Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2009, Page 20
the sub-leaders or elders, and she has seen and experienced much of the inside conflict and
abuse but will not define it as such. She may even be aware of many ex-member stories,
yet she has no emotional empathy and intellectual integrity to see any criticism as
significant. As above, the concerned persons must refrain from argument with the member
about the group for intervention to be possible. Preparation with the exit counselor and
intervention team is crucial.
Rabbit-Weary-of-Cult-Life Stage
Many long-time cult members grow weary of core group life, but they have become so
identified with it and accustomed to ritual that the alternatives still feel worse and perhaps
even dangerous. Sometimes these well-seasoned members exist on the fringes of the
movement, attending only the necessary functions they have jobs and live outside the
group. Eileen Barker, Ph.D., calls this group ―the marginals,‖ who live as believers, yet
closer to the extended environment in a nonexclusive style.11 Interventions with such
marginals may be easier to arrange, but sessions to exit them will prove to be exacting and
tedious unless one is well-prepared and broadly educated about the group and its historical
context. The exit counselor will have to be prepared for deep discussions about the
―meaning of life‖ and how to assess ―truth‖ in any religion or philosophy. Nevertheless, I
have found that the same tools (videos describing cult behavior and influence techniques)
still prove equally effective with marginals who may have never considered the information.
Reading List from References
Deikman, Arthur (2003). Them and Us: Cult Thinking and the Terrorist Threat (Berkeley, CA: Bay
Tree).
Giambalvo, Carol. Family Interventions for Cult-Affected Loved Ones (originally published as Exit
Counseling: A Family Intervention). Available as PDF document at
http://store.icsahome.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ICIB&Product_Code=BAG
L1&Category_Code=BK
Hassan, Steven (1988). Combatting Cult Mind Control (Rochester, VT: Park Street Press).
Johnson, David and Van Vonderen, Jeff (1991). The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse (Minneapolis, MN:
Bethany House).
Lalich, Janja (2007). Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults (Berkeley, CA: University
of California Press).
Langone, Michael, editor (1995). Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual
Abuse (New York, NY: W. W. Norton &Company).
Lifton, Robert (1989). Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of Brainwashing in
China (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press).
Singer, Margaret with Lalich, Janja (2003). Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their
Hidden Menace (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass).
Taylor, Kathleen (2004). Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control (New York, NY: University of
Oxford Press).
Zablocki, Benjamin and Robbins, Thomas (2001). Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in
a Controversial Field (Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press).
End Notes
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprogramming .There are no formal, agreed upon definitions of
deprogramming, but this Wikipedia entry offers much of what is available.
[2] ―Persistence of ‗Deprogramming‘ Stereotypes in Film,‖ by Joseph Szimhart, 2004. Cultic Studies
Journal.
http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_articles/szimhart_joseph_persistenceofdeprogrammingstereotype
s_abs.htm
[3] http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/essay_cult.htm
[4] http://ancienttexts.org/library/indian/upanishads/katha.html
the sub-leaders or elders, and she has seen and experienced much of the inside conflict and
abuse but will not define it as such. She may even be aware of many ex-member stories,
yet she has no emotional empathy and intellectual integrity to see any criticism as
significant. As above, the concerned persons must refrain from argument with the member
about the group for intervention to be possible. Preparation with the exit counselor and
intervention team is crucial.
Rabbit-Weary-of-Cult-Life Stage
Many long-time cult members grow weary of core group life, but they have become so
identified with it and accustomed to ritual that the alternatives still feel worse and perhaps
even dangerous. Sometimes these well-seasoned members exist on the fringes of the
movement, attending only the necessary functions they have jobs and live outside the
group. Eileen Barker, Ph.D., calls this group ―the marginals,‖ who live as believers, yet
closer to the extended environment in a nonexclusive style.11 Interventions with such
marginals may be easier to arrange, but sessions to exit them will prove to be exacting and
tedious unless one is well-prepared and broadly educated about the group and its historical
context. The exit counselor will have to be prepared for deep discussions about the
―meaning of life‖ and how to assess ―truth‖ in any religion or philosophy. Nevertheless, I
have found that the same tools (videos describing cult behavior and influence techniques)
still prove equally effective with marginals who may have never considered the information.
Reading List from References
Deikman, Arthur (2003). Them and Us: Cult Thinking and the Terrorist Threat (Berkeley, CA: Bay
Tree).
Giambalvo, Carol. Family Interventions for Cult-Affected Loved Ones (originally published as Exit
Counseling: A Family Intervention). Available as PDF document at
http://store.icsahome.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ICIB&Product_Code=BAG
L1&Category_Code=BK
Hassan, Steven (1988). Combatting Cult Mind Control (Rochester, VT: Park Street Press).
Johnson, David and Van Vonderen, Jeff (1991). The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse (Minneapolis, MN:
Bethany House).
Lalich, Janja (2007). Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults (Berkeley, CA: University
of California Press).
Langone, Michael, editor (1995). Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual
Abuse (New York, NY: W. W. Norton &Company).
Lifton, Robert (1989). Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of Brainwashing in
China (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press).
Singer, Margaret with Lalich, Janja (2003). Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their
Hidden Menace (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass).
Taylor, Kathleen (2004). Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control (New York, NY: University of
Oxford Press).
Zablocki, Benjamin and Robbins, Thomas (2001). Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in
a Controversial Field (Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press).
End Notes
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprogramming .There are no formal, agreed upon definitions of
deprogramming, but this Wikipedia entry offers much of what is available.
[2] ―Persistence of ‗Deprogramming‘ Stereotypes in Film,‖ by Joseph Szimhart, 2004. Cultic Studies
Journal.
http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_articles/szimhart_joseph_persistenceofdeprogrammingstereotype
s_abs.htm
[3] http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/essay_cult.htm
[4] http://ancienttexts.org/library/indian/upanishads/katha.html
