'Cult commitment' from the perspective of former members: direct rewards of membership versus dependency inducing practices

Title: 'Cult commitment' from the perspective of former members: direct rewards of membership versus dependency inducing practices
Creator: Coates, Dominiek D.
Relation: Deviant Behavior Vol. 33, Issue 3, p. 168-184
Publisher Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2010.548302
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Resource Type: journal article
Date: 2012
Description: The experiences of involvement in a deviant ‘‘religious’’ group such as a cult or new religious movement is not well understood, with few qualitative studies having explored the experiences and perspectives of former members of such groups. To gain a better understanding of what compels individuals to be become committed to a cult or new religious movement, the current study is a qualitative investigation into ‘‘cult commitment’’ from the perspective of former members. Seven participants from four different groups were recruited, and in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the participants’ accounts of their experience. This study found that participants’ ‘‘decision’’ to remain in the group was influenced by both ‘‘direct rewards’’ of membership and levels of control exercised by the group and its leaders.
Subject: cult; cult commitment; new religious movements; rewards of membership
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1336897
Identifier: uon:27722
Identifier: ISSN:0163-9625
Language: eng
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