Why People Become Cult Members

Why do people become cult members? As human beings we want to belong. People join binge groups (which turn into cults). A cult leader strips its followers of its identity until compliant to manipulation. This is shown through ego –weakening, total control, and recruitment

The allure of cults is that people can be a part of something. According to Merriam Webster, a cult is defined as “a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous” (“Cult”, def.) Cults don’t always start as a religious group because it can be a binge group or a group of friends. Once a group is formed, it may develop on its own path. Within the cult, there is a psychiatric
They slowly incorporate their beliefs into you, which lead to victimization. They destroy you through ‘destabilization’ it is bullying as a scapegoat, criticism and usage of cuss words to create humiliation (Croates 176). This is one of the main processes of mind control since they want you to follow orders without disobeying or questioning. The experience in a cult activates unconscious attachment needs, which direct their behaviour. Manipulation is utilized in ego regression, which activates primary attachment needs, object relationships and object representations due to primitive defence operation – which is ego defences (Salande 384). These defences are opened during the process of bottle
A cult leader is similar to any leader out there in the world. It brings people who have similar characteristics together and create a cult. Usually, a cult leader searches for a person whose weakness fits into the cult or a person who wants to belong in a group. During recruitment, most members are recruited when they are at a low point in their life and when a cult tries to recruit them they think that it is a sign and that they should join the group. Robert Snow who wrote about cult recruitment explains the case of Corey Slavin whose grandmother died and since she was depressed she confined in her co-worker. Corey thought they developed a deep friendship but she didn’t know that her co-worker was trying to recruit her into a cult. Corey lived in one of the communes and escaped but the cult took away $65,000 (Snow 137). This shows that many people easily fall victim to recruitment since they are taken advantage of. Some may ask, “Why should I worry about cult recruitment when other groups like Catholic churches are recruiting as well?” The difference between these 2 groups is that cults lie about their beliefs and are involved in criminal activity. They defraud people’s money, abuse them physically and sexually, brought them to locations against their will and committed crimes like murder or arson (Snow 140 & Holoyda). The most ideal candidates for recruitment are bright