International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 8, 2017 11
2001). While literature has focused on
psychological adjustment from cults/NRMs,
there is less literature that explores the area of
vocational adjustment for former members.
Langone (1993), however, has suggested that
there may be value in recognising and building
on the skills developed in the community and
using these to assist with integration into the
conventional workforce.
Negotiating Stigma
There was considerable media publicity around
Centrepoint during its years of operation and
continuing up to the present, with a particular
focus on the issues of child sexual abuse and
drug use at the community. Participants
described this publicity as a source of ongoing
distress, and their narratives reflected themes of
being unfairly judged and stigmatised by public
attention. One participant explained how she
experienced the stigma of being associated with
Centrepoint:
It’s a skeleton in the closet, that you
[are]. ..secretly afraid people might
find out and then would judge you.
Because it is harsh to be judged on
something that is not something that you
choose, or you know. Like I guess the
colour of your skin.
Participants’ accounts suggested that their
association with Centrepoint had had
considerable impact on their interactions with
friends and partners as well as broader social
networks. Some accounts suggested that it was
this element of the experience that made it
particularly difficult to leave the Centrepoint
experience behind them:
It’s very hard to sort of be free of all that
history that. ..continuing to be secretive
about my past even 25 years after it’s
really been over. ..I know I’m never
going to be free of it.
But while some participants described how they
had been haunted by the stigma associated with
Centrepoint, others told of how they had decided
to risk social disapproval to be open and honest
about their connection with Centrepoint:
For me I had always sort of more tried
to leave it behind me and never speak
about it anymore, but [a friend] sort of
helped me to see that where I come from
is not anything to be ashamed of ...It
made me a lot more open to saying
“Yeah that’s where I’m from and this is
who I am and I’m still a good person
and I’m still smart and I’m not ashamed
from where I came from.”
Some accounts, however, suggested that the
open acknowledgement of association with
Centrepoint was experienced as risky for
participants:
I would talk about it and then I would
feel like “Whoah!” you know, and I
think for some people it is too much ...
and then you run the risk of feeling like
you’re being judged or it’s not
understood ...the aftermath wasn’t
really worth it, so I’d sort of leave it.
Some participants openly spoke about how they
did not want to be labelled as victims and
resented other former members for speaking out
on their behalf:
I definitely want to be kept as far away
from the victims as possible ‘cause I’m
not prepared to spend my life as a
victim.
Participants’ accounts suggest that they
continued to feel burdened by stigma associated
with Centrepoint. This was represented by some
as a form of revictimization—especially for
those who had already experienced sexual or
other kinds of abuse at Centrepoint. Some
participants tried actively to resist the stigma
associated with sexual abuse and to distance
themselves from these claims, a dynamic
common amongst sexual abuse survivors
(Tomlin, 1991).
Negotiating a Different Reality
Centrepoint held a strong set of beliefs that were
at odds with those of the broader society,
including those around child sexuality.
Participants’ narratives spoke of continuous or
intermittent negotiation between their old values
2001). While literature has focused on
psychological adjustment from cults/NRMs,
there is less literature that explores the area of
vocational adjustment for former members.
Langone (1993), however, has suggested that
there may be value in recognising and building
on the skills developed in the community and
using these to assist with integration into the
conventional workforce.
Negotiating Stigma
There was considerable media publicity around
Centrepoint during its years of operation and
continuing up to the present, with a particular
focus on the issues of child sexual abuse and
drug use at the community. Participants
described this publicity as a source of ongoing
distress, and their narratives reflected themes of
being unfairly judged and stigmatised by public
attention. One participant explained how she
experienced the stigma of being associated with
Centrepoint:
It’s a skeleton in the closet, that you
[are]. ..secretly afraid people might
find out and then would judge you.
Because it is harsh to be judged on
something that is not something that you
choose, or you know. Like I guess the
colour of your skin.
Participants’ accounts suggested that their
association with Centrepoint had had
considerable impact on their interactions with
friends and partners as well as broader social
networks. Some accounts suggested that it was
this element of the experience that made it
particularly difficult to leave the Centrepoint
experience behind them:
It’s very hard to sort of be free of all that
history that. ..continuing to be secretive
about my past even 25 years after it’s
really been over. ..I know I’m never
going to be free of it.
But while some participants described how they
had been haunted by the stigma associated with
Centrepoint, others told of how they had decided
to risk social disapproval to be open and honest
about their connection with Centrepoint:
For me I had always sort of more tried
to leave it behind me and never speak
about it anymore, but [a friend] sort of
helped me to see that where I come from
is not anything to be ashamed of ...It
made me a lot more open to saying
“Yeah that’s where I’m from and this is
who I am and I’m still a good person
and I’m still smart and I’m not ashamed
from where I came from.”
Some accounts, however, suggested that the
open acknowledgement of association with
Centrepoint was experienced as risky for
participants:
I would talk about it and then I would
feel like “Whoah!” you know, and I
think for some people it is too much ...
and then you run the risk of feeling like
you’re being judged or it’s not
understood ...the aftermath wasn’t
really worth it, so I’d sort of leave it.
Some participants openly spoke about how they
did not want to be labelled as victims and
resented other former members for speaking out
on their behalf:
I definitely want to be kept as far away
from the victims as possible ‘cause I’m
not prepared to spend my life as a
victim.
Participants’ accounts suggest that they
continued to feel burdened by stigma associated
with Centrepoint. This was represented by some
as a form of revictimization—especially for
those who had already experienced sexual or
other kinds of abuse at Centrepoint. Some
participants tried actively to resist the stigma
associated with sexual abuse and to distance
themselves from these claims, a dynamic
common amongst sexual abuse survivors
(Tomlin, 1991).
Negotiating a Different Reality
Centrepoint held a strong set of beliefs that were
at odds with those of the broader society,
including those around child sexuality.
Participants’ narratives spoke of continuous or
intermittent negotiation between their old values
