NCJ Number
155148
Date Published
1994
Length
310 pages
Annotation
Written by two former cult members who work with former cultists as a psychotherapist and a member of a support group, this volume provides current or former cult members and their families with an overview of cultic techniques and the impacts of these techniques and to provide an array of specific techniques that may assist recovery from cultic relationships and experiences
Abstract
The text estimates that approximately 5,000 cults exist in the United States. Some are large, and some are small. Individual sections explain the workings of cults and one-on-one cultic relationships; describe the dynamics of the thought-reform process and the effects of cult conversion; and present, a profile of the cult leader based on studies of the psychopathic personality. Additional sections discuss the physical, psychological, and spiritual impacts of cult involvement; personal decisionmaking and intellectual pursuits; career and belief issues; and interpersonal relationships. Nine first-person accounts of recovery from a variety of cult experiences are also presented. The final section focuses on issues related to children in cults and on treatment issues. Chapter reference notes, reading lists, index, and appended checklist of cult characteristics and lists of resource organizations