Steven Hassan | |
|---|---|
 Hassan in 2023 | |
| Born | 1954 (age 69–70) Flushing, Queens, New York, USA |
| Occupation | Mental health counselor, author, lecturer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | PhD, MA, MEd, LMHC[1][2] |
| Alma mater | Queens College, City University of New York Cambridge College Fielding Graduate University |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Subject | Psychotherapy, mind control, cults |
| Spouse | Misia Landau |
| Website | |
| freedomofmind | |
Steven Alan Hassan (pronounced /hæsən/; born 1954) is an American mental health professional and author who specializes in the area of cults. He worked as a deprogrammer in the late 1970s, but since then has advocated a non-coercive form of exit counseling.
Hassan has written several books on the subject of mind control and is often described in the media as an expert on mind control and cults. Hassan's view of undue influence in such groups is echoed by some scholars with backgrounds in psychology and psychiatry. Some researchers in the sociology of religion are critical of his application of mind-control theory to what they characterise as new religious movements.
Hassan is a former member of the Unification Church, and founded Ex-Moon Inc. in 1979. In 1999 he founded the Freedom of Mind Resource Center.
- ^ Montell, Amanda (June 11, 2021). "Is The Royal Family A Cult? This Expert Thinks So". Bustle. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ "Steven A Hassan PhD: About". Psychology Today. Retrieved January 6, 2022.