Jim Jones and the People’s

Temple

Jim Jones and the People’s Temple

Amr.H.Serag El Din

Modern Education School

Psychology

Mrs. Noureen Ben Halim

18/10/2023
Jim Jones and the People’s Temple 2

Obedience and conformity can sometimes lead to disastrous outcomes when

influenced by personality, situational, and social factors; a clear example is the

Jonestown massacre. In a nutshell, the Jonestown massacre was a tragic event

where a cult of more than 900 followers led by Jim Jones committed mass suicide

by drinking poison-induced punch. This paper will analyze what led these

individuals to obey and conform, and does this make them on what level of sanity,

and what caused Jim Jones to turn out like that and manipulate his followers and

illustrate the power of authority and group pressure.

The pressures to conform can affect the individual's behavior and change how the

person perceives, understands, and approaches any idea or authoritarian figure.

Conformity increases social harmony and group polarization, and the people feel a

sense of belonging to the group. As people become increasingly included in a

group and start to form a cult, they lose their authenticity and identity, suppressing

their thoughts, feelings, and opinions to be congruent with the group. This makes

the people accept the group's views without question or challenge. Jim Jones and

the People's Temple is a clear example of how people became blinded by group

polarization. For instance, he promoted that people do not have any relationships

with each other. On the other hand, he would have relations with men and women

of the cult, but no one saw the reality that Jones was a lusty liver and no priest.
Jim Jones and the People’s Temple 3

Moreover, although some people noticed something wrong, they did not protest or

attempt escape except a few, almost negligible.

"In the 1950s, American society was becoming increasingly turbulent in a variety

of sectors." (Wunrow) Racism, Fear of communist takeover, and youth starting to

feel let down by their parent's way of life made People's Temple the utopia as it

made all people feel special there and gave them a purpose regardless of race or

ethnicity. Many of his followers were also drug addicts, homeless, and in abusive

situations before joining the temple, and for that, Jim Jones appeared as a savior.

Most of these people had a vulnerability, which made them obey easily and feel a

sense of belonging to the People's Temple.

Jim Jones isolated his cult from "the outside world" to strengthen their relationship

with the cult community because it was all they had. Jones chose a wonderful place

in California, the promised land, and people fell in love with it. This is one of the

main reasons why people were easily conforming to his ideas. Isolating people will

lead to sharing similar ideas and beliefs, and it will be easier for them for Jones to

indoctrinate all their beliefs, as there will be no other social pressure. Jones also

recorded himself for twenty-four hours giving speeches that people heard all the

time, which was annoying and prevented them from thinking. He also kept people

working a lot, and they were sleep-deprived, which clouded their judgment. He

gave people jobs in the church and gave them money. So, he made the people busy
Jim Jones and the People’s Temple 4

while giving them the impression of care; thus, they could not think or question his

movement. In addition, the group was big, so it was easier to manipulate people

and polarize them, creating a bigger influence and increased conformity.

Other than the environment around them, Jim Jones himself was a very influential

reason for their obedience. Jones convinced the people that he had powers by

bringing actors to make people think he had healing powers. Through that, he

subconsciously induced the idea in the people's minds that he was a demigod. To

prove that, he threw the bible, telling people that he did not get struck by lightning

and told them that he would make heaven on earth, and people believed him.

However, everything came step by step because if this was Jones's attitude from

the beginning, no one would have followed him as his main door to these people

was religion.

There is a great similarity between this documentary of Jim Jones and Zimbardo's

prison experiment in the concept of obedience, following authoritarian leaders, and

losing individuality, leading to a dehumanized society.

Through both situations, we are introduced to an authoritarian leader who was able

to manipulate and control his community. For example, Jim Johns was able to

persuade his "people" to drink punch laced with cyanide in order to commit mass

suicide, all the while justifying it as a revolutionary move against the opponents of

socialism. This demonstrates how people were so conditioned to be submissive and

Jim Jones and the People’s Temple 5

brainwashed that they committed suicide. Meanwhile, in Zimbardo's prison

experiment, this ideology can be seen through the authority that was displayed by

the guards.

Both documentaries were able to convey how people can lose their own identity

and morality when they are in a community or when they are influenced by an

authority figure. For example, the Jonestown prisoners were deprived of their

personal implications. They were forced to wear uniforms and given numbers

instead of names. In addition to similar treatment, the guards at the Stanford Prison

Experiment also physically and psychologically mistreated the prisoners.

Both events showed how people can give in to communal pressure and social

standards, even when doing so goes against their personal morals and convictions.

Though there was some initial opposition and hesitancy, Jim Jones' followers

carried out his demands to murder themselves and their children. Despite being

aware that the Stanford Prison Experiment was merely a simulation, the

participants adhered to their designated roles as guards and prisoners.

If we look at the people who obey illegal orders from a very superficial look, we

will accuse them of being abnormal. However, the power of obedience can

sometimes be powerful to the extent that people do not need to be abnormal to

commit a crime. They were merely following and brainwashed and easily

influenced by social factors. Most people obey under certain circumstances, like
 Jim Jones and the People’s Temple 6

the legitimacy of the authority figure, the emotional state of the person, and people

who want to appear cooperative. We can use Milgram experiment as an example

because when the subjects were administered the electric shocks, regardless of

their immorality, Milgram argued that it was not because these people were

immoral but rather because they were compelled to participate mostly because they

feared appearing uncooperative and there was no fear of the consequences.

Milgram described this phenomenon as the "Agentic state," where the people think

they are part of a higher order. In the case of Jamestown, the higher order was Jim

Jones's beliefs, which made them commit suicide regardless of anything.

I think this documentary is not related to anything i experience in life and i think it
was very disturbing that this can be part of human reality. The Jonestown massacre
serves as a chilling reminder of the devastating consequences of blind obedience
and conformity. Jim Jones manipulated his followers through isolation,
indoctrination, and exploiting their vulnerabilities. The power of authority and
group pressure shaped their behavior, leading to mass suicide. Parallels can be
drawn to Zimbardo's prison experiment, highlighting the loss of identity and
morality. Critical thinking and individual autonomy are crucial to prevent such
tragedies. The documentary on Jim Jones and the People's Temple sheds light on
the dark side of human nature and the dangers of unchecked conformity.

References
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Jim Jones and the People’s Temple 7

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Luiz, C. D. (n.d.). The Psychology Behind Jonestown: When Extreme Obedience

and Conformity Collide. Anna Maria College.

Lys, C. (n.d.). (PDF) The Violence of Jim Jones: A Biopsychosocial Explanation.

ResearchGate. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259932347_The_Violence_of_Jim

_Jones_A_Biopsychosocial_Explanation

Melton, G., & Kulik, R. M. (n.d.). Peoples Temple | Overview, Jim Jones, Cult,

Massacre, & Facts. Britannica. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Peoples-Temple

Wunrow, R. (n.d.). The psychological massacre: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple:

An Investigation – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples

Temple. Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple.

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