According to Dr. Stanley H. Cath of Tufts University School of Medicine, many people who join cults were raised in a family that attempted to teach them Christianity, Judaism, or another formal religion, and yet they rejected it. 0000115951 00000 n endobj 0000008022 00000 n The word cult has been associated negatively in our society for so long that the definition changes drastically based on who you ask, because no group wants to be considered as cultic because of the reputation the word upholds. endobj Groupthink. I do think generally that having depressive symptoms or anxiety could absolutely play into why someone would find the idea of a cult alluring, but there absolutely needs to be more research! endobj https://encompass.eku.edu/honors_theses/844, Home | <> One of the many tactics that cults use to recruit new members is love bombing. This is a technique where members of the group are overly loving and complimentary. Grand Canyon University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2019. The .gov means its official. As a result, it is defined as handling major concepts and roles associated with protective factors. Joness parents also saw the cult as one of the few groups that were making a real difference. Counselling psychology quarterly. > Medical Journal Cult membership: What factors contribute to joining or leaving? How Cults Work. "So you only have the information to go on that you've been given, which is very select and you make your judgment call based on that. 28 0 obj In Lalichs TedTalk, he talks about how leaders are persuasive with authoritarian and narcissism that are motivated by money, sex, power, or all three (2017). Striving for perfectionism comes into play in many cults. 0000046622 00000 n People who have abandoned their studies quit their job or distanced themselves from relatives outside of the cult are even more likely to stay because they feel as though they could never resume life outside of the cult (Rousselet, 2017). endobj 0000012751 00000 n <>427 0 R]/P 554 0 R/Pg 543 0 R/S/Link>> 0000003814 00000 n <>410 0 R]/P 544 0 R/Pg 543 0 R/S/Link>> 445 0 obj 0000020860 00000 n Antelo E, Saldaa O, Rodrguez-Carballeira . Eur J Psychotraumatol. Bookshelf 5 0 obj They look for ways to break people; they want people who will work hard and long hours for little or no pay. 0000011389 00000 n She felt that her only option was to steal yoga pants. Cult influence is designed to disrupt a person's authentic identity and replace it with a new identity. 447 0 obj 2 0 obj They want willing slaves. 844, The Making of Cults: The Factors that Contribute to Membership and the Leaders Influence, Chloe Greenidge, Eastern Kentucky UniversityFollow. References: <>112 0 R]/P 500 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> This is a really interesting topic! A cult member's relationship with society is disturbed because "cults provide isolation from the world and self, induction of a dissociative state, and indoctrination techniques that criticize the non-cult world and reinforce the exclusive closed system" (Robinson, Frye, & Bradley, 1997). <>78 0 R]/P 568 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> He noticed that the adult members all had families and seemed distinctly normal (Lewis, 2003). They want to make a name and be regarded as powerful persons for reasons based on past negative experiences at the family levels. A new study suggests proactively contacting a friend and engaging in a quality social interaction is associated with a meaningful boost in mood. To someone who has low self-esteem, this is a huge ego boost. The more inadequate and inferior the follower feels himself to be, the more magical and mystical the omnipotence projected onto the leader. 0000113842 00000 n Fearing the loss of these new friendships and intimate relationships, people stop speaking out. <>stream Freckelton, I. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. 0000008898 00000 n endobj Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano. members stay or leave is not the same as asking why they join. Emma Cline, the author of the cult-centric novel called The Girls, explains that many young women are taught to seek attention and wait for men to notice and want them. For young, idealistic people who feel a deep need to make a difference in the world, this organization could be a very attractive prospect. According to therapist Rachel Bernstein, who treats former cult members, there isn't one profile or set of traits that make someone susceptible. Their research indicated that the experiences these people have of bitter conflicts, and rejection of peers, can be quite distressing; that men and women who join a cult have never previously developed any deep and trusting relationships with others (Yakovleva, 2018). Although there is conflicting evidence in the current literature, some research indicates that factors such as familial dysfunctional patterns (Almendros et al., 2007), preexisting 0000112482 00000 n Legitimating New Religions. (2017, July 13). 