The Expression of Emotion and the Use of Psychological Bait

Kayla Tucker’s 2019 Arak Journal Article entitled “Vulnerability: The Bait for Cult Leaders” provides a well made argument that proves that those who are emotionally and physically vulnerable are more susceptible to joining cults and eventually being harmed from them. Tucker’s argument is excellent in that she uses relevant, timely information that is credible and evokes a certain emotion in her audience. Kayla Tucker starts her exploration into cults and cult leaders by first defining what a cult is: “a social group that identifies by its unusual beliefs or common interests” (26). It is through this definition that the author tries to connect the main idea of her argument with the audience. Tucker then continues to add relevance to the definition of cults by adding that “more recently, cults have been defined as groups that use manipulative techniques to brainwash their followers to achieve particular goals” (26). This addition to the original definition of cults presented by Tucker will later be supplemented by her main argument which is seen throughout the article. It is through the use of the two different definitions of cults, that Tucker creates tension between the question of what really is the definition of a cult. As stated by Tucker, the two definitions are from two different time eras; one from when cults first became popular and the most current definition. Stating the current definition of a cult adds relevance to her argument, in that it describes how today people are concerned with the effects cults have on its members. Not only does it add relevance, but when Tucker describes the definition she uses the words “manipulative techniques” and “brainwash” (26) whose negative connotations add to the overall tone of the paper. It is through stating this definition, that Tucker adds to the overall serious tone of her paper through the effectiveness of the words used.