking psychological research earned her the [[National Institute of Mental Health]]’s [[Research Scientist Award]], the [[American College of Psychiatrists]]’ [[Hofheimer Prize]], the [[Stanley R. Dean Award]], and the [[Leo J. Ryan Memorial Award]]. She was reported to have been nominated twice for a [[Nobel Prize]] for her work in schizophrenia. |
==Life== | ==Life== | ||
| − | Margaret Singer was born in Denver, Colorado on July | + | Margaret Singer was born in Denver, [[Colorado]] on July 29, 1921. The only child of an Irish Catholic family, Singer’s father worked as the chief operating engineer at the [[U.S. Mint]] while her mother worked as a secretary to a federal judge. An avid cellist, Singer played the cello in the [[Denver Civic Symphony]] while attending the [[University of Denver]] where she would earn her bachelor’s degree in speech, and later, a master’s degree in speech pathology and special education. In 1943 Singer received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the [[University of Denver]]. She would remain there for the next eight years working in the department of psychiatry at the University of Colorado’s [[School of Medicine]]. |
| − | In 1953 Singer began studying the effects of [[brainwashing]] at the [[Walter Reed Institute of Research]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] where she interviewed U.S. prisoners of the [[Korean War]] who had been coerced into denouncing the [[United States]] and embracing [[communism]]. Here she would emerge as a leading researcher in the field of psychosomatic medicine. While working in [[Washington, D.C.]], Singer met and married her spouse of 48 years, Jerome. In 1958 the couple would relocate to [[Berkeley, California]] where she would become an adjunct professor at [[UC Berkeley]] where her husband would also join the faculty of the physics department. Singer would remain at [[Berkeley]] until her death in 2003 at the age of 82. She was survived by her husband, two children, and five grandchildren. | + | In 1953 Singer began studying the effects of [[brainwashing]] at the [[Walter Reed Institute of Research]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] where she interviewed U.S. prisoners of the [[Korean War]] who had been coerced into denouncing the [[United States]] and embracing [[communism]]. Here she would emerge as a leading researcher in the field of psychosomatic medicine. While working in [[Washington, D.C.]], Singer met and married her spouse of 48 years, Jerome. In 1958 the couple would relocate to [[Berkeley]], [[California]] where she would become an adjunct professor at [[UC Berkeley]] where her husband would also join the faculty of the physics department. Singer would remain at [[Berkeley]] until her death in 2003 at the age of 82. She was survived by her husband, two children, and five grandchildren. |
==Work== | ==Work== | ||
| − | Upon her arrival in Berkeley, Singer found the college campus a prime location to study the New Age cult scene of the 1960s and 1970s where organizations such as [[Hare Krishnas]] sought to actively recruit university students. Here Singer claimed there existed various similarities between the [[coercive]] techniques applied to [[Korean War]] veterans and those applied to prospective cult members. Singer would publish numerous articles in the field of [[cult]]s and [[mind control]], receiving a number of honors for her work. She developed theories about how cults recruit and retain members, which she entitled the Theory of Systematic Manipulation of Social and Psychological Influence. She was also active with the [[American Family Foundation]], the major anti-cult group in the United States at the time. Singer's research also focused heavily on the areas of [[family therapy]] and [[schizophrenia]]. | + | Upon her arrival in Berkeley, Singer found the college campus a prime location to study the New Age cult scene of the 1960s and 1970s where organizations such as [[Hare Krishnas]] sought to actively recruit university students. Here Singer claimed there existed various similarities between the [[coercive]] techniques applied to [[Korean War]] veterans and those applied to prospective cult members. Singer would publish numerous articles in the field of [[cult]]s and [[mind control]], receiving a number of honors for her work. She developed theories about how cults recruit and retain members, which she entitled the Theory of Systematic Manipulation of Social and Psychological Influence. She was also active with the [[American Family Foundation]], the major anti-cult group in the United States at the time. Singer's research also focused heavily on the areas of [[family therapy]] and [[schizophrenia]]. She conducted research with the [[National Institute of Mental Health]], the [[United States Air Force]] and the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. |