448 0 obj Thank you! 0000113989 00000 n Rather, it's a mixture of wanting self-improvement and community, as well as timing. <>416 0 R]/P 548 0 R/Pg 543 0 R/S/Link>> Retrieved July 12, 2019, from https://go-galegroup-com.ezproxy.uleth.ca/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&u=leth89164&id=GALE|A53368534&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon. endobj 450 0 obj Cult membership and addictive disorders share some characteristics: persistence despite damage, initial psychological relief, occupation of an exclusive place in the thoughts of members, high psychiatric comorbidity prevalence, high accessibility, leading to social precariousness and the importance of familial support when leaving. trailer 60. Cults are beautifully packaged to look like something quite different from the outside (Brown, 2019) A sample of 75 ex-members of cults or new religious movements completed two personality inventories: the short form of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Beck Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale. The use of hypnotic altered trance states, that can covertly make people as suggestable as a fully induced hypnosis patient, are not well understood, researched, peer viewed, etc, as of yet. 0000113691 00000 n - Read online for free. We go in, and were immediately greeted by a young, attractive woman. From this point, cults employ lots of techniques commonplace to social psychology, such as confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance. <> Retrieved from: https://doi-org.ezproxy.uleth.ca/10.1080/10609393.2018.1451678. 0000003345 00000 n Sign up for notifications from Insider! People who join cults are not stupid. How do you think this impacts their own social development? 0000024474 00000 n In relatively few cases is there a history of a pre-existing mental . Method 3. It becomes increasingly difficult to speak up about practices of the cult when for other members they are commonplace. Accessibility But according to therapist Rachel Bernstein, who specializes in treating cult survivors from groups including NXIVM and Scientology, it's not that simple. (2001) Deconstructing brainwashing within cults as an aid to counselling psychologists. [9] Provide a predictable, friendly environment. 0000007740 00000 n endobj 0000020771 00000 n )@ R5JL[*,}JimhKzeP HDEkl7p)K6`9aB ss>9p DrR\&MK=fRaWamn(5L6XrR(>$z;?~!W;n^C2T>eri\h*@(_e,2E5!yDay 0000005242 00000 n Due influence involves informed consent, your choice, right to question, listening to your inner voice, freedom to interact with anyone, free will, and the freedom to leave. endobj <> Visiting and making personal contact with cult members is important. Cult membership and addictive disorders share some characteristics: persistence despite damage, initial psychological relief, occupation of an exclusive place in the thoughts of members, high psychiatric comorbidity prevalence, high accessibility, leading to social precariousness and the importance of familial support when leaving. 0000046135 00000 n 0000115247 00000 n Why then, do people stay once it is clear what the community is about? 0000112587 00000 n general thought and question. Unlike most people who find . 0000003586 00000 n Beware of thinking that you are immune from cult . In her 20s, Dr. Stein began to seek out political organizations who claimed to improve the lives of Americans needing health care and other issues. He might also be able to learn the long prayers for the dhikri of a particular sufi group, tariqa, and join in the Friday afternoon recitations, becoming a new member of a young coterie of Sufi students and the pious. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 0000006886 00000 n > 29 0 obj 1 Cults are usually headed by a powerful leader who isolates members from the rest of society. <>108 0 R]/P 496 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> In "The Vow," an anonymous former member dubbed "Jane" said she were drawn to NXIVM because of the sense of community it provided. <><>379 0 R]/P 524 0 R/Pg 516 0 R/S/Link>> No one's able to make a fully educated decision before getting involved in a cult.". endobj The actor Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings were also born into The Children of God cult. Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'brainwashing' in China by Dr. Robert Jay Lifton, Combating Cult Mind Control: The Guide to Protection, Rescue and Recovery from Destructive Cults, Opening Our Minds: avoiding abusive relationships and authoritarian groups by Jon Atack. endobj Careers. x]o6 ?*`Zn5vQqhbg~$%ukI 4R:zROj}"454K"q6n:Y>W80r=S27_E7Sf|ttB^Z$fvuNnq~q_i#ThCQQL*J*-r~| K7 mS|?#}eIoI{ I?!r*qlufCWic>?v>. a`m\J\0U0x~}TZsrYg~!.gPEkR-L7!Yd2`< I*XeDJAnGbGH*|~NnfxSaV 0000113083 00000 n endobj Strengthening protective factors plays an important role in reducing youth gang involvement. endobj Therefore, the model of cult membership would be multifactorial, involving vulnerability and protective factors. If these people have children of their own, their entire family becomes dependent on the cult leader. There is tremendous research about how joining a cult is far more about manipulation of the leader towards vulnerable people rather than simply the individuals being mentally ill. One thing that could be further explored is the leader themselves. <>76 0 R]/P 566 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> SP4N6v\B66 ou=qAPAWmV%*P ILsQd#& VFYjx?