18 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 3, 2012
possible dissociation from her past self, I
wondered about a precult character that failed to
show some periodic defiance and reveal the
increased independence of thinking that usually
emerges in adolescence. In fact, Katie viewed
her precult behavior as rather idealistic and
perfectionist. She added wistfully, “Perhaps I
was naive.” This remark seemed to indicate
some self-reflection and self-doubt, as well as
possibly a more realistic appraisal of her precult
identity. All of this led me to reflect on how
Katie’s all too good self possibly might have
played into her attraction to a cult.
After college, Katie had desired to put her
idealism to good use. Therefore, she took a
position as a teacher in an inner-city school on
the West Coast. The day-to-day difficulties with
both students and the school bureaucracy
contrasted sharply with her former fantasies of a
perfect life as a devoted teacher. Her
perfectionism had never been challenged
previously. She reported that this experience
was the first time in her life she had difficulty
impressing others and achieving her preset
goals. Her class was disruptive and she was
unable to control the students’ rebellious natures
(in contrast to what she probably had done with
her own disruptive emotions).
Katie felt lonely in this new city where she was
far from family and friends. After she had been
away from home nearly a year, Katie’s younger
brother, still home in Connecticut, attempted
suicide. Katie felt guilty that she hadn’t been
there for a brother who had grown up depending
on her. These occurrences left her feeling
depressed, rootless, and confused about a life
that had not met her high expectations and her
clearly delineated goals.
Soon after her brother’s suicide attempt, Katie
attended an advertised lecture on learning the
tools for a more successful life. She found the
speaker, who presented himself as a philosopher,
to be riveting. When she approached him to
thank him for the lecture, he offered her a job
publishing his materials. He invited her to
earlier life. However, my work with former cult members has
made me aware that, even with the changes in beliefs that often
occur when one is in the cult, many aspects of character remain
consistent (Goldberg, 1997 Goldberg, 2006).
participate in his “enlightened” commune, which
offered an alternative lifestyle with a strong
foundation in new-age concepts. When Katie
visited the commune, she met several other like-
minded young people. After feeling so isolated,
lonely, uncertain, and depressed, she was
relieved and consoled to participate in an
idealistic environment where everyone was
friendly and there were very clear formulas for a
happier existence.
Katie left her job and joined the group but
instead of a job publishing motivational
materials, as she had been promised, she found
herself working as a nighttime guard in an office
building. Most members were assigned to these
types of jobs so that they would have time to
read the leader’s “philosophy” and photocopy
his writings in the nighttime hours while offices
were closed. Katie initially felt disappointed,
but she rationalized that this was a small price to
pay for becoming “enlightened.” Upon hearing
this history, I commented that it seemed that
instead of expanding her world as promised, her
cult leader was restricting it. This comment
allowed Katie to begin to consider the cult’s
contradictions: Its actions were in contrast to its
stated philosophy.
Katie reported to me that the leader slowly
induced her to feel negative and paranoid about
the outside world, and particularly about her
parents, whom she began to see as rigid, cold,
and solely responsible for her brother’s suicide
attempt. She began to believe that her parents
had high standards that her brother was unable
to meet. I suggested that, by projecting the
blame for the suicide away from herself onto her
parents, the leader might have aided Katie in
defending against her own depressive reaction—
her self-blame for not being there for her
brother. Additionally, blaming her parents also
might have served her to generate negative
feelings toward her parents that would promote
emotional distance from them. Finally,
believing that her parents had high standards that
were impossible to meet allowed her to displace
feelings about the cult leader onto her parents.
Katie’s early transference was to view me as all
knowing. When she continued to relate to me as
the expert, I indicated my expectation that, in
possible dissociation from her past self, I
wondered about a precult character that failed to
show some periodic defiance and reveal the
increased independence of thinking that usually
emerges in adolescence. In fact, Katie viewed
her precult behavior as rather idealistic and
perfectionist. She added wistfully, “Perhaps I
was naive.” This remark seemed to indicate
some self-reflection and self-doubt, as well as
possibly a more realistic appraisal of her precult
identity. All of this led me to reflect on how
Katie’s all too good self possibly might have
played into her attraction to a cult.
After college, Katie had desired to put her
idealism to good use. Therefore, she took a
position as a teacher in an inner-city school on
the West Coast. The day-to-day difficulties with
both students and the school bureaucracy
contrasted sharply with her former fantasies of a
perfect life as a devoted teacher. Her
perfectionism had never been challenged
previously. She reported that this experience
was the first time in her life she had difficulty
impressing others and achieving her preset
goals. Her class was disruptive and she was
unable to control the students’ rebellious natures
(in contrast to what she probably had done with
her own disruptive emotions).
Katie felt lonely in this new city where she was
far from family and friends. After she had been
away from home nearly a year, Katie’s younger
brother, still home in Connecticut, attempted
suicide. Katie felt guilty that she hadn’t been
there for a brother who had grown up depending
on her. These occurrences left her feeling
depressed, rootless, and confused about a life
that had not met her high expectations and her
clearly delineated goals.
Soon after her brother’s suicide attempt, Katie
attended an advertised lecture on learning the
tools for a more successful life. She found the
speaker, who presented himself as a philosopher,
to be riveting. When she approached him to
thank him for the lecture, he offered her a job
publishing his materials. He invited her to
earlier life. However, my work with former cult members has
made me aware that, even with the changes in beliefs that often
occur when one is in the cult, many aspects of character remain
consistent (Goldberg, 1997 Goldberg, 2006).
participate in his “enlightened” commune, which
offered an alternative lifestyle with a strong
foundation in new-age concepts. When Katie
visited the commune, she met several other like-
minded young people. After feeling so isolated,
lonely, uncertain, and depressed, she was
relieved and consoled to participate in an
idealistic environment where everyone was
friendly and there were very clear formulas for a
happier existence.
Katie left her job and joined the group but
instead of a job publishing motivational
materials, as she had been promised, she found
herself working as a nighttime guard in an office
building. Most members were assigned to these
types of jobs so that they would have time to
read the leader’s “philosophy” and photocopy
his writings in the nighttime hours while offices
were closed. Katie initially felt disappointed,
but she rationalized that this was a small price to
pay for becoming “enlightened.” Upon hearing
this history, I commented that it seemed that
instead of expanding her world as promised, her
cult leader was restricting it. This comment
allowed Katie to begin to consider the cult’s
contradictions: Its actions were in contrast to its
stated philosophy.
Katie reported to me that the leader slowly
induced her to feel negative and paranoid about
the outside world, and particularly about her
parents, whom she began to see as rigid, cold,
and solely responsible for her brother’s suicide
attempt. She began to believe that her parents
had high standards that her brother was unable
to meet. I suggested that, by projecting the
blame for the suicide away from herself onto her
parents, the leader might have aided Katie in
defending against her own depressive reaction—
her self-blame for not being there for her
brother. Additionally, blaming her parents also
might have served her to generate negative
feelings toward her parents that would promote
emotional distance from them. Finally,
believing that her parents had high standards that
were impossible to meet allowed her to displace
feelings about the cult leader onto her parents.
Katie’s early transference was to view me as all
knowing. When she continued to relate to me as
the expert, I indicated my expectation that, in