Singer’s work with cult studies, [[schizophrenia]] and family therapy introduced her to more than 3,000 cult members and more than 200 court cases of which her professional opinion was sought. Her beliefs often garnered the attention of lawyers who would use Singer as an expert witness in high-profile cases involving cult practices. Some of the more prominent cases of which Singer's opinion was sought involved the [[People’s Temple]], the mass murder-suicide at [[Jonestown, Guyana]], the [[Hillside Strangler]] of [[Los Angeles]], and the [[Heaven’s Gate]] cult. Singer also interviewed [[Charles Manson]] and his followers. | Singer’s work with cult studies, [[schizophrenia]] and family therapy introduced her to more than 3,000 cult members and more than 200 court cases of which her professional opinion was sought. Her beliefs often garnered the attention of lawyers who would use Singer as an expert witness in high-profile cases involving cult practices. Some of the more prominent cases of which Singer's opinion was sought involved the [[People’s Temple]], the mass murder-suicide at [[Jonestown, Guyana]], the [[Hillside Strangler]] of [[Los Angeles]], and the [[Heaven’s Gate]] cult. Singer also interviewed [[Charles Manson]] and his followers. | ||
Revision as of 17:20, 3 December 2007
Margaret Thaler Singer (July 29, 1921 – November 23, 2003) was a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Singer's main areas of research included schizophrenia, family therapy, brainwashing and coercive persuasion of cults. Throughout her career, Singer performed research at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the National Institute of Mental Health, the United States Air Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her groundbreaking psychological research earned her the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Scientist Award, the American College of Psychiatrists’ Hofheimer Prize, the Stanley R. Dean Award, and the Leo J. Ryan Memorial Award. She was reported to have been nominated twice for a Nobel Prize for her work in schizophrenia.
Life
Margaret Singer was born in Denver, Colorado on July 29, 1921. The only child of an Irish Catholic family, Singer’s father worked as the chief operating engineer at the U.S. Mint while her mother worked as a secretary to a federal judge. An avid cellist, Singer played the cello in the Denver Civic Symphony while attending the University of Denver where she would earn her bachelor’s degree in speech, and later, a master’s degree in speech pathology and special education. In 1943 Singer received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver. She would remain there for the next eight years working in the department of psychiatry at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine.
In 1953 Singer began studying the effects of brainwashing at the Walter Reed Institute of Research in Washington, D.C. where she interviewed U.S. prisoners of the Korean War who had been coerced into denouncing the United States and embracing communism. Here she would emerge as a leading researcher in the field of psychosomatic medicine. While working in Washington, D.C., Singer met and married her spouse of 48 years, Jerome. In 1958 the couple would relocate to Berkeley, California where she would become an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley where her husband would also join the faculty of the physics department. Singer would remain at Berkeley until her death in 2003 at the age of 82. She was survived by her husband, two children, and five grandchildren.
Work
Upon her arrival in Berkeley, Singer found the college campus a prime location to study the New Age cult scene of the 1960s and 1970s where organizations such as Hare Krishnas sought to actively recruit university students. Here Singer claimed there existed various similarities between the coercive techniques applied to Korean War veterans and those applied to prospective cult members. Singer would publish numerous articles in the field of cults and mind control, receiving a number of honors for her work. She developed theories about how cults recruit and retain members, which she entitled the Theory of Systematic Manipulation of Social and Psychological Influence. She was also active with the American Family Foundation, the major anti-cult group in the United States at the time. Singer's research also focused heavily on the areas of family therapy and schizophrenia. She conducted research with the National Institute of Mental Health, the United States Air Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Singer’s work with cult studies, schizophrenia and family therapy introduced her to more than 3,000 cult members and more than 200 court cases of which her professional opinion was sought. Her beliefs often garnered the attention of lawyers who would use Singer as an expert witness in high-profile cases involving cult practices. Some of the more prominent cases of which Singer's opinion was sought involved the People’s Temple, the mass murder-suicide at Jonestown, Guyana, the Hillside Strangler of Los Angeles, and the Heaven’s Gate cult. Singer also interviewed Charles Manson and his followers.
In 1975 Singer became involved in the court case against Patricia Hearst, a newspaper heiress kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army who was persuaded by her captors to participate in an armed bank robbery. Singer was also brought in to testify in a 1977 hearing for five members of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. However in 1987 Singer’s expert testimony was not accepted in four cases of which she had been involved after the report of the APA taskforce on Deceptive and Indirect Techniques of Persuasion and Control, of which she was chair, was rejected by the Board of Social and Ethical Responsibility for Psychology (BSERP) of the American Psychological Association. In 1992 she sued the APA for "defamation, frauds, aiding and abetting and conspiracy," but lost in 1994.
