cult membership: what factors contribute to joining or leaving?cult membership: what factors contribute to joining or leaving?

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. They found that 32.3% of participants Given that the definition of a cult is a little blurry, one could suggest that certain religions, such as Catholicism, appear cultic. <>402 0 R]/P 538 0 R/Pg 532 0 R/S/Link>> 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. Cult members who find their way out are usually the ones who grow motivated to deprogram themselves. Am J Psychother. Destructive individuals and cults use deception and undue influence to make people dependent and obedient. Therefore, the clinical experiences of a panel of experts, including psychiatrists, model of cult membership would be multifactorial, involving vulner- methodologists, sociologists and experts in the eld of cults. However based on such a small sample size it is very hard to say. In fact, many of these people are well-educated, sensible, and logical. Researchers used 23 risk factors to calculate a child's propensity for joining a gang, and then compared 173 youth who had joined a gang with 173 who did not but showed a similar propensity for doing so, so that the only difference between the two groups was gang membership. 467 0 obj 6. Not all influence is bad. 0000115749 00000 n endobj Most cult members are of above-average intelligence, well adjusted, adaptable, and perhaps a bit idealistic. 0000112945 00000 n endobj endobj This has brought more questions regarding the members and leaders of these cult organizations. That being said, I had my own preconceived impressions before even walking through the doors. 0000006305 00000 n Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. endobj uuid:ae634148-b657-11b2-0a00-b0f99f7efc7f 0000116299 00000 n The more inadequate and inferior the follower feels himself to be, the more magical and mystical the omnipotence projected onto the leader. 0000010298 00000 n | They look for ways to break people; they want people who will work hard and long hours for little or no pay. Raelians Revive Swastika/Star of David Symbol, The History of Credibility Attacks Against Former Cult Members Stephen A, CPR - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Why Christians Need to Remain on Guard Against the Threat of New Age Spirituality Phil Johnson, Russian Federation State Protection - Satanists Extortion Businesspeople, Introduction a Well Grounded Propaganda System, The Unification Church: a Kaleidoscopic Introduction2. Careers. endobj Actress Leah Remini was raised in the Church of Scientology since she was nine years old. Why do people start cults? endobj 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). Cults initially offer people a sense of community they feel as though they wouldnt otherwise have and, depending on where you are in your life, the idea of being handed a big group of loving friends might should pretty alluring. Lifelong learning is crucial in today's dynamic world, allowing children to adapt, innovate, and thrive. 481 0 obj Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. finding that many cult members have "in- adequate, borderline, or antisocial" char- acteristic~.~~ Substance abuse has also been impli- cated in cult membership. general thought and question. About | Little did she know that she was being manipulated into isolation away from her family in South Africa, and she was trapped in a political cult for many years. 0000010434 00000 n Psychiatry . 0000003345 00000 n After reading Rousselet, Duretete, Hardouin, & Grall-Bronnec (2017), it is clear that there is a sort of indoctrination process that is involved in becoming a part of the cult, and that particular people, such as those who have been previously exposed to cult-like groups, or groups with beliefs that are similar to the cult, may be more vulnerable to this process. Many cults also form communes, where members of the organization are promised free room and board in exchange for community service, prayer, and loyalty to the leader. 0000005002 00000 n Simplified goal or aim structure, such as to save something or introduce something to everyone. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. <>124 0 R]/P 512 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> When the mind is controlled, a victim may appear happy and willing to suffer for the profit or benefit of the leader/group. ability and protective factors. <> 0000045499 00000 n Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Isolation, lack of touch, social distancing, Recruitment into extreme conspiracy theories and cults/scams, Relationships: friends, family, community, Psychosomatic symptoms (headaches, backaches, asthma, skin problems). government site. endobj 0000007281 00000 n 0000019538 00000 n Similarly, an article regarding adolescents risks of joining anti-social cults, research has been conducted that young people who suffer from a deep sense of loneliness are vulnerable to being recruited into cults (2018). Psychiatry Research, 257, 27-33. Some people, however, join a cult. So, would you join a cult? endobj 5 0 obj There is lack of informed consent. According to Bernstein, community is a hallmark of any cult because it allows the leader to create a pack mentality, building peer pressure. 455 0 obj For anyone searching for a Utopian society, or for those who are struggling economically, this can seem like an attractive option. An object relations approach to cult membership. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.018, 0165-1781/ 2017 The Authors. Freckelton, I. There are thousands of cults in existence, with millions of members all over the world. <>427 0 R]/P 554 0 R/Pg 543 0 R/S/Link>> <>78 0 R]/P 568 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> She was taught to believe that without Scientology, the world was doomed, and the fate of the entire planet was in their hands. 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. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/janja_lalich_why_do_people_join_cults?language=en, Yakovleva, M.G (2018). Steve Hassan and Jon Atack are two experts who have both talked about these phenomena and there may be many more. I would seriously question the validity of Rudin, and I think especially with the prominence of social media in current society, more research should be conducted on contemporary cults, youth susceptibility, and social media. This is a really interesting topic! The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the education of about 95 percent of students around the world. Finding ones identity and purpose in life can sometimes be a struggle, and a cult often gives people a cause that they can fight for. It is easier for someone to join a cult they are already familiar with, usually, people are recruited by friends, family members, or coworkers, which can make it harder to say no. application/pdf 2017; 257:27-33 (ISSN: 1872-7123). 568 0 obj <>stream The Making of Cults: The Factors that Contribute to Membership and the Leaders' Influence Chloe Greenidge, Eastern Kentucky University Follow Abstract This thesis investigates the factors that contribute to the increased vulnerability to cult membership. 0000112823 00000 n 443 0 obj 446 0 obj As a result, it is defined as handling major concepts and roles associated with protective factors. 0000115247 00000 n 0000004516 00000 n members stay or leave is not the same as asking why they join. <>110 0 R]/P 498 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> The case examples explored in this paper are Jonestown, The Kentucky Vampire Clan, The Manson Family, and The Source Family. 2011;65(4):381-91. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2011.65.4.381. 0000000016 00000 n 6 0 obj The majority of these people had no idea that the organization they were entering was, in fact, a cult. <>102 0 R]/P 490 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. - Read online for free. Psychiatry research 257 pp 27. So, joining a cult is a way for many young women to feel like they are seizing some kind of control over their destiny in an otherwise powerless life. 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. The conclusion that the cult isn't perfect needs to come from the person. 0000038874 00000 n Timing also plays a role. After different types of manipulation, the creation of a new identity is done step-by-step by formal indoctrination sessions and informally by members, videos, games, movies, publications, and social/digital media. Just about everyone who has ended a romantic relationship can relate to both the positive and negative emotions that go along with a new chapter in life. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. As you had mentioned above, some of the characteristics stated about why normal people stay within a cult is because of loneliness and unworthiness. Behavioral economics teaches us lessons on how consumers make decisions. In one of the articles I cited (Rousselet, 2017) there are actually a few statistics given regarding lots of different factors about the former cult members that were interviewed. 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). In any discussion of the cult experience, whether from an objective/empirical perspective or from a subjective/experiential perspective, it is necessary to understand an oft-repeated concept in much of the literature concerning cults: no one joins a cult (Zimbardo, 1997). The death toll exceeded 900, including some 300 who were age 17 and under, making the incident one of the largest mass deaths in American history. 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