A narrative exploration of the lived experience of being born, raised in, and leaving a cultic group: the case of the Exclusive Brethren (original) (raw)
Related papers
Religious Cults, the Individual and the Family
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 1979
Relatively little attention has been paid in the professional literature to the cult phenomenon: what it is, how it attracts converts, what differentiates the vulnerable youth from the mn-vulnerable; the effects of cult membership on the convert's family, and, particularly, in what ways the family can be aided during and after involvement with the cult. The authors have drawn on clinical observations, interviews, and extant literature from a variety of disciplines in constructing a portrait of the vulnerable youth; the techniques used by cults to attract, recruit, and convert members; the dynamics of the recruit's family; and the most effective modes of therapy for intervening. The intent of the article is to stimulate: 1
Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 2003
This article provides an overview of cult-related issues that may reveal themselves in therapeutic situations. These issues include: families in cults; parental (especially mothers') roles in cults; the impact that cult leaders have on families; the destruction of family intimacy; child abuse; issues encountered by noncustodial parents; the impact on cognitive, psychological, and moral development; and health issues. The authors borrow from numerous theoretical perspectives to illustrate their points, including self psychology, developmental theory, and the sociology of religion. They conclude with a discussion of the therapeutic challenges that therapists face when working with cult-involved clients and make preliminary recommendations for treatment.
Cult Affiliation and Disaffiliation: Implications for Counseling
Counseling and Values, 1997
Between 2 and 5 million young adults are involved in cult groups in the United States. Psychohistorical influences, family dynamics, and religious values affect an individual's susceptibility to joining a cult. Cult affiliation affects the cult member and his or her family members. Although cults have high conversion rates, they also have high rates of disaffiliation. Counselors working with those who join and leave cults need to develop an awareness of clinical symptoms associated with doing so and use appropriate interventions. Between 2 and 5 million young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 in the United States are involved in approximately 2,000 to 5,000 cult groups (Bloch & Shor, 1989;Collins & Frantz, 1994; Crawley, Paulina, & White, 1990; West & Singer, 1980). Cults are defined as groups having the characteristics of (a) a group of people following a strong, living leader; (b) a group making absolute claims about the leader's abilities, character, or knowledge; (c) a group accepting the leader's claims; (d) a member demonstrating complete loyalty to the leader; and (e) a membership dependent on total willingness to obey the leader (Ottenburg, 1982). Cults provide young adults an opportunity to separate from their families and renounce mainstream traditional values (Schwartz & Kaslow, 1979). Families typically represent conventional future interests and responsibilities to the cult member, and individuals who join cult movements do not take future interests and responsibilities into consideration. The cult replaces the individual's previous family support systems
Reclaiming ‘Cult’: The Transformative Effect of Ex-Member Memoirs on the Study of New Religions’
Australian Association for the Study of Religion, University of Notre-Dame, Australia, 30 November – 2 December 2023.
Since the academic study of new religious movements (NRMs) began in earnest in the 1960s, scholars have been wary of the term ‘cult’, arguing that it was of no analytical use. Rather it was associated with tabloid journalists and aggrieved parents of young people who had joined NRMs, abandoning their education, careers, and Christianity, as well as their family and friends. However, from 2010 there has been a shift in the perception of the term. Some older scholars still maintain that there are no true ‘cults’, just religions that are delegitimised and found wanting compared to the established World Religions, while younger scholars (notably Aled Thomas and Edward Graham-Hyde) argue that the plethora of memoirs by ex-members of NRMs mean scholars must listen to ex-members, and (via #MeToo) understand them as victims and traumatised. This framework is here applied to three books (The Messiah’s Bride by Megan Norris [2023], the story of Stefanie Hinrichs, a victim of the Little Pebble; Daniella Mestanyek Young’s Uncultured [2022], about The Family International; and Jenna Miscavige-Hill’s Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape [2013]) and assesses the impact of these harrowing testimonies on the academic study of NRMs.
Adaptation to Transition: Implications for Working With Cult Members
The Journal of Humanistic Education and Development, 1998
Because in viduals experiencing transitions seem to be particularly susceptible to cult membership, adaptation to transition provides a framework for understanding susceptibility to cult membership. Developing insight and resources to cope with transition must be an integral part of strategies to prevent cult membership. Interventions focusing on treatment of former cult members are also discussed. There is a growing awareness, especially among human service providers, of increased cult membership in the United States. Although absolute statistics are unavailable, current estimates indicate that at least two million-and more likely five million-adults in the United States are involved in cults
The Cult Phenomenon: How Groups Function
The Cult Phenomenon: How Groups Function, 2006
This book was made possible through the financial support of the Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration. However, the opinions expressed herein are those of the authors. The translation from the French version (Le phénomène des sectes: L'étude du fonctionnement des groupes ©2003) into English was made possible through the financial support of Canadian Heritage.
Counseling Former Cultists: The Brief Intermittent Developmental Therapy (BIDT) Approach
Effective therapists are far more similar to than they are different from each other (Ackerman & Hilsenroth, 2003; Prochaska & Norcross, 1983; Sundland & Barker, 1962), yet many who have worked with cult-affected clients believe specialized knowledge and experience are necessary to be effective (Dubrow-Eichel, 2001; Singer, 1978; 1995; Sirkin, 1990; Venter, 1999). I have previously described my own theoretical orientation when working with high-demand-group/high-demand-relationships (HDG/HDRs) cult clients as brief intermittent developmental therapy (BIDT) within a transtheoretical framework that emphasizes individual choice and self-efficacy and motivational enhancement (Dubrow-Eichel, 2001, 2002). The developmental processes I concern myself with involve age-appropriate ego functions, including autonomy, decision making, identity, and affect and impulse regulation. These ego functions, especially autonomy and decision-making, are especially targeted by HDG/HDRs and hence are typically in greatest need of repair. In this article I also describe how the stages-of-change model and MET fit into BIDT, including some of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors a therapist might expect as a former member navigates the Contemplation through Maintenance stages. The BIDT approach may not be the most effective approach with those current/former members of HDGs in ongoing and even life-threatening situations that impair daily functioning and need a more intensive, uninterrupted form of treatment.