In addition to UC Berkeley, Singer also served as a faculty member and/or lecturer at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Washington School of Psychiatry, The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, the Department of Psychology at The University of California at Los Angeles, the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco, and various other institutions.
Criticism
In the early 1980s, various U.S. mental health professionals, including Singer, became controversial figures due to their involvement as expert witnesses in court cases against new religious movements. In their testimony, they stated that anti-cult theories of brainwashing, mind control, or coercive persuasion were generally accepted concepts within the scientific community. In 1983, the American Psychological Association (APA) asked Singer to chair a task force to investigate whether "brainwashing" or coercive persuasion did indeed play a role in recruitment by such movements.
Before the task force had submitted its final report, however, the APA submitted an amicus curiae brief in an ongoing case. That brief characterized the theory of brainwashing as not scientifically proven and suggested the hypothesis that cult recruitment techniques might prove coercive for certain sub-groups, while not affecting others. The brief stated that "[t]he methodology of Drs. Singer and Benson has been repudiated by the scientific community," that the hypotheses advanced by Singer were "little more than uninformed speculation, based on skewed data," and that "[t]he coercive persuasion theory … is not a meaningful scientific concept." The APA subsequently withdrew its signature from the brief, and later rejected the task force’s report due to insufficient evidence.
Other critics of Singer's theories claim the psychologist's prestige to be fostered in an environment of prejudice and fear, and that the Doctor sought to capitalize and profit on the cult craze of the 1960s and 1970s. In her 2003 obituary, The New York Times reported Singer continually battled threats made against her by members of various communal organizations, angered by her attacks against them.
Legacy
Dr. Margaret Singer was considered a foremost authority on coercive persuasion and a leading researcher on schizophrenia. Her research garnered the attention of respected psychological institutions and high-profile prosecutors. Despite the rejection of four testimonials, her work as a premier psychologist, therapist and professor helped authorities, students and individuals alike to better understand the psychological implications of organizations such as the Peoples Temple, Branch Davidian, and the Symbionese Liberation Army. Often conducting research, therapeutic sessions and legal business from the kitchen of her home, Singer's controversial area of study lead to numerous criticisms, legal rejections and personal threats against her. A member of the American Psychosomatic Society, Singer was elected its firs female president in 1972. She also served as a constructive member of the Board of Directors of Family Process, a board member of the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute Review Board and a member of President Gerald Ford’s Biomedical Research Panel. The winner of the Hofheimer Prize and the Dean Award from the American College of Psychiatrists, Dr. Margaret Singer was often known for her calm, authoritative, and unshakable personality, in addition to her unfailing ability to assist others.
Publications
- Singer, Margaret T. (Contributor, 1963). Personality Measurements in the Aged.
- Singer, Margaret T. (Contributor, 1995). Preface: Recovery from Cults. ISBN 0-393-31321-2.
- Singer, Margaret T. (Author, 1995). Cults in our Midst. ISBN 0-7879-0051-6.
- Singer, Margaret T. (Author, 1996). Crazy Therapies: What Are They? Do They Work? ISBN 0-7879-0278-0.
- Singer, Margaret T. (Contributor, 1998). Foreword: The Anatomy of Suicide. ISBN 0398068038.
- Singer, Margaret T. (Contributor, 2004). Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology: New Age Therapies. Pgs. 176-205. ISBN 1593850700.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Bromley, David. 2001. "A Tale of Two Theories: Brainwashing and Conversion as Competing Political Narratives" in Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins (ed.), Misunderstanding Cults. ISBN 0802081886
- International Cultic Studies Association. Margaret T. Singer, Ph.D. Profiles, International Cultic Studies Association. Retieved 4 November, 2007.
- Singer, Jerome. Repression and Dissociation: Implications for Personality Theory, Psychopathology, and Health. University of Chicago Press, 1995. ISBN 0226761061.
- Noblitt, J.R. Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology, and Recent Discovery in Contemporary America. Praeger Paperback, 2000. ISBN 0275966658.
- Bromley, David. Cults, Religion and Violence. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 0521668980.
External Links
- Idea Journal. Margaret Singer, Ph.D.
- Biography. Margaret Singer, Ph.D.
- Brainwashing, Controversies and the APA.
- Obituary, Margaret Singer. Center for Studies on New Religions, 2003.
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