고립된 낙원의 역설과 파국적 합의: <새크라멘트>와 존스타운 사건의 문화심리학적 분석

초록

This study examines The Sacrament and the 1978 Jonestown massacre to investigate the cultural psychological mechanisms underlying cult tragedies. Using social identity theory and groupthink theory, it argues that the quest for an ‘isolated paradise’ generates a fatal form of dependency that culminates in a catastrophic consensus. In both Eden Parish and the People’s Temple, separation from the outside world produced a powerful new social identity while casting society as a hostile out-group. Although this isolation initially offered belonging and purpose, it also eroded critical judgment. Under the authority of a charismatic leader, groupthink dynamics—especially the suppression of dissent and the illusion of moral certainty—made mass suicide appear as an act of loyalty rather than self-destruction. The study concludes that such tragedies are not merely the result of individual fanaticism but of structural psychological processes within closed communities, and that prevention requires stronger social support systems and education about coercive group influence.

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