Sirens: The dark psychology of how people really get drawn into cults

News24

a day ago

Macall Polay/Netflix
Joy Cranham explores how Sirens on Netflix masterfully blends the eccentricity of cult-like behaviours with the unsettling reality of coercive control.
Like other quirky TV shows that explore coercively controlling groups, Sirens leans into the 'wackiness' of cult life. Set on a remote island, an affluent community exists under extravagant rule of Michaela Kell aka Kiki (Julianne Moore). Her devoted followers – many of whom are employed by her – are committed to ensuring her every whim is met.
This carefully curated existence appears bizarre but flawless, until outsider Devon (Meghann Fahy) arrives looking for her sister Simone (Milly Alcock) and begins to illuminate the control and cult-like behaviour being used as tools of oppression.
It is easy to laugh along with Sirens, to get caught up in the eccentric characters and absurd rituals – from assistants being instructed to sext Kiki's partner to rituals around perfuming her underwear drawer each morning. We shake our heads at the characters' choices and reassure ourselves: 'I would never fall for that, I would just leave.'
But the uncomfortable truth is it's not that simple.
What portrayals of cult communities in sitcoms often miss, or gloss over, is the deeply manipulative psychology behind why leaving a cult is incredibly difficult.
Research into cult experiences has shown, cults do not just trap people physically. They entrap them mentally and emotionally, too.
I have seen this in my own research into how to help children and their families resist exploitative and coercively controlling individuals and groups. We do see such entrapment in Sirens, but it is often obscured by the wackiness of Michaela's cult-ish community.
Isolation and love-bombing
In the real world, entrapment starts with isolation. New recruits are gradually cut off from their support networks, separated from their friends and family.
We see this in Sirens between Simone, who is Kiki's assistant, and her outsider sister Devon. In one episode, for instance, Simone makes it clear to Devon that their matching sister tattoos were no longer valuable to her.
What was once a show of love has become viewed as 'trashy' by Simone. This is a reflection of how Simone was being manipulated away from her previous values.
Rejecting the importance of familial relationships is a tool often used by cult leaders, enabling them to construct rifts between the person in the cult and their loved one on the outside.
In Sirens, we see a sisterly relationship become ruptured at the instruction of the powerful Kiki, who exploits the vulnerability of Simone to her own advantage.
Then comes the love-bombing – a flood of praise, attention, and affection. It feels amazing, especially to someone who has been overlooked or undervalued.
When the person expresses surprise, the group responds with lines like, 'that's because we truly see you' or they belittle the person's previous relationships.
The message from the group is clear: only we value you. Only we understand the real you.
Fear and dependence
But the honeymoon phase does not last. Soon, the fear of being cast out takes hold. The group convinces the person that they can only become their best self within the group, that they are fulfilling a higher destiny by being guided by the leader.
Leaders in cults use authoritarian tactics, often portraying themselves as messianic figures with mystical powers. They demand unwavering loyalty and devotion. Questioning their authority is not tolerated. Any concern or question is reframed as a personal failing rather than as legitimate concern.
Punishment for dissent reinforces the leader's dominance and sends a clear message to the rest of the group: Do not question. The leader and their doctrines are irrefutable.
Macall Polay/Netflix
This sort of control can lead people to do things they never imagined they would. Take the scene where Simone willingly chews gum that has just been in Kiki's mouth. We might cringe at this, think it's gross and abnormal, but it's symbolic of something much bigger: it depicted total control being exerted over another.
Here we watch as Kiki insults Simone, telling her her breath stinks. Instead of being seen as cruelty, it is perceived as care, and Kiki then giving Simone the gum she has just chewed to rectify the problem is perceived as kindness. Simone is grateful and doesn't question it at all.
Simone's mind has been manipulated. Devon asks her: 'Does Michaela have her talons so deep in your brain you cannot tell, you are in trouble?' Through using thought reform techniques, cults hack minds. They override critical thinking and replace it with fear and dependency.
The constant sense of danger and fear keeps members in a state of acute stress, impairing their capacity to think clearly or make rational decisions. However, this constant fear is happening in a place they are repeatedly told and are convincing themselves is where they have never been happier.
The cognitive dissonance of this can contribute to the group's ability to retain members even when exposing them to prolonged psychological and or physical abuse. Even after someone leaves, the effects of this trauma can linger for years – sometimes a lifetime.
Survivors often exit these groups with very few tangible resources. Education and employability may have been restricted, and housing and financial independence are often tightly controlled by the group.
Many survivors suffer from mental health issues and other stress-induced physical ailments. As a result, survivors require various forms of support and different interventions over the cause of their recovery.
And yet, in pop culture, cults are often played for laughs. The trauma is reduced to punch lines. To be fair, shows like Sirens effectively capture the bizarre nature of cult life, and hopefully, reading this piece has helped you look beyond the laughs to see the dark nature of how these groups operate. For survivors, cult life is not eccentric or surreal – it is traumatic.