This article is an electronic version of an article originally published in Cultic Studies Journal, 1991, Volume 8, Number 2, pages 134-150. Please keep in mind that the pagination of this electronic reprint differs from that of the bound volume. This fact could affect how you enter bibliographic information in papers that you may write.

Outreach to Ex-Cult Members: The Question of Terminology

Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.
William V. Chambers

Abstract

A  questionnaire  listing  terms applicable to cults  was  sent  former  members of cultic groups. 108 were returned  in time  for analysis. Subjects were asked to rate and rank terms with  regard to the degree to which they would be meaningful and  acceptable to cultists who left their groups  on their own ("walk-aways"). 71 of the 108 subjects were themselves walk-aways. Although subjects on average gave favorable ratings  to the terms, subjects indicated that walk-aways would relate  less well to traditional terms used by cult educational organizations, e.g., "cult," "brainwashing." Terms such as "psychological abuse," "spiritual  trauma," and "trust abuse" received higher average ratings and rankings. A factor analysis produced  five factors, two of which, Abuse and Trauma, were significantly more acceptable  than  the other  three  factors, Mind Control, Social Manipulation, and Group Intensity. The implications of  these findings for cult educational organizations are discussed.

Full text available through ICSA E-Library.