DESCRIPTION OF THE BEHAVIORAL STRUCTURE OF THE TRAINING
An excerpt from "The Politics of Transformation:
Recruitment - Indoctrination Processes In a Mass Marathon
Psychology Organization" By PHILIP CUSHMAN
Note: The use of the term "Vitality Initial
Training" refers to the Basic Training of a well-known LGAT.
INTRODUCTION
This section of the results chapter presents a linear,
behavioral description of the structure of the Initial Training.
This task is undertaken because, in a restrictive milieu, the
milieu is the single most influential element in the field.
Therefore, it is imperative that the structure of the training be
described in detail.
In the case of mass marathon psychology organizations, the
milieu is primarily composed of the behavioral structure the
controlling organization imposes on the participants. The
participants' experiences depend in large part upon what the
organization encourages, instructs, or coerces them to do. These
structured manipulations are embodied in the events of the
training (i.e., lectures, discussions, interpersonal exercises,
or hypnotic inductions). The events are introduced, monitored,
and managed from beginning to end by the trainer and his staff.
He, in turn, appears to follow an extensive script, which guides
the staff and the trainer in both the large agenda (e.g., the
order and content of the events) and the small details (e.g., the
correct song to play over the sound system or the proper
deployment of the staff during a specific event). The carefully
controlled structure evokes certain responses in participants,
which then, in turn, are treated by the trainer as indicators of
the participants' states of mind. He will therefore alter his
behavior, and the structure of the exercise accordingly. These
changes will then make a further impact on the participants, and
they will indicate the significance of the impact by their
responses. and so on.
Therefore, the entire recruitment-indoctrination process
cannot be understood without a detailed description of the
behavioral structure of the training. Research Question I has
been developed in order to aid in the collection of the data. It
states:
1. What does the Vitality Initial Training consist of, step by
step? -What does the trainer say and do? --What do the staff
members say and do? --What environmental controls are used and
what is their effect upon the participants (e.g. behavioral rules
such as talking, eating and bathroom "privileges," the
strategic use of music and lighting, social rewards and
punishments. etc.) These data were collected through interviews
with three Vitality graduates (see Appendix A. "Interview
Guide A: Behavioral Structure of the Training").
Occasionally, when available and applicable, data collected from
the 15 "experience'' subjects were used as an adjunct to
data from the "behavior" subjects. When used in this
way the data from "experience" subjects were always
clearly distinguished from that of the "behavior"
subjects.
The data were then organized linearly and presented as a
narrative. Section B is composed of (a) a brief description of
each large event of the training reported in serial form, (b) a
few brief anecdotes from subjects that illustrate and add
descriptive detail, and (c) some brief theoretical comments from
the researcher. Data are organized linearly: all events,
exercises, and statements are organized in the sequence in which
subjects thought they occurred. Therefore data will be organized
by starting with day one, event one, moving on to day one, event
two, etc.
Research Proposition #1, which was developed from the working
model, is then used as a way of systematically organizing and
evaluating the data. The results of that evaluation will be found
in Section C.
Because the researcher was restricted to interviewing
techniques in order to recreate the structure of the training,
this section is less accurate, detailed, and complete than it
could have been if participant observation techniques had been
possible. This is particularly true due to the emotional and
behavioral pressures to which participants are exposed. It is
important to remember that the training is composed of a
high-intensity, rapidly moving series of intense emotional
experiences. Often participants are exhausted, hungry, tired of
thinking, giddy, euphoric. All of this makes accurate retrieval
of their memory of the order and content of events extremely
difficult. This is particularly true since subjects are subjected
to formal and informal hypnotic induction techniques at various
points in the training. This accounts for the erratic nature of
the reports. Sometimes subjects were extremely detailed in their
memories of a trainer's statements or the order of an exercise.
At other times they may simply have forgotten the content of an
entire exercise. Although the subjects interviewed for the
behavioral structure were chosen for their professional knowledge
and objectivity, they too were affected by the milieu and were
therefore unable to remember all details of the training. This
unfortunately resulted in incomplete or vague descriptions of
some of the events.
The training is composed of successive sessions on Wednesday
night, Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday day and night,
Sunday day and night, a Tuesday night post-training session ten
days after graduation, and a post-training interview. Evening
sessions begin at 6:30 pm and last until 11:30 or 12. Saturday
starts at 10 am and lasts until approximately 12. Sunday starts
at 9 am and lasts until approximately 12. Participants are
instructed to wear comfortable clothing. Initial Trainings are
usually held in the convention facilities of large, expensive
hotels. A training is usually composed of 250-300 participants,
many Vitality volunteers, several official Vitality staff, an
assistant trainer, and a head trainer.
Day 1
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