Errant Belief #4: “He’s an Adult. We Have No Right to Interfere.”

Undue Influence Undermines Autonomy

It is completely understandable that people might resist any request to help a person who has been unduly influenced. The person might say, “Why should I? They are an adult. I don’t think it is right to interfere with their decision.” If the person isn’t asking for help, why get involved? Americans generally have great respect for privacy and expect that people are functioning of one’s own volition. In fact, the law states that once people reach the age of majority (usually eighteen but in some countries twenty-one), they are responsible for their own actions. However, unethical mind control impairs an individual’s capacity for mature, autonomous decision-making.