Psychologist hits out at Netflix viewers after everyone says same thing about 7M TikTok cult documentary

A psychologist has hit out at Netflix viewers after everyone said the exact same thing about the 7M TikTok cult documentary.

Dancing for the Devil first dropped on the streaming platform last month (29 May) and, in just a matter of days, it's climbed to the prestigious 'No. 2 in TV Programmes Today' spot.

The premise of the shocking doc follows young social media influencers who signed up to a management company that promised them a life of fame but 'for a price' while exploring the chilling 7M Films controversy.

The three-part series tells the harrowing story of a group of high-profile TikTok dancers who became trapped in a mysterious church-going 'cult' that was masquerading as the management company run by pastor Robert Shinn.

Instead of offering sympathy, however, some viewers were quick to call out those who got caught up in it.

One X user hit out: "I watched the Dancing for the Devil doc on Netflix because I’m just fascinated by the psychology behind ppl getting into cults and I’m still in shock that this many TikTok dancers needed so much 'spiritual guidance' that they fell for this insanity.

Another slammed: "Dancing for the Devil, the TikTok doc on Netflix is just wild. How the f*ck are you a pastor and a talent manager?!

"I don’t understand how these adults can possibly fall for this and not realize it’s a cult but it’s honestly so wild how far they’ve let this man go."

A 'Cult & Coercive Control Educator' has since come forward to explain a little more about the psychology what leads to a person joining a cult in the first place.

The woman, who goes by the handle @freefromcontrol.ca online, took to TikTok to share her expertise directly responding to a comment which read: "The fact that there are so many naive, gullible, weak people out there that fall for the little weasels tricks is equally disturbing."

The expert began: "So, I have been scrolling a lot of the responses to Netflix's new Dancing for the Devil documentary. And I see this comment here..."

She carried on: "So this kind of comment tells me a lot about how much you do not understand and are ignorant about the calculated, sophisticated and highly systematic manipulation tactics that abusers use on their victims."

She then explained that this is a problem for 'several reasons', adding: "It's a problem because you are blaming the victim, saying that this is equally as disturbing as what this abuser does and creating an environment in a culture where we don't believe victims, and where we blame them is a culture where victims do not come forward and that's a big problem for all of us."

Talking about such viewpoints, the TikToker continued: "We want to believe that that could never happen to us.

"So we create this narrative, this idea that allows us to convince ourselves that this type of thing would never happen to us because we aren't naive, gullible or weak."

She explained that abusers are 'keenly attuned' to our psychological needs and that 'it's not so much' that victims are weak, gullible or naive but it's that these abusers are so 'skilled and sophisticated' at profiling us at scanning us and figuring out exactly which kind of button to push to bring us in.

"Unless you're a robot, you are vulnerable and susceptible to abusers because what makes us vulnerable and susceptible to these kinds of systems and people is our very basic human psychology," she went on.

Because we all have 'basic needs' like being a part of something bigger, finding meaning in our identity or being part of a community, we want to believe that we're contributing to a greater purpose outside of our life, the expert says.

These things, however, make us 'vulnerable'.

The TikTok continued: "And like I said, What abusers are really skilled at is scanning each and every one of us and figuring out which one of those needs to zero in on.

"So, we're all vulnerable to abuse because we are human beings."

Circling back to the original comment, she also hit out: "The bad news is that if you have this kind of mentality and ignorance, you are actually more vulnerable and more susceptive [sic] to abusers and abusive and destructive systems.

"So please just take a moment to read this in, maybe develop some curiosity about how these victims got lured into these situations in the first place and why it is that your knee jerk reaction is to blame them and declare that they're weak, vulnerable or deficient in some way."

Hannah Shinn, Robert's wife, has shared a statement with Tyla about the allegations made across the documentary.

It reads: "The Netflix docuseries is a slanderous work of fiction, born from a failed extortion attempt, and invented for the sole purpose of gaining fame and fortune.

"Two years ago, Melanie Lee Goldman, Priscylla Leigh aka Elisha Priscylla Leigh and their co-conspirators launched a concerted smear campaign to defame Robert Shinn, his family, and his business associates after Mr. Shinn did not capitulate to Ms. Leigh’s extortion demands.

"Despite sworn statements from co-conspirators that confirm the scheme by Ms. Goldman and Ms. Leigh to disseminate widespread lies, Netflix recklessly provided a global platform to peddle a false narrative that is at the center of ongoing litigation.

"We will continue to pursue all legal remedies available to stop the spread of salacious lies and expect to be fully vindicated in court."