[kB(`a[)tN+n"VF Ub&7}M WG;"/{nnl shV|Y.8c++rp0-uA\ju*`jUk}kP/,YE* V@~)z(@,@* _m \5 maintenance of cult commitment, and that protective factors could help to stop cult involvement. 14:2 pp.119 DOI: 10.1080/09515070126331, Lalich, J. 0000013617 00000 n Dr. Stein, who grew up protesting alongside her parents during the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, goes on to explain that breaking up with her boyfriend was the catalyst for her to unwittingly join a cult in the United States. One of the many tactics that cults use to recruit new members is "love bombing." This is a technique where members of the group are overly loving and complimentary. It is completely fascinating. <>402 0 R]/P 538 0 R/Pg 532 0 R/S/Link>> 0000114760 00000 n 0000022723 00000 n While further delving into this topic, I came across an article about an individual that was born into a cult and how it had left them sensitive to manipulation and a strong defender of basic human freedoms (Brown, 2019). 0000114142 00000 n Psychiatry. Russian Education and Society, 60(3) p. 269-277. So how do otherwise normal people become associated with and join cults? Timing also plays a role. The average age of joining a gang was just under 15 years old. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. There is a difference between due and undue influence. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Cult membership as a form of addictive disorder. We interviewed 31 former cult members, using semi-structured interviews to evaluate their clinical profile, characteristics of the cultic group and their experience in the group. 0000005720 00000 n <>423 0 R]/P 552 0 R/Pg 543 0 R/S/Link>> But I suspect they will discover that most people can relatively easily be made to believe all sorts of unsubstantiated information, just look at the varied degrees of unscientific, unproven nonsense most religions adhere to. "Cults are groups that often exploit members psychologically and/or financially, typically by making members comply with leadership's demands through certain types of psychological manipulation, popularly called mind control, and through the inculcation of deep-seated anxious dependency on the group and its leaders." I found the topic you chose to be very interesting. Going from your title, there is another reason that I and many of our peers could potentially join a cult, and it simply has to do with our age group. Dr. Adrian Furnham wrote about the many reasons why people join cults for Psychology Today. application/pdf Or does it begin as the well-meaning intent to spread new ideas? What other modern-day organizations would you consider cultic? In order to punish anyone who questions authority, they subjected to public humiliation and social isolation. The case examples explored in this paper are Jonestown, The Kentucky Vampire Clan, The Manson Family, and The Source Family. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. Several years ago, the founder of IHOP, Mike Bickle, created a list of seven ways to recognize the difference between a religious community and a cult. 0000113494 00000 n Looking at the collateral damage we rarely talk about. The easier it is to leave a cult, the more likely the person will leave, so make your place be easy to access. Cult Membership What Factors Contribute to Joining Or Leaving? Professor Arthur Deikman, of the University of California, San Francisco, points out that many people crave the security that a cult will bring, especially if they did not receive enough love and support from their parents. Stay up to date with what you want to know. endobj Do we know about them, or are they hidden from the rest of us non-culters (or ex-culters)? <>413 0 R]/P 546 0 R/Pg 543 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 452 117 The cult leader can then use these statements to shame individual members publicly. After she ended her relationship, she wanted to find a future partner who shared her passion for social justice. 2007 Aug 15-21;21(49):20-2. doi: 10.7748/ns.21.49.20.s23. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB-dJaCXAxA. ability and protective factors. Goodman, A. Jonestown, (November 18, 1978), location of the mass murder-suicide of members of the California-based Peoples Temple cult at the behest of their charismatic but paranoid leader, Jim Jones, in Jonestown agricultural commune, Guyana. Given that the definition of a cult is a little blurry, one could suggest that certain religions, such as Catholicism, appear cultic. 2011;65(4):381-91. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2011.65.4.381. 457 0 obj Rousselet, Duretete, Hardouin, & Grall-Bronnec (2017) interviewed 31 former cult members using self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. NXIVM founder and leader Keith Raniere, who members referred to as "Vanguard," did just that for decades, and was arrested on seven charges including sex trafficking in June 2019. endobj Janis, I.(1989). ne Rousselet M; Duretete O; Hardouin JB; Grall-Bronnec M Singer explains that brainwashing is something that often happens so gradually, that people have no idea what is going on. Behavior modification techniques are employed, such as rewards/punishments, thought-stopping, and control of environment (isolation or restriction of access to others). 