LEAVING AND RECOVERING FROM CULTIC GROUPS AND RELATIONSHIPS:�OVERVIEW��MAY 17 - MAY 19, 2003�

Michael D. Langone, PhD

Subjects to Explore

• The concept “cult”
• Why do people become members of cultic groups?
• Why do they stay in cultic groups?
• Why do they leave cultic groups?
• What recovery issues do people confront after they leave cultic groups

Dilemma

• The cult phenomenon is complex and nuanced. There are many pathways to the common destinations of joining, staying, leaving, and recovery.
• But our cognitively limited minds want simple models to understand a complex and varied phenomenon.

Challenge

• Develop models that are simple enough to be useful, yet open enough to accommodate complexity and nuance.
• Remain humble enough to remember that our theoretical models are merely tools that ought to be abandoned or modified when they no longer serve the job at hand.

The Concept “Cult”

Power in Relationships

• “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – Lord Acton
• Whenever there is a power differential in a relationship, there is a risk that power will be abused and people will be hurt.
• Parent-Child
• Teacher-Student
• Clergy-parishioner
• Psychotherapist-Client

Power in Relationships

• Not surprisingly, innovative groups with little or no accountability are at risk of abusing power, especially when they are
• Leader centered
• Emotionally intense
• Demanding of time

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Dynamics of Influence & Control

• Some power differentials may emphasize coercion (e.g., child abuse, physical spouse abuse)
• Some emphasize deception, manipulation, and induced dependency (e.g., psychotherapy abuses, teacher-student, clergy-parishioner)
• All of these dynamics of influence and control can be found in cults.

What is distinctive about the concept “cult”?

• In practice the term is often applied to a wide range of abusive influence situations.
• However, what sets the concept “cult” apart is an emphasis on identity change. (Ofshe & Singer – Two-generations paper)
• As with other control situations, compliance is required. But the quintessential cult leader wants members to be “believers,” to change deep inside.
• Orwell’s 1984: “I love Big Brother.”
• Yeakley study

Venn Diagram

Why do people become members of cults?

Nobody knowingly joins a “cult”

• Some are born into cultic groups, or brought into them by their parents. Second Generation Adults (SGAs).
• Special considerations if they are socialized into authoritarian and abusive environments.
• Adults who become members initially believe that the group is good but later see it as bad.
• May be because of deception, because a “good” group goes bad, or other reasons.

Vulnerability may be increased if person has:

• [Aside: Most joiners are normal psychologically, though the rate of psychological disorder may be a bit higher than the general population.]
• Certain personality traits (e.g., low self-esteem, dependency, naiveté, gullibility)
• Developmental stressors (e.g., young adult romance, career)
• Situational stressors (e.g., loss, bereavement)

First Encounter

• Never underestimate bad luck
• Friendship networks
• Spiritual hopping
• Street encounters
• Campus recruitments
• Some people seek out groups, e.g., because of reading or testimonies of other people.

After the Encounter

• Sales pitch that resonates with personality and vulnerabilities
• Powerful internal experiences (the “buzz”; dissociative experiences) change fundamental assumptions
• Social pressures (Cialdini)
• Outer-generated vs. inner-generated conversion

Why stay?

• Real benefits (especially in early stages) – sense of purpose, friendship, elitism
• Social-psychological pressures
• Indoctrination into a belief system that fosters us-vs-them attitude and fear of outside.
• Isolation from information that would contradict group or increase internal conflict.

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Leader’s Perspective

• Wants people to obey and advance his/her agenda.
• Baseline conformity tendencies may go a long way toward achieving compliance with many members.
• Sweet-talk
• Threats
• Intimidation
• Coercion
• Kick out those who won’t get with the system (about 10%)

MacDonald’s Bi-Cameral Normative System

• When everything going as leader wants, one big happy family. This state governed by a benign set of rules. Outside observers will say, “What cult?”
• But when there is questioning, dissent, or disobedience another set of rules kick in to “move the sheep back into the pen.” These rules aren’t so benign.
• In some groups the benign rules may operate much more often than the malignant rules.
• Complicates task of evaluating “cultishness” of a group

Why do people leave?

Changing identity isn’t easy!

• Pressure to change identity (outer-generated conversion) can cause stress, especially when group identity differs considerably from existing identity (e.g., introvert under pressure to become extrovert).
• However, some may adapt, even thrive, in mini-totalitarian environments.

Disillusionment

• Yogi Berra: “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
• Discovery that leaders have “feet of clay.”
• Guilt about treating other members as objects to be manipulated.
• Conflicts with leader trying to discourage questioning, doubt, independence.

Information leaks through even the hardest boundaries

• Importance of contact with people (especially family) outside the group.
• Challenge for families is to think strategically not emotionally.
• Former members who retain ties with existing members.
• The Internet (Jim Roberts group example)
• The shelf on which I had placed my rationalizations eventually collapsed.

Recovery Issues

• Sense of betrayal (How could something that I thought was so wonderful turn out to be so horrible?)
• Trauma issues
• Identity change again
• Dependency → Independence
• Obedience → Choosing
• Closed system → Open system
• Black-white → Gray nuance

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