cult membership: what factors contribute to joining or leaving?

Through an analysis of the cult ex-periences of 31 former cult members, we assessed factors involved in cult adhesion, retention and departure. endobj This was my initial impression of The Church of Scientology center. For a laugh, my buddy and I decided to check it out. <>382 0 R]/P 526 0 R/Pg 516 0 R/S/Link>> Fearing the loss of these new friendships and intimate relationships, people stop speaking out. Cult membership as a source of self-cohesion: forensic implications. PostedJune 5, 2021 Rousselet, M., Duretete, O., Hardouin, J. 0000018327 00000 n E arly in the recruitment process, the new recruit is encouraged to meet other members of the cult, either by attending the meetings or by going to a social gathering. 0000010298 00000 n Cult leaders are typically malignant narcissists and want people who will be obedient to them. "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." endobj 0000116299 00000 n And if your friends or family are involved in a destructive group, you can help rescue them from harm. Everyone has vulnerabilities. AppendPDF Pro 6.3 Linux 64 bit Aug 30 2019 Library 15.0.4 An official website of the United States government. "Cults can be seen as an organized group or a solitary person whose purpose is to dominate cult members by using psychological manipulation and pressure strategies." The first step in cult recruitment: "The narcissistic seduction" eCollection 2021. Is Social Media Use Really Problematic for Teens? Undue Influence does NOT erase the persons old identity but rather creates a new identity to suppress the old one. 28 0 obj <>126 0 R]/P 514 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> Shannon Quinn is a writer and entrepreneur from the Philadelphia area. Or does it begin as the well-meaning intent to spread new ideas? 844. Stay stable and safe. 464 0 obj Cult Membership What Factors Contribute to Joining Or Leaving? <><>395 0 R]/P 534 0 R/Pg 532 0 R/S/Link>> 0000115247 00000 n 0000010126 00000 n <>120 0 R]/P 508 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> 0000113989 00000 n Do we know about them, or are they hidden from the rest of us non-culters (or ex-culters)? Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law. Personally, I find it very apt. The founder, Chip Wilson, wanted to spread the ethics of the novel Atlas Shrugged, which teaches that self-interest should be the most important thing in society. maintenance of cult commitment, and that protective factors could help to stop cult involvement. People join cults because they're looking for love and acceptance and because they want answers to the personal problems in their lives. 450 0 obj 0000046337 00000 n Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB-dJaCXAxA. You mention that given how blurry the definition of a cult is, modern religions and other organizations could be considered cultic. Clin Psychol Rev. finding that many cult members have "in- adequate, borderline, or antisocial" char- acteristic~.~~ Substance abuse has also been impli- cated in cult membership. These, in turn, increase susceptibility to being recruited by a cult unless there are strong critical thinking, media literacy and good supportive network, which can help a person stay grounded. =~vl0WzvQK8XUXa 459 0 obj New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. > There are, however, a few common threads that draw people towards these types of organizations. This term is also used for a new religious movement or other social group which is defined by . 457 0 obj It could also be a political group, business, or lifestyle cult. (1990). Certain personality disorders can increase a leaders sphere of influence over followers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 0000116675 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. A peer-reviewed bulletin from the NASSP written by Marica R. Rudin states that, experts say kids who join cults are generally very intelligent and are high achievers. (1990). Janis, I.(1989). These people want the protection of a parental figure who will save them from the outside world. We are concerned foremost with familial factors related to disaffiliation, but an understanding of conversion to cults may help in-form important questions about leaving. It is also known as mind control or thought reform. There are many types of cults: political, religious, self-help, large group awareness. In NXIVM, for example, members would call feelings like anxiety and fear "limiting beliefs," and call leader Raniere "Vanguard.". <>88 0 R]/P 482 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> Most people go to great lengths to avoid spoilers about their favourite stories, TV shows, or sports games. 0000004840 00000 n Regarding sex and age joining the group as control variables, . endobj Whether it is attaining eternal life in a spiritual realm, or working day and night to change a political issue, a cult can give a purpose in life to people who did not have their own strong goals. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. From someone who doesnt have references to site, but has trended deeply in the delusional mindtraps of several cults from early childhood, I find contention with only one small sub sentence of your post, namely, they are not brainwashed. There is a difference between due and undue influence. It is true that members of Scientology have provided vital disaster relief. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 36(1), 36. 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. > 1 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. If you are wondering who joins cults and why, the short, but creepy answer is that pretty much anyone can get sucked into them."That is the insidiousness of mind-manipulation," Lisa Kohn, a cult . <>stream members stay or leave is not the same as asking why they join. Table 13-10-0096-18 Mood disorders, by age group (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310009618). After a 7-week trial, the jury took 5 hours to convict Raniere. %%EOF Some take place in person, where you may meet someone at work, through a friend or from a community. 