Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2009, Page 22
Booth (1991) quotes The Watchtower as warning against ―independent thinking.‖
The convoluted reasoning, often seen in cults is that ―the Devil‖ lures people to
―pursue a course of pride,‖ which leads to insubordination to directives of The
Watchtower (1995). Booth claims, ―…if you cannot question or examine what you
are taught, if you cannot challenge authority, you are in danger of being victimized
and abused‖ (p. 62). He describes the shunning (disfellowship) of anyone who does
not strictly adhere to rules within the cult. Even family members are pressured to
engage in the shunning that disfellowshipped Witnesses must endure. JWs explain
the abuse in terms of ―keeping the fellowship clean,‖ and it is not uncommon for
parents, family, and ―best friends‖ to completely dissociate themselves from loved
ones who are disfellowshipped, sometimes for the rest of their lives. Callaghan
(1996) claims, ―The organization insinuates itself into salvation, stating that anyone
desiring to be saved must learn and practice truth as taught by the faithful and
discreet slave, the men at the helm of the Watchtower Society‖ (p. 3) and leaving
the group can be traumatic.
Post-Cult Trauma Syndrome
Margaret Singer (1979) described the post-cult trauma syndrome (PCTS) that is
characterized by an emotional upheaval period after a member exits from a cult.5 The
intense and often-conflicting emotions exiting cult members commonly experience are
frequently exacerbated by members‘ grief over the loss of positive elements such as a sense
of belonging or personal worth that the group‘s mission or ideals generated. Singer goes on
to describe a process in which ex-members pass through stages of accommodation to the
change of having left the cult, similar to stages of grief with the loss of a loved one. In some
cases, members will return to the cult or experience PCTS. PCTS symptoms include:
Spontaneous crying
Sense of loss
Depression and suicidal thoughts
Fear that not obeying the cult‘s wishes will result in God‘s wrath or loss of salvation
Alienation from family and friends
Sense of isolation and loneliness as the result of being surrounded by people who
have no basis for understanding cult life
Fear of evil spirits taking over one‘s life outside the cult
Scrupulosity excessive rigidity about rules of minor importance
Panic disproportionate to one‘s circumstances
Fear of going insane
Confusion about right and wrong
Sexual conflicts
Unwarranted guilt
Subject
Susan6 first contacted the office complaining of depression and anxiety. She had been being
born and raised, over her 28 years, in the JWs ―organization‖ and had recently been
―disfellowshipped‖ for the second time. Before her second disfellowship, which was
instituted because of marital infidelity, she had participated in both individual and couples
counseling. The counseling had involved three different counselors, for a total of
Booth (1991) quotes The Watchtower as warning against ―independent thinking.‖
The convoluted reasoning, often seen in cults is that ―the Devil‖ lures people to
―pursue a course of pride,‖ which leads to insubordination to directives of The
Watchtower (1995). Booth claims, ―…if you cannot question or examine what you
are taught, if you cannot challenge authority, you are in danger of being victimized
and abused‖ (p. 62). He describes the shunning (disfellowship) of anyone who does
not strictly adhere to rules within the cult. Even family members are pressured to
engage in the shunning that disfellowshipped Witnesses must endure. JWs explain
the abuse in terms of ―keeping the fellowship clean,‖ and it is not uncommon for
parents, family, and ―best friends‖ to completely dissociate themselves from loved
ones who are disfellowshipped, sometimes for the rest of their lives. Callaghan
(1996) claims, ―The organization insinuates itself into salvation, stating that anyone
desiring to be saved must learn and practice truth as taught by the faithful and
discreet slave, the men at the helm of the Watchtower Society‖ (p. 3) and leaving
the group can be traumatic.
Post-Cult Trauma Syndrome
Margaret Singer (1979) described the post-cult trauma syndrome (PCTS) that is
characterized by an emotional upheaval period after a member exits from a cult.5 The
intense and often-conflicting emotions exiting cult members commonly experience are
frequently exacerbated by members‘ grief over the loss of positive elements such as a sense
of belonging or personal worth that the group‘s mission or ideals generated. Singer goes on
to describe a process in which ex-members pass through stages of accommodation to the
change of having left the cult, similar to stages of grief with the loss of a loved one. In some
cases, members will return to the cult or experience PCTS. PCTS symptoms include:
Spontaneous crying
Sense of loss
Depression and suicidal thoughts
Fear that not obeying the cult‘s wishes will result in God‘s wrath or loss of salvation
Alienation from family and friends
Sense of isolation and loneliness as the result of being surrounded by people who
have no basis for understanding cult life
Fear of evil spirits taking over one‘s life outside the cult
Scrupulosity excessive rigidity about rules of minor importance
Panic disproportionate to one‘s circumstances
Fear of going insane
Confusion about right and wrong
Sexual conflicts
Unwarranted guilt
Subject
Susan6 first contacted the office complaining of depression and anxiety. She had been being
born and raised, over her 28 years, in the JWs ―organization‖ and had recently been
―disfellowshipped‖ for the second time. Before her second disfellowship, which was
instituted because of marital infidelity, she had participated in both individual and couples
counseling. The counseling had involved three different counselors, for a total of
