"Undue Influence" is when individuals who are stronger or more powerful get weaker people to do things they would not have done otherwise, using various techniques or manipulations over time. They may isolate the weaker person, promote dependency, or induce fear and distrust of others. The abuser tries to convince the vulnerable person that friends, family members, or caregivers have malevolent motives and cannot be trusted. The related concept of "predatory alienation" is purposefully disrupting existing relationships, often through deception, to isolate people from those they trust in order to exploit, control, or take advantage of them.
Reports
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Developing an Undue Influence Screening Tool for Adult Protective Services. Mary Joy Quinn, Lisa Nerenberg, Adria Navarro, and Kate Wilber. This article, which appears in the March 2017 edition of the Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, describes the development and piloting of the California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST)--see below. Literature Review on Undue Influence: This review of the legal and psychological literature on undue influence was was prepared for the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, as part of the Undue Influence: Definitions and Applications project, which was supported by the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging. Undue Influence: Definitions and Applications Final Report. Mary Joy Quinn, Lisa Nerenberg, Eileen Goldman, and Deana Piazza This report, which is available on the website of the California Administrative Offices of the Courts describes a study to evaluate the need for a new statutory definition of undue influence in California. It was supported by the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging. Evaluating the State of Predatory Alienation in New Jersey. Jacquelynn Duron andJudy L. Postmus Final report of a study prepared for New Jersey's Department of Children and Families and Department of Human Services by the Center on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC), Rutgers University School of Social Work. The study, which was the result of state legislation (see New Jersey Enacts Bill to Study Predatory Alienation below) was led by Dr. Jacquelynn Duron, Assistant Professor and Co-Investigator Dr. Judy L. Postmus. The report and an executive summary is available on the school’s website at predatory alienation. The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: Undue Influence, Thought Reform, Brainwashing, Mind Control, Trafficking and the Law. This 2020 doctoral dissertation by Steven A. Hassan offers quantitative evidence about the BITE model (Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion) as a potential tool to help evaluate cases involving exploitative control or undue influence. |
Resources
MINDHACKING FOR SENIORS Alert
Flyer produced by New Jersey Safe & Sound to educate families on how to protect themselves and loved ones from undue influence and elder abuse.
The California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST)
The California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST) was developed under a grant from the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging. Mary Joy Quinn, Director (ret.) of the Probate Court, California Superior Court, San Francisco County was the project director. The project was administered by California Elder Justice Coalition. (CEJC). Lisa Nerenberg, Executive Director of CEJC was the consultant to the project and Adria E. Navarro, Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine at the University of Southern California was the research director. Kathleen H. Wilber, the Mary Pickford Foundation Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California School of Gerontology was the adviser to the project.
CUIST was developed to help Adult Protective Service personnel screen for suspected undue influence using elements contained in California Probate Code 86 and Welfare and Institutions Code 15610.70: (1) Client Vulnerability, (2) Influencer’s Authority/Power, (3) Actions/Tactics, and (4) Unfair/Improper Outcomes
Flyer produced by New Jersey Safe & Sound to educate families on how to protect themselves and loved ones from undue influence and elder abuse.
The California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST)
The California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST) was developed under a grant from the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging. Mary Joy Quinn, Director (ret.) of the Probate Court, California Superior Court, San Francisco County was the project director. The project was administered by California Elder Justice Coalition. (CEJC). Lisa Nerenberg, Executive Director of CEJC was the consultant to the project and Adria E. Navarro, Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine at the University of Southern California was the research director. Kathleen H. Wilber, the Mary Pickford Foundation Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California School of Gerontology was the adviser to the project.
CUIST was developed to help Adult Protective Service personnel screen for suspected undue influence using elements contained in California Probate Code 86 and Welfare and Institutions Code 15610.70: (1) Client Vulnerability, (2) Influencer’s Authority/Power, (3) Actions/Tactics, and (4) Unfair/Improper Outcomes
Undue Influence Committed by Professionals
This 90-minute free e-learning, which features Candace Heisler, JD, was produced for Adult Protective Services workers by Project MASTER (Multi-disciplinary Adult Services Training and Evaluation for Results), a program of the Academy for Professional Excellence, San Diego State University School of Social Work. It was supported by a grant from the Huguette Clark Family Fund for Protection of Elders, a donor-advised fund of the New York Community Trust.
Supporting Human Rights by Testifying Against Human Wrongs
This article by Alan W. Scheflin of the Santa Clara University School of law appeared in the International Journal of Cultic Studies (Vol. 6, 2015, 69-82) and appears on website of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA). The paper also provides a Social Influence Model (SIM) to assist experts present the extensive science of social influence to judges and jurors in cases involving extreme-influence processes.