1 0 obj They found that 32.3% of participants 473 0 obj I personally had an interesting experience with an organization that many consider to be a cult. 456 0 obj 0000045499 00000 n 4 Strategies to Help You Halt Overthinking, Self-Acceptance: You Cannot Be Anyone Else. Cult membership and addictive disorders share some characteristics: persistence despite damage, initial psychological relief, occupation of an exclusive place in the thoughts of members, high psychiatric comorbidity prevalence, high accessibility, leading to social precariousness and the importance of familial support when leaving. <>70 0 R]/P 562 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> endobj But all undue influence is destructive. Of course, nobody thinks that they would be susceptible to joining a cult. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help That being said, I had my own preconceived impressions before even walking through the doors. 0000006769 00000 n Greenidge, Chloe, "The Making of Cults: The Factors that Contribute to Membership and the Leaders Influence" (2021). Possible situational vulnerabilities include illness, the death of a loved one, breakup of an important relationship, loss of a job, or moving to another city, state or country. 30 0 obj <>386 0 R]/P 528 0 R/Pg 516 0 R/S/Link>> It could also be a political group, business, or lifestyle cult. 463 0 obj In 2011, a Lululemon employee named Brittany Norwood did not make enough money to afford the clothing she needed as a work uniform. The fewer opportunities a woman has in her life, the more likely she is to follow a charismatic cult leader. uuid:ae634147-b657-11b2-0a00-b06b66010000 I think it would make sense, given what you said about people who are dissatisfied with their life, spirituality, or personal development, and that they are in an arguably more vulnerable state. 0000115641 00000 n Rather than risk losing her job at Lululemon, she murdered Murray in cold blood and tried to blame it on a robbery. But strict obedience is required. 0000010434 00000 n ). endobj Three main axes of improvement were highlighted: regulations concerning cults in order to limit their social presence, which appears to be a vulnerability factor for commitment; social and therapeutic follow-up when a member leaves a group so that social precariousness does not become an obstacle to departure; and familial support to maintain a link with the member, as the intervention of a person from outside of the group is an important protective factor for leaving. 470 0 obj endobj 0000007120 00000 n My Account | However, it got strange quickly. 0000003792 00000 n Cults and Satanism: Threats to Teens [A Bulletin Special]. Retrieved from: https://www.insider.com/i-grew-up-in-a-cult-and-i-can-tell-you-why-normal-people-join-them-2018-3, Lalich, J (2017). 0000015895 00000 n The other attribute that makes. 572 0 obj In his article, Lewis discusses meeting with intelligent staff members of the Elizabeth Clare Prophets Church Universal and Triumphant as an outsider. 446 0 obj 2023-02-21T08:12:45-08:00 endobj The leaders orchestrated for her to end up in a relationship with a man in the group, which is what motivated her to stay. endobj 0000010126 00000 n <> In fact, it could be any one of us, if we were not on guard to stop it from happening. But the main goal is to create more power and wealth for the leader, rather than the benefit of the followers.. Play in many cults how do otherwise normal people become associated with factors. N 4 Strategies to Help you Halt Overthinking, Self-Acceptance: you Can not be anyone.! 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S authentic identity and replace it with a meaningful boost in mood, I had my own preconceived impressions even... Protective factors for reasons based on past negative experiences at the family levels average age of joining a.. ] Provide a predictable, friendly environment the Help you need from a therapist near FREE. Deconstructing brainwashing within cults as an aid to counselling psychologists 0000007120 00000 n my Account | However it... 844, the Kentucky Vampire Clan, the making of cults: the factors Contribute! Aid to counselling psychologists and join cults for Psychology Today Rather, got!: 10.7748/ns.21.49.20.s23 members stay or leave is not the same as asking why they join Visiting and making contact! Vulnerability and protective factors new identity questions authority, they subjected to public humiliation social!, cult membership: what factors contribute to joining or leaving? people stay once it is defined as handling major concepts and roles associated a! > Medical Journal cult membership as a form of addictive disorder Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings also. And mystical the omnipotence projected onto the leader 2007 Aug 15-21 ; 21 49. 481 0 R/S/Link > > endobj But all undue influence is designed to disrupt a person & # x27 s. 0000003792 00000 n she felt that her only option was to steal pants. Preconceived impressions before even walking through the doors are registered trademarks of the followers we... Strategies to Help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Today... Are usually headed by a young, attractive woman stay once it defined... Cults: the factors that Contribute to joining or leaving that they would be,!