John Gordon Clark
American psychiatrist (1926–1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John 'Jack' Gordon Clark (1926–1999) was a Harvard psychiatrist known for his research on the alleged damaging effects of cults.[1]
Macalester College, B.S.
John Gordon Clark | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1926 |
| Died | 1999 (aged 72–73) |
| Alma mater | Harvard Medical School, M.D. Macalester College, B.S. |
| Known for | research on cults |
| Awards | Psychiatrist of the Year, Psychiatric Times, 1991 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | psychiatry |
| Institutions | Harvard University |
Academic career
Clark was a faculty member at the Harvard Medical School and was part of the staff at McLean Hospital.[2]
Clark was a preeminent researcher on the harm of cults[3] and became the leading figure in public opposition to cults in the 1970s.[4] He studied groups like the Unification Church, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and the Church of Scientology.[5] He founded the Boston Personal Development Institute, which treated current and former cult members.[6] He proposed that cult recruitment was capable of manipulating psychologically healthy individuals, and did not solely target mentally or emotionally conflicted people.[7]
Clark developed a criterion of nine features common to cults: a ruling leader who claims unique abilities and responsibilities, absolutist belief systems, totalitarian management, disregard for secular law, disregard for human rights and personalities, control and ritualization over sexual intimacy, conformity, a focus on money-gathering or providing labor for the group, and methodical recruitment and retention systems.[8]
Clark was an expert witness in a legal case where a man attempted to place his adult son under protective guardianship, alleging that his son had been brainwashed by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.[9] He was the target of harassment from the Church of Scientology after he testified against it to the Vermont legislature in 1976.[5] The organization filed two lawsuits against him, which were both dismissed. In 1985, Clark sued L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, for conspiring to "destroy" and harass him.[10] The suit was settled out of court in 1988 for an undisclosed amount of money. As part of the settlement, Clark agreed to stop speaking about the organization.[5]
The Psychiatric Times named him 1991 psychiatrist of the year,[7] describing him as "a quiet, courageous man of conviction, who was fighting an all-too-lonely and unappreciated battle against well-financed, ruthless organizations."
Works
- Clark, John G. Cults. Journal of the American Medical Association. 242, 279–281. 1979
- Clark, John G.: On the further study of destructive cultism. In Halperin (ed.), 363–368