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Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.
There is no
“personality
profile” of people
who become involved
in cults. All kinds
of people become
involved for all
kinds of reasons.
Although some cult
members may have had
psychological
problems before
joining their
groups, the majority
were psychologically
normal before
becoming affiliated
with a cultic group.
People may get
involved with cults
at any age. ICSA’s
research has found
that the average age
of affiliation is
about 25 years old,
although some people
become involved as
children while
others join as
senior citizens.
(For statistics, see
our collections on
Prevalence and
Research.)
Although a sizeable
number (about 25%)
of cult members were
recruited by people
who were strangers
to them at the time,
most affiliate with
a group because of
friendships or other
reasons. Sometimes,
however, prospects
seek out the group,
e.g., because they
read group materials
that interested
them.
The vast majority of
people who are
approached by cult
members—whether
strangers or
friends—do NOT join.
Yet some do. Why
some and not others?
Research and
clinical work with
thousands of former
members suggest that
those who join cults
were experiencing
significant stress
(frequently related
to normal crises,
such as romantic
breakup, school
failure, vocational
confusion, or
transitions, such as
college graduation)
prior to their cult
conversion.
Individuals are
especially
vulnerable to cult
recruitment during
late adolescence,
when they might be
separating
emotionally and
physically from
their families and,
therefore, more open
to new groups.
Because their normal
ways of coping were
not working well for
them, these stressed
individuals were
more open than usual
to people selling a
“road to happiness.”
Whether or not
prospects “buy” is a
function of their
personal
vulnerabilities (Are
they gullible?
Afraid to say, “no”?
Unable to think
critically about
what is presented to
them?), the content
of what is presented
to them (e.g., a
distressed Christian
may be more open to
somebody selling an
“alive” Christian
community than to
somebody selling an
eastern guru), and
the sales techniques
of the presenter.
Because some cultic
groups utilize
highly orchestrated
and manipulative
programs of
recruitment, there
is a common
misconception that
people become
involved in cults
because they are
“brainwashed” into
joining by
recruiters using
powerful “mind
control” techniques.
Although there are
some striking
examples of such
manipulative
recruitment, there
are many pathways
into a group, and
not all involve
manipulation.
I have elsewhere
written about
three models of cult
recruitment: The
deliberative model
says that people
join because of what
they think about the
group. The
psychodynamic model
says that people
join because of what
the group does for
them (e.g., meet
unconscious
psychological
needs). The thought
reform model says
that people join
because of what the
group does to them
(i.e.,
manipulation). In
fact, all three
models probably play
a role in most cult
conversions: Those
observers who are
rigidly partial to
one or another of
the models will, in
my opinion, have
difficulty gaining a
well-rounded picture
of a particular
conversion.
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