Suppressive person

Template:ScientologySeries Suppressive Person, often abbreviated SP, is a term used in Scientology, coined by L. Ron Hubbard. The Church's official glossary of terms states:

suppressive person: a person who possesses a distinct set of characteristics and mental attitudes that cause him to suppress other people in his vicinity. This is the person whose behavior is calculated to be disastrous. Also called antisocial personality. [1]

The Church expresses concern about these "antisocial personalities", meaning those "who possess characteristics and mental attitudes that cause them to violently oppose any betterment activity or group", including the Church itself. [2] This concern with "groups" continues in the official Scientology Handbook, which states the corollary: "The antisocial personality supports only destructive groups". [3]

In the past, these terms have often specifically referred to perceived enemies of the Church of Scientology, whose "disastrous" and "suppressive" acts are said to impede the progress of Scientology.[4][5].

Those classified as Suppressive Persons are automatically specified as Fair Game (FG), which is a Scientology classification in its own right [6] [7]. Often, this specification is the result of alleged public or private criticism of Scientology, and may also come from recommendation of a Committee of Evidence, or imposed on those who left the employ of a Scientology organization without permission.

The Church claims to have stopped declaring people "Fair Game" in 1968, but in 1989 and 1994 appeals for Wollersheim vs. Church of Scientology (see JCA-147, pp.A-7, 15 & 16), Scientology's position was that "Fair Game" was still a "core practice of Scientology", and therefore protected as "religious expression".

The Suppressive Person doctrine is connected to several of Scientology's controversial policies. These include "disconnection," in which Scientologists connected to the person declared an SP are ordered to cease all communication with the declared "suppressive", even if they are immediate family members, and are designated as "fair game", which authorizes harassment against those declared "SP." Typically, this entails making nuisance telephone calls to, overtly taking photographs of, or going through the garbage of the SP because the law restrains criminal activities.

An SP Declare is issued as a church "Ethics Order". All Scientologists are expected to disconnect from a person so labelled, and if any refuse, they can also face being declared SP. This has lead to the break-up of business relationships and families, where spouses are instructed to file for divorce and move away with their children as a means of disconnection. Family members who are ordered to disconnect are often coached to lie to the labeled family member about the reason for the disconnection. A commonly suggested excuse is to tell the declared family member that the disconnection was not ordered by Scientology, but was done because of something that occurred before the SP declaration. The disconnection order is peculiar even for Scientology in that it contradicts a famous quote of L. Ron Hubbard: "Exclusion of others is the basic cause of war, crime and insanity."

Presently, a SP Declare can only be authorized by the Authorization, Verification, and Correction Unit of the Commodore's Messenger Organization, International Extension Unit located in the Hollywood Guarantee Building in Los Angeles, California. In the absence of this person, the Authorization, Verification, and Correction International, Issue Authority in the Religious Technology Center can authorize a SP Declare. Ethics Orders no longer list this approval line for legal liability reasons.

Actions that indicate a person might be declared a SP

1. A Scientology ethics officer or master at arms advising a spouse to file for divorce from the targeted person.
2. A Scientology ethics officer or master at arms advising a business associate to conclude a business relationship with the targeted person.
3. An Office of Special Affairs collaborator provoking a conversation with the person on the subject of explosives, firearms or some other emotionally charged topic, which can be twisted to negatively portray the target in an affidavit or court deposition.
4. A Scientology church book seller falsely excusing why they cannot sell or deliver certain items to the targeted person.
5. Sudden withdrawal by other Scientologists who were friends with the targeted person, for no apparent reason.
6. Sudden hostility or suspicion directed against the targeted person by church staff and collaborators, for no apparent reason.

Misuse of SP label within the Church of Scientology

SP declares are commonly issued in the Church on those who are otherwise good citizens who contribute to civil society. L. Ron Hubbard cautioned about misuse of this label in a lecture he made on 19 June 1966:

"You should upgrade your idea of what an SP is. Man, meet one sometime! A real one! A real monster." .... "Well, in all the time we've been around here we only had one SP that I know of. One real SP that was on staff. " .... "And I don't know of another single SP that we've ever had on staff. Isn't that interesting. You see all these SP orders and so on,,,," ..... "Don't throw it around carelessly, because this is an--a very exaggerated condition, SP."

-From pages 223-224 of the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course tape transcripts, Lecture Set 421-434.

Indeed, the anti-social personality has specific attributes, according to Hubbard:

"1. He or she speaks only in very broad generalites."

"2. Such a person deals mainly in bad news, critical or hostile remarks, invalidation, and general suppression."

"3. The antisocial personality alters, to worsen, comunication when he or she relays a message or news. Good news is stopped and only bad news, often embellished, is passed along."

"4. A characteristic, and one of the sad things about an antisocial personality, is that it does not respond to treatment or reform or psychotherapy."

"5. Surounding such a personality we find cowed or ill associates or friends who, when not driven actually insane, are yet behaving in a crippled manner in life, failing, not succeeding."

"6. The antisocial personality habitually selects the wrong target."

"7. The antisocial personality cannot finish a cycle of action."

"8. Many antisocial persons will freely confess to the most alarming crimes when forced to do so, but will have no faintest sense of responsibility for them."

"9. The antisocial personality supports only destructive groups and rages against and attacks any constructive or betterment group."

"10. This type of personality approves only of destructive actions and fights against constructive or helpful actions or activities."

"11. Helping others is an activity which drives the antisocial personality nearly berserk. Activities, however, which destroy in the name of help are closely supported."

"12. The antisocial personality has a bad sense of property and conceives that the idea that anyone owns anything is a pretense, made up to fool people. Nothing is ever really owned."

-From HCO Policy Letter of 27 September 1966 Issue II, The Antisocial Personality The Anti-Scientologist, pages 2 and 3.

Former Scientologist Bent Corydon wrote of personally seeing Scientology franchise holder Gary Smith declared Suppressive on the spot, during the October 1982 Mission Holders' Conference, simply for not obeying a shouted order to change his seat.

External links

• Suppressive Person Defense League
• Caroline Letkeman Suppressive Person Declare
• Information about Ethics Orders, Declares and Suppressive Persons