0000080355 00000 n DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.018, Walsh, Y. This helps build trust. endobj Psychiatry research 257 pp 27. Cult membership: what factors contribute to joining or leaving? For anyone searching for a Utopian society, or for those who are struggling economically, this can seem like an attractive option. 60. I grew up in a cult and I can tell you why normal people join them. "So the adage, 'He or she speaks my language,' it kind of makes you feel like you have some things in common with these people. In relatively few cases is there a history of a pre-existing mental . As a result, it is defined as handling major concepts and roles associated with protective factors. 0000009252 00000 n The other attribute that makes. 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 Looking at the collateral damage we rarely talk about. 0000112141 00000 n <>96 0 R]/P 486 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> 469 0 obj 0000011389 00000 n Yakovleva suggests that satanic cults use sex as a way of replenishing their ranks with new members, and how some women use their sexuality to recruit new members (2018). 0000046622 00000 n According to therapist Rachel Bernstein, who treats former cult members, there isn't one profile or set of traits that make someone susceptible. 453 0 obj Hearing these disturbing stories of cult-related sexual abuse, branding, and blackmail, it's understandable viewers may think: "I could never be fooled into joining a cult.". Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 0000010356 00000 n Labeling Scientology: Cult, Fringe, Extremist, Or Mainstream? 0000114347 00000 n 0000043631 00000 n Developments associated with youth such as a need for belonging, the search for non-traditional forms of spirituality, emergence of black-and-white and independent thinking, conflicts with the adult world, and growing sexuality can increase an individuals vulnerability to joining a cult. <>114 0 R]/P 502 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> After she ended her relationship, she wanted to find a future partner who shared her passion for social justice. There are even recent 21st century contributors: If in a vulnerable state, you may fall for one of the many recruitment strategies. endobj 0000008898 00000 n At 16 years old, she left her family, because she felt it was an exciting new way of life, compared to what society had to offer her. The company teaches their employees that they are superior to others. 471 0 obj A number of reports cite heavy drug or alcohol use by cult members before entering the c~lt.~'-~~ Alcohol, marihuana, and hallu- cinogen abuse were particularly common endobj 1984 Nov;47(4):366-77. doi: 10.1080/00332747.1984.11024257. Cults are beautifully packaged to look like something quite different from the outside (Brown, 2019) Despite the fact that she witnessed so many atrocities committed by high-ranking church members, she still thought it was for the greater good since they were trying to clear the planet. On Scientologys official website, the organization emphasizes how terrible the world is, with both natural and manmade disasters occurring on a daily basis. 467 0 obj The majority of these people had no idea that the organization they were entering was, in fact, a cult. Freckelton, I. Jones explains that after the horrible injustices her father witnessed during the Vietnam War, he felt as though he did not want to be a part of society anymore. 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. 0000007003 00000 n 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. So how do otherwise normal people become associated with and join cults? There are many types of cults: political, religious, self-help, large group awareness trainings, mini-cults (family or one-on-one), multi-level-marketing (MLM), conspiracy theory, commercial, and labor/sex trafficking. According to Hunter, around the time when people leave home and fully assume adult responsibilities, they may go through an identity crisis and struggle to find a purpose and adapt to new social rules (Hunter 1998). But all undue influence is destructive. Adolescence, 33, 709-714. 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). What Makes Someone Join a Cult? Cult leaders want people who will be obedient to them and their rules. 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. Paper: Regulate cults to mitigate the damage they cause! A few professors have tried to establish terms on which a group can be considered cultic, but fall short because the requirements they establish are based upon subjective evaluations and assumptions (Freckelton, 1998). 0000012565 00000 n They want to make a name and be regarded as powerful persons for reasons based on past negative experiences at the family levels. Some people, however, join a cult. The conclusion that the cult isn't perfect needs to come from the person. 0000002636 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. 0000030203 00000 n They were offering free personality tests. 460 0 obj Close. Lululemon even pushed employees to use their meager retail-job paychecks to purchase expensive self-help seminars called Landmark Forum, with classes that cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars. 0000003586 00000 n 447 0 obj Psychiatry Research, 257, 2733. Alternatively he could sleep in one of the many small mosques, whether attached to big houses or not. 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). Psychiatry Research, M. Rousseleta,b,, O. Duretetec, J.B. Hardouinb, M . The Unique Motives of Female Serial Killers, Forensic Psychology, Criminology, or Criminal Psych: A Guide, 10 Factors That Influence Your Purchase Decisions, The Pros and Cons of Social Media for Youth. 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Can seem like an attractive option 31 former cult members, we assessed factors involved cult.

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