International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 8, 2017 13
difficulty in managing a variety of competing
realities as they moved from Centrepoint to the
outside world. While the idea of brainwashing
has debatable credibility (Zablocki &Robbins,
2001), these narratives suggest that there were
some significant challenges for participants in
reconciling the ideas held by the community
with those of the broader society.
Conclusions
Because every community will have its unique
beliefs and practices, it is not possible to
generalise directly from the findings of this
study to other communities. Nonetheless, this
study provides an insider’s view on the way that
experiences in cults/NRMs can affect later adult
adjustment. This analysis suggests an initial
adjustment phase may include practical or
financial difficulties as well as challenges in the
immediate adaptations to a different lifestyle and
norms. Relationships within families, which
have been transformed by the requirements of
communal living, may have to be renegotiated.
Lack of skills, willingness to engage in social
relationships outside of the community, and
possible experiences of loneliness may also need
to be addressed. Where resources are shared in
communal living arrangements, there are likely
to be practical implications for adjustment and
the different belief systems around money and
individual goal orientation may also need to be
developed. Former child members of
experimental communities can also face ongoing
stigmatising from the broader community.
Finally, shifting beliefs and values from those of
the community to those of the outside world are
also likely to be a significant problem for former
child members as they struggle to make sense of
two competing sets of values and different
opinions about their correctness. At Centrepoint,
experiences of sexual abuse created an
additional burden for those who had experienced
this, interacting with other demands they faced
in their integration into society.
This paper raised questions which may be
significant for others trying to research similar
communities. Within participants’ narratives, it
was possible to find themes that coincided
closely with the more negative findings of
research into cults. Participants spoke about loss
of familiar people and beliefs, which has been
recognised in the literature to be a significant
source of distress for former members, and
particularly so for those, like the former children
of Centrepoint, who have little knowledge of the
world outside their communities (Aronoff, Lynn,
&Malinoski, 2000). The breakdown in family
relationships described by the former
Centrepoint children has also been described in
other research into communities, although its
longer-term effects have not been studied
(Whitsett &Kent, 2003). Child sexual abuse and
manipulation at the community have similarly
been noted to occur in other communities
(Langone &Eisenberg, 1993 Whitsett &Kent,
2003) and the children of Centrepoint described
some of the known effects of these things on
relationships and other areas of adult functioning
(Fergusson, Boden, &Horwood, 2008 Mullen,
Martin, Anderson, Romans, &Herbison, 1994).
Furthermore, the literature has also recognised
the damage that arises from the stigma
associated with cult membership, an issue that
was identified by participants in this study as a
significant challenge to their adjustment (Olson,
2000). Finally, much of the cult literature
acknowledges the difficulty of making sense of
the ideological differences between the
community and the outside, an issue with which
the Centrepoint participants also struggled
(Walsh &Bor, 1996).
But while this largely negative perspective of
Centrepoint represents one reality for its former
members, it is also important to acknowledge
that there were themes in the narratives that
coincided with some of the more positive
research on the value of communities (Sargisson
&Sargent, 1994). While the accounts of
participants acknowledged very difficult
experiences at Centrepoint, there was also
recognition, even amongst some of those who
had been abused, that there were aspects of their
environment that they felt had benefited them in
their adult lives. Positive narrative themes
highlighted the sense of belonging in the
community, continuous social interaction,
having access to a variety of adult role models,
collective responsibility, and social confidence
as being helpful in their adult adjustment.
difficulty in managing a variety of competing
realities as they moved from Centrepoint to the
outside world. While the idea of brainwashing
has debatable credibility (Zablocki &Robbins,
2001), these narratives suggest that there were
some significant challenges for participants in
reconciling the ideas held by the community
with those of the broader society.
Conclusions
Because every community will have its unique
beliefs and practices, it is not possible to
generalise directly from the findings of this
study to other communities. Nonetheless, this
study provides an insider’s view on the way that
experiences in cults/NRMs can affect later adult
adjustment. This analysis suggests an initial
adjustment phase may include practical or
financial difficulties as well as challenges in the
immediate adaptations to a different lifestyle and
norms. Relationships within families, which
have been transformed by the requirements of
communal living, may have to be renegotiated.
Lack of skills, willingness to engage in social
relationships outside of the community, and
possible experiences of loneliness may also need
to be addressed. Where resources are shared in
communal living arrangements, there are likely
to be practical implications for adjustment and
the different belief systems around money and
individual goal orientation may also need to be
developed. Former child members of
experimental communities can also face ongoing
stigmatising from the broader community.
Finally, shifting beliefs and values from those of
the community to those of the outside world are
also likely to be a significant problem for former
child members as they struggle to make sense of
two competing sets of values and different
opinions about their correctness. At Centrepoint,
experiences of sexual abuse created an
additional burden for those who had experienced
this, interacting with other demands they faced
in their integration into society.
This paper raised questions which may be
significant for others trying to research similar
communities. Within participants’ narratives, it
was possible to find themes that coincided
closely with the more negative findings of
research into cults. Participants spoke about loss
of familiar people and beliefs, which has been
recognised in the literature to be a significant
source of distress for former members, and
particularly so for those, like the former children
of Centrepoint, who have little knowledge of the
world outside their communities (Aronoff, Lynn,
&Malinoski, 2000). The breakdown in family
relationships described by the former
Centrepoint children has also been described in
other research into communities, although its
longer-term effects have not been studied
(Whitsett &Kent, 2003). Child sexual abuse and
manipulation at the community have similarly
been noted to occur in other communities
(Langone &Eisenberg, 1993 Whitsett &Kent,
2003) and the children of Centrepoint described
some of the known effects of these things on
relationships and other areas of adult functioning
(Fergusson, Boden, &Horwood, 2008 Mullen,
Martin, Anderson, Romans, &Herbison, 1994).
Furthermore, the literature has also recognised
the damage that arises from the stigma
associated with cult membership, an issue that
was identified by participants in this study as a
significant challenge to their adjustment (Olson,
2000). Finally, much of the cult literature
acknowledges the difficulty of making sense of
the ideological differences between the
community and the outside, an issue with which
the Centrepoint participants also struggled
(Walsh &Bor, 1996).
But while this largely negative perspective of
Centrepoint represents one reality for its former
members, it is also important to acknowledge
that there were themes in the narratives that
coincided with some of the more positive
research on the value of communities (Sargisson
&Sargent, 1994). While the accounts of
participants acknowledged very difficult
experiences at Centrepoint, there was also
recognition, even amongst some of those who
had been abused, that there were aspects of their
environment that they felt had benefited them in
their adult lives. Positive narrative themes
highlighted the sense of belonging in the
community, continuous social interaction,
having access to a variety of adult role models,
collective responsibility, and social confidence
as being helpful in their adult adjustment.
