Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, Page 35
Published studies of mental health professionals who succeeded in making contact with
members of some groups report cases of loss of autonomy and regression to extreme
dependence, use of rigid thought patterns (perception of the world in terms of black and
white), “loaded” words having simplistic, one-dimensional and rigid meaning, loss of ego
boundaries, dimming of the boundary between reality and imagination, passivity and
indifference regarding anything which does not directly concern the dictates of the group.
Psychopathological disturbances --including dissociative states, obsessions, hallucinations
and other symptoms, such as psychosomatic phenomena including lack of menstruation,
sexual dysfunctioning, skin ailments etc., were reported as well, although at a lower
frequency, (0.38 0.39 0.40 0.41 0.70).
From the studies published to date it is not possible to create a precise picture of the
correlation between specific symptoms and specific groups. It is only possible to state that
various aggregates of the changes mentioned here are related to many and varied
segments of the population of members in the groups. Most of the professionals do not deny
the existence of these changes the disputes among them relate to the proportion of harm
caused to the population of recruits, the extent of harm in each individual, and intra-group
variance. Nevertheless, there are those who believe that, when dealing with joiners who
were initially in a difficult mental state, perhaps the price paid for their happiness should be
viewed positively.
Others stress the fact that 50-70 percent of the recruits were not in need of any mental
treatment prior to their membership in the group and therefore, metamorphoses in
personality of the type described should be regarded as a heavy and unnecessary price to
pay. Furthermore, one must take into account that it is reasonable to assume that, had
these recruits known in advance the nature of the “existential condition” they would reach,
perhaps they would have avoided joining in the first place (see further 2.2.2 The Section on
Consumerism).
Another phenomenon pointed out by psychologists and psychiatrists is the difficulty some
group dropouts have in returning to normal life. This is a difficulty which apparently derives
both from the extreme transition entailed in the return, as well as the scarcity of
professional knowledge regarding appropriate methods of treatment. The condition of some
of these dropouts is not easy. Some describe their condition as floating between two worlds
(0.56 0.60) --a condition which may last a long time. Others detail the specific problems
which arise with precision: prolonged depression dual guilt feelings --both towards the
group which was left, and towards the family and the society to which they wish to return
extreme insecurity and loss of confidence in the capacity to distinguish between good and
bad frequent outbursts of anger low threshold of tolerance for stressful situations and
frustration difficulties in self-expression and independent thought continuous fear of the
magical influence of the thoughts and intentions of other people and of events in the outside
world and compulsive notions of suicide.
Professionals in mental health and related disciplines apparently still have difficulty placing
the phenomenon within a theoretical framework and giving it a logical explanation,
something which would provide an appropriate answer to those new group dropouts in need
of help.
Consumerism
It is possible to discern two main categories of deceit: actions defined by law as fraud, and
actions which, even if not legally defined as an offense, do involve some exploitation of the
sensitive realm of goodwill and faith in others. Most of the phenomena which will be
presented in this section fall within the second category. It would seem that in a society
which is not essentially based on coercion, this sort of activity should be regarded with
grave concern when systematically performed by a group in an organized fashion and
Published studies of mental health professionals who succeeded in making contact with
members of some groups report cases of loss of autonomy and regression to extreme
dependence, use of rigid thought patterns (perception of the world in terms of black and
white), “loaded” words having simplistic, one-dimensional and rigid meaning, loss of ego
boundaries, dimming of the boundary between reality and imagination, passivity and
indifference regarding anything which does not directly concern the dictates of the group.
Psychopathological disturbances --including dissociative states, obsessions, hallucinations
and other symptoms, such as psychosomatic phenomena including lack of menstruation,
sexual dysfunctioning, skin ailments etc., were reported as well, although at a lower
frequency, (0.38 0.39 0.40 0.41 0.70).
From the studies published to date it is not possible to create a precise picture of the
correlation between specific symptoms and specific groups. It is only possible to state that
various aggregates of the changes mentioned here are related to many and varied
segments of the population of members in the groups. Most of the professionals do not deny
the existence of these changes the disputes among them relate to the proportion of harm
caused to the population of recruits, the extent of harm in each individual, and intra-group
variance. Nevertheless, there are those who believe that, when dealing with joiners who
were initially in a difficult mental state, perhaps the price paid for their happiness should be
viewed positively.
Others stress the fact that 50-70 percent of the recruits were not in need of any mental
treatment prior to their membership in the group and therefore, metamorphoses in
personality of the type described should be regarded as a heavy and unnecessary price to
pay. Furthermore, one must take into account that it is reasonable to assume that, had
these recruits known in advance the nature of the “existential condition” they would reach,
perhaps they would have avoided joining in the first place (see further 2.2.2 The Section on
Consumerism).
Another phenomenon pointed out by psychologists and psychiatrists is the difficulty some
group dropouts have in returning to normal life. This is a difficulty which apparently derives
both from the extreme transition entailed in the return, as well as the scarcity of
professional knowledge regarding appropriate methods of treatment. The condition of some
of these dropouts is not easy. Some describe their condition as floating between two worlds
(0.56 0.60) --a condition which may last a long time. Others detail the specific problems
which arise with precision: prolonged depression dual guilt feelings --both towards the
group which was left, and towards the family and the society to which they wish to return
extreme insecurity and loss of confidence in the capacity to distinguish between good and
bad frequent outbursts of anger low threshold of tolerance for stressful situations and
frustration difficulties in self-expression and independent thought continuous fear of the
magical influence of the thoughts and intentions of other people and of events in the outside
world and compulsive notions of suicide.
Professionals in mental health and related disciplines apparently still have difficulty placing
the phenomenon within a theoretical framework and giving it a logical explanation,
something which would provide an appropriate answer to those new group dropouts in need
of help.
Consumerism
It is possible to discern two main categories of deceit: actions defined by law as fraud, and
actions which, even if not legally defined as an offense, do involve some exploitation of the
sensitive realm of goodwill and faith in others. Most of the phenomena which will be
presented in this section fall within the second category. It would seem that in a society
which is not essentially based on coercion, this sort of activity should be regarded with
grave concern when systematically performed by a group in an organized fashion and