An interview With Undue Influence Expert Margaret Singer. This interview with Margaret Singer Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and emeritus adjunct professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and nationally renowned expert on cults, brainwashing, and persuasion, was conducted by Lisa Nerenberg. It appeared in nexus, a publication of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and Neglect in 1996.
Understanding Undue Influence
This "Practice tip" produced by the National Center on Law and Elder Rights describes undue influence and its relevance to advance planning.
CEJC's Webinar: "What's New in Undue Influence"
On November 7, 2018, CEJC hosted "What’s New in Undue Influence: Tools, Definitions, and Court Responses," a webinar highlighting the California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST). Presenters included Mary Joy Quinn, Dr. Nancy Hoffman, Cecelia Steiner-Smith, Dr. Sheila Johnson. The webinar recording is available here.
This 90-minute free e-learning, which features Candace Heisler, JD, was produced for Adult Protective Services workers by Project MASTER (Multi-disciplinary Adult Services Training and Evaluation for Results), a program of the Academy for Professional Excellence, San Diego State University School of Social Work. It was supported by a grant from the Huguette Clark Family Fund for Protection of Elders, a donor-advised fund of the New York Community Trust.
Supporting Human Rights by Testifying Against Human Wrongs
This article by Alan W. Scheflin of the Santa Clara University School of law appeared in the International Journal of Cultic Studies (Vol. 6, 2015, 69-82) and appears on website of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA). The paper also provides a Social Influence Model (SIM) to assist experts present the extensive science of social influence to judges and jurors in cases involving extreme-influence processes.
An interview With Undue Influence Expert Margaret Singer. This interview with Margaret Singer Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and emeritus adjunct professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and nationally renowned expert on cults, brainwashing, and persuasion, was conducted by Lisa Nerenberg. It appeared in nexus, a publication of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and Neglect in 1996.
Understanding Undue Influence
This "Practice tip" produced by the National Center on Law and Elder Rights describes undue influence and its relevance to advance planning.
CEJC's Webinar: "What's New in Undue Influence"
On November 7, 2018, CEJC hosted "What’s New in Undue Influence: Tools, Definitions, and Court Responses," a webinar highlighting the California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST). Presenters included Mary Joy Quinn, Dr. Nancy Hoffman, Cecelia Steiner-Smith, Dr. Sheila Johnson. The webinar recording is available here.
Promising Practices
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California Defines Undue Influence
In 2014, California enacted AB 140 to modernize the definition of undue influence to read: "Undue influence" means excessive persuasion that causes another person to act or refrain from acting by overcoming that person's free will and results in inequity. See California's Undue Influence Statute. In determining whether a result was produced by undue influence, all of the following shall be considered:
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New Jersey Enacts Bill to Study Predatory Alienation
In 2017, New Jersey passed a non-partisan bill requiring the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to study predatory alienation, which the bill defines as “extreme undue influence on, or coercive persuasion or psychologically damaging manipulation of another person that results in physical or emotional harm or the loss of financial assets, disrupts a parent - child relationship, leads to a deceptive or exploitative relationship, or isolates the person from family and friends. The initiative came at the urging of New Jersey Safe and Sound, an organization started in 2012 by people who had been affected by predatory alienation to advocate for legislation to protect families from undue influence and predatory alienation. DCF and DHS contracted the Center on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) at the Rutgers School of Social Work to study the issue.
In 2017, New Jersey passed a non-partisan bill requiring the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to study predatory alienation, which the bill defines as “extreme undue influence on, or coercive persuasion or psychologically damaging manipulation of another person that results in physical or emotional harm or the loss of financial assets, disrupts a parent - child relationship, leads to a deceptive or exploitative relationship, or isolates the person from family and friends. The initiative came at the urging of New Jersey Safe and Sound, an organization started in 2012 by people who had been affected by predatory alienation to advocate for legislation to protect families from undue influence and predatory alienation. DCF and DHS contracted the Center on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) at the Rutgers School of Social Work to study the issue.
For Help
CEJC has received numerous requests for help handling cases involving undue influence. Because we are unable to consult or advise on specific circumstances or cases, we are providing the following resources.
CEJC has received numerous requests for help handling cases involving undue influence. Because we are unable to consult or advise on specific circumstances or cases, we are providing the following resources.
- The National Center on Law and Elder Rights provides advice and resources to lawyers and professionals over e-mail or the telephone. The ABA Commission on Law and Aging provides subject matter expertise to the Center on elder abuse issues, including undue influence.
- The National Academy of Elderlaw Attorneys has a national lawyer referral service that helps people find attorneys with special expertise around the country.
- Local legal assistance programs for the elderly. Every community has a program of free legal services for older adults. To find one near you, go to the ElderCare Locator.
- Bar Associations. Some local and state bar associations offer referrals and free or affordable legal assistance.