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

Careers. "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. Almost everyone goes through an existential crisis at some point in their lifetime. 479 0 obj <>106 0 R]/P 494 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> Its possible then that cult leaders might prey on these vulnerable people, and potentially use the guise of friendship and compassion to recruit people they may already know. Visiting and making personal contact with cult members is important. Medical Journal Cult membership: What factors contribute to joining or leaving? For me, this topic really stood out from all the others, and I praise you for even thinking of the topic and how it plays a role in social cognition, as something like this would have never crossed my mind. The company teaches their employees that they are superior to others. endobj <>92 0 R]/P 484 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> 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. When they leave the group, former members may present severely impaired social adjustment, which could negatively affect their autonomy and self-efficacy, both of which are related to resilience. > Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Sociodemographic characteristics that is, the cultic group. <>126 0 R]/P 514 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> Our aim in this paper is to argue that individuals join religious cults as persons, but lose their personhood as their position in the group is solidified, becoming simply humans. And it's because you're never given all the information about a group that turns out to be a cult from the beginning," Bernstein told Insider. One of the questions you posed at the end of your comment made me think of some reading I did when researching this topic. <>116 0 R]/P 504 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> Alternatively he could sleep in one of the many small mosques, whether attached to big houses or not. <>382 0 R]/P 526 0 R/Pg 516 0 R/S/Link>> <>102 0 R]/P 490 0 R/Pg 481 0 R/S/Link>> Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 0000019538 00000 n I did not have much knowledge regarding cults, I like to consider myself uneducated, and thus reading your post made me curious as to how cults relate to social cognition. Prince 14.2 (www.princexml.com) 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. 4 Strategies to Help You Halt Overthinking, Self-Acceptance: You Cannot Be Anyone Else. I have to agree with you when you mention that it has become an assumption for people to make regarding people joining a cult being mentally ill. By capitalizing on this proclivity, cults can be that much more insidious. ability and protective factors. 0000012565 00000 n 0000020771 00000 n "Timing plays a big part of people's susceptibility," she said. Likewise, Lalich suggests that the leader preys on individuals who are typically new to the area (2017), and in my opinion, I think this would be because people who are new to an area typically do not have anyone to rely on, they dont have any sense of belonging, therefore when an otherwise friendly person offers a community, how could you say no? PART THREE: NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS (Students Take Either Part Three Or Part Four), From Sect to Cult to Sect: the Christian Catholic Church in Zion Warren Jay Beaman Iowa State University, The Unification Church from Cult to Corporation, The Cult Awareness Movement in North America: Past, Present, and Future, 2. Adolescent attraction to cults. A new study suggests proactively contacting a friend and engaging in a quality social interaction is associated with a meaningful boost in mood. 0000113842 00000 n IEEE Engineering Management Review, 36(1), 36. Many cults are rooted in a religion of some kind and build their practice around one, especially charismatic leader. Cult membership: What factors contribute to joining or leaving? B., & Grall-Bronnec, M. (2017). Youths who joined secret cult seize the opportunity to explore their secret desires, like sex, money, and power. A typical manipulated conversion, Dr. Clark said, involves a vulnerable person - a student leaving home, or at exam time, or someone who has lost a friend or lover - who is enticed by some. The fewer opportunities a woman has in her life, the more likely she is to follow a charismatic cult leader. To help them or yourself, you need to learn how the mind works and how people can be programmed into a destructive authoritarian cult. uuid:ae634147-b657-11b2-0a00-b06b66010000 0000020833 00000 n The more inadequate and inferior the follower feels himself to be, the more magical and mystical the omnipotence projected onto the leader. For example, some cult members report leaving cults after hospital stays. 30 0 obj This is a super interesting topic to have chosen. The other attribute that makes. I find it interesting that Rousselet et al., (2017) compare cult membership to addiction, which is supported by Goodman (1990). 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. 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. Developmental Characteristics of Adolescents That Increase Risk of Joining Anti-Social Cults. Cults also offer a very structured lifestyle, with absolute answers about what is right and wrong. When the mind is controlled, a victim may appear happy and willing to suffer for the profit or benefit of the leader/group. The reason I mention this is because studies have been conducted that show youth and adolescents are more susceptible to joining cults (Hunter, 1998). iX$U n';s5$*)f:Hy Appligent AppendPDF Pro 6.3 So whether or not your talking about cults, clubs, gangs, mobs/protests, I argue that group think is trully the foundation for why our species still engage in choosing high risk decisions depite our unwavering cognitive abilities (when working independtly from a group). 0000115749 00000 n There are many types of cults: political, religious, self-help, large group awareness. 470 0 obj 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. I was wondering if you found any research to suggest that, while not everyone who joins a cult has a mental illness, maybe those who do are more susceptible? Therefore, the model of cult membership would be multifactorial, involving vulnerability and protective factors. 445 0 obj 0000024375 00000 n Psychiatry Research, 257, 27 . 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. endobj 467 0 obj Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work. Before People join cults because they're looking for love and acceptance and because they want answers to the personal problems in their lives. In the podcast "Escaping NXIVM," Sarah Edmondson, another former member, said she realized in hindsight that the promise of deep human connection subtly drew her to the organization, despite the fact she considered herself a person with many friends. According to Tom Cruise, (A Scientologist) has the ability to create new and better realities, and improve conditions. 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. Do people who start cults desire to control other people? Sometimes, if it is a religious cult, members are promised that in addition to receiving love from the human beings in the group, they will also receive a spiritual love and acceptance from a higher being. Discover Why and What It Requires, 10 Ways Childhood Trauma Can Manifest in Adult Relationships, Violent Media and Aggressive Behavior in Children, Unloved Daughters and the Elusive Nature of Friendship, Spoiler Alert: Why Some People Need to Know How It Ends, The Benefits of In-Person School vs Remote Learning, Cultivating a Lifelong Love of Learning in the 21st Century. That being said, 51% of the former members reported to have had anxiety disorders in the year preceding their membership, and 45% reported mood disorders. 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. Spiritual Abuse Among Cult Ex-members: A Descriptive Phenomenological Psychological Inquiry Glasscock, Deborah Susan . 0000005599 00000 n Not Everybody Agrees, Illegal Missionary Work Lawsuits and Exit Counseling for Unification Church Members, The Reliability of Apostate Testimony About New Religious Movements, CULTS and PUBLIC POLICY PROTECTING the VICTIMS of CULTIC ABUSE in AUSTRALIA Stephen Mutch, CONCLUSION Seventh-Day Adventism in Tanzania Experienced. Cult leaders want people who will be obedient to them and their rules. endobj Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.018, Statistics Canada. Examining the psychology behind cult membership can shed light on the many factors that influence human behavior, which may make it easier for the public to understand how cults can be appealing. 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! He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. Beware of thinking that you are immune from cult . Cults, wonderful on the outside, but are on the inside very manipulating. Bookshelf 0000005121 00000 n I agree with you that not every cult member has a mental illness but Id be curious to see if there was some updated research on the comparison of susceptibility between those with or without mental illness.

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