22 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 3, 2012
life. The leader often repeated that members had
to strive for that ideal place and, therefore, any
way to further his goal was a necessary evil to
get members through evil times. No one was
allowed to criticize or even question his motives
or methods. Katie reported that all members felt
so inferior, so fearful of rejection of the “noble
path,” that the group members never dared to
believe that they knew better than the leader.
Clinical Assessment: Cult Induced Antisocial
Behavior
After we had worked with Katie, it was clear to
me and other mental health professionals who
previously evaluated her (related to her trial)
prior to her first session with me that her
criminal conduct was not caused by an antisocial
personality or the more commonly seen
motivations of greed or personal benefit. Even
though she had considered that the leader was
wrong on various matters, she no longer was
capable of trusting her own judgment. She had
unknowingly lost the ability to live up to her
own previously held moral values or ideals. Her
overwhelming fear was that, if she separated
from the cult’s goals, purposes, values, or ideals,
she would not be able to function. Therefore,
she usually acquiesced and felt that her own
judgment was wrong. Although Katie continued
to be somewhat troubled by the antisocial deeds
that she perpetuated on other members and the
larger society, she had begun to strongly identify
with what she viewed as her leader’s noble
vision. Katie believed, “We must do everything
possible to get our message out to save the
world.”
Confluence of Individual Vulnerabilities
and All-Encompassing Ideologies
What might be the personality tendencies that
would make Katie vulnerable to becoming
antisocial in a cult as a result of her
involvement? Instead of viewing the world and
human beings in all of their complexity, it
seemed that Katie characteristically focused on
absolute rules with certainty, and her family life
and education did not challenge this tendency.
Behaving compliantly probably was gratifying
for Katie, and she reported that she felt
reinforced for this behavior. She seemed
dependent on pleasing authority figures and
embracing those absolute rules. (Although I
didn’t have an opportunity to fully explore this
area in our sessions, it would be helpful for
Katie to learn all the underlying meanings of this
behavior.) Katie also appeared to lack focus on
critical and independent thinking in terms of
assessing the moral reactions of authorities.
However, we also need to consider the
vulnerability factors of Katie’s depression,
loneliness, and uncertainty before she joined the
cult, coupled with her separation from home and
yearning for closeness with parental figures at
this stage of life. This yearning played into her
receptivity to the leader’s paternal presence. He
was able to exploit her need for guidance at a
troubling time. Katie was intelligent but,
although her intelligence and conscientiousness
led her to be given a leadership role in the cult
(she continued to be the older sister), she had
responsibility without power. All power resided
in her cult leader—the parental figure.
Kernberg (2003) describes the way in which
paranoid extreme ideologies can
neutralize individual moral constraints
against personal perpetration of
suffering, torture, or murder. What is
characteristic of paranoid ideologies is
that the world is divided between the
good and ideal carriers of the ideology,
and the bad, dangerous, threatening
enemies of the ideology, who must be
destroyed in order to prevent them from
destroying the true believers. (p. 691)
Kernberg also discusses how paranoid
ideologies promote a group spirit that leads to
sacrifice of individual autonomy, reasoning,
interests, and a restrictive sexual life in the
service of the larger community and a utopian
future (see p. 691).5
During difficult times and periods of
uncertainty, there is a tendency for many to
experience relief by identifying with idealized
figures (Spruiell, 1979). Cult leaders relieve
5 Katie’s leader used the cult to play out not only his aggressive,
but also his sexual predilections and fantasies. It is not unusual for
cult leaders to exploit members sexually, and an aspect of Katie’s
therapy dealt with sexual exploitation. By gaining control over
members’ sexual lives, a cult leader is able to further decrease the
possibility for true intimacy to be established between members.
life. The leader often repeated that members had
to strive for that ideal place and, therefore, any
way to further his goal was a necessary evil to
get members through evil times. No one was
allowed to criticize or even question his motives
or methods. Katie reported that all members felt
so inferior, so fearful of rejection of the “noble
path,” that the group members never dared to
believe that they knew better than the leader.
Clinical Assessment: Cult Induced Antisocial
Behavior
After we had worked with Katie, it was clear to
me and other mental health professionals who
previously evaluated her (related to her trial)
prior to her first session with me that her
criminal conduct was not caused by an antisocial
personality or the more commonly seen
motivations of greed or personal benefit. Even
though she had considered that the leader was
wrong on various matters, she no longer was
capable of trusting her own judgment. She had
unknowingly lost the ability to live up to her
own previously held moral values or ideals. Her
overwhelming fear was that, if she separated
from the cult’s goals, purposes, values, or ideals,
she would not be able to function. Therefore,
she usually acquiesced and felt that her own
judgment was wrong. Although Katie continued
to be somewhat troubled by the antisocial deeds
that she perpetuated on other members and the
larger society, she had begun to strongly identify
with what she viewed as her leader’s noble
vision. Katie believed, “We must do everything
possible to get our message out to save the
world.”
Confluence of Individual Vulnerabilities
and All-Encompassing Ideologies
What might be the personality tendencies that
would make Katie vulnerable to becoming
antisocial in a cult as a result of her
involvement? Instead of viewing the world and
human beings in all of their complexity, it
seemed that Katie characteristically focused on
absolute rules with certainty, and her family life
and education did not challenge this tendency.
Behaving compliantly probably was gratifying
for Katie, and she reported that she felt
reinforced for this behavior. She seemed
dependent on pleasing authority figures and
embracing those absolute rules. (Although I
didn’t have an opportunity to fully explore this
area in our sessions, it would be helpful for
Katie to learn all the underlying meanings of this
behavior.) Katie also appeared to lack focus on
critical and independent thinking in terms of
assessing the moral reactions of authorities.
However, we also need to consider the
vulnerability factors of Katie’s depression,
loneliness, and uncertainty before she joined the
cult, coupled with her separation from home and
yearning for closeness with parental figures at
this stage of life. This yearning played into her
receptivity to the leader’s paternal presence. He
was able to exploit her need for guidance at a
troubling time. Katie was intelligent but,
although her intelligence and conscientiousness
led her to be given a leadership role in the cult
(she continued to be the older sister), she had
responsibility without power. All power resided
in her cult leader—the parental figure.
Kernberg (2003) describes the way in which
paranoid extreme ideologies can
neutralize individual moral constraints
against personal perpetration of
suffering, torture, or murder. What is
characteristic of paranoid ideologies is
that the world is divided between the
good and ideal carriers of the ideology,
and the bad, dangerous, threatening
enemies of the ideology, who must be
destroyed in order to prevent them from
destroying the true believers. (p. 691)
Kernberg also discusses how paranoid
ideologies promote a group spirit that leads to
sacrifice of individual autonomy, reasoning,
interests, and a restrictive sexual life in the
service of the larger community and a utopian
future (see p. 691).5
During difficult times and periods of
uncertainty, there is a tendency for many to
experience relief by identifying with idealized
figures (Spruiell, 1979). Cult leaders relieve
5 Katie’s leader used the cult to play out not only his aggressive,
but also his sexual predilections and fantasies. It is not unusual for
cult leaders to exploit members sexually, and an aspect of Katie’s
therapy dealt with sexual exploitation. By gaining control over
members’ sexual lives, a cult leader is able to further decrease the
possibility for true intimacy to be established between members.
