Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 7
leaders manage to dissemble and reformulate members according to the cult‟s desired
image. In other words, through a variety of social and psychological influence techniques,
they take away you and give you back a cult personality, a pseudopersonality. They punish
you when the old you turns up, and they reward the new you. Before you know it, you don‟t
know who you are or how you got there you only know (or you are trained to believe) that
you have to stay there. In a cult there is only one way--cults are totalitarian, set up to serve
the leader‟s whims and desires, be they power, sex, or money (Lalich, 1996).
In many cults, the sexuality and sex lives of members are controlled, manipulated, and
exploited, just as are other aspects of life. Cult leaders seem to realize rather quickly (if
they didn‟t already have it in mind) that a great source of power can be found in the sexual
control of their followers. Most people come into cults with certain personal values, including
having a sense of their own sexual preferences, behaviors, norms, and expectations. But
because of the influence of the group‟s persuasive methods, reinforced by leadership
demands and peer pressure, in most cases a cult member‟s value system and sense of
morality get altered, sometimes radically. Enforcing sexual submission may be considered
the final step in the objectification of the individual as cult member.
Although sexual exploitation of male cult members is not uncommon, here I will focus on
the psychosexual exploitation of women in cults. And even though cults are led by women
as well as men, I will use the masculine pronoun when referring to cult leaders since, as far
as we‟ve seen, most of them are men.
Prevalence of Sexual Exploitation in Cults
For the purposes of this article, sexual exploitation is defined as the exercise of power for
the purpose of controlling, using, or abusing another person sexually in order to satisfy the
conscious or unconscious needs of the person in power --whether those needs be sexual,
financial, emotional, or physical. Sexual abuse can range from having to live in a sexually
coercive environment (whether or not one is personally abused) to unwanted touching to
rape. It may masquerade as “marriage” to the leader or as some form of “spiritual” practice,
or it may come about as the overt seduction of vulnerable females (or males) by those in
power. In many groups, if not the leader, then the husbands are given absolute control over
their wives (and children), including a license for sexual activities without mutual consent.
Marital rape is an accepted standard in certain cults.
Sexual exploitation includes reproductive and general sexual controls through such policies
as enforced celibacy, arranged marriages, mandated relationships or intimacies, and
regulated childbearing. Even if no such specific practices are overtly employed, most cults
govern the sex lives of members with myriad rules and regulations.
Although no research has been done on the incidence of sexual abuse in cults, at one
postcult recovery workshop, 40% of the women present said they had been sexually abused
in their cult (Tobias &Lalich, 1994, p. 171). If we were to take that figure as an indicator of
the prevalence of sexual abuse in cults, I would predict that when solid research is finally
done in this area, we will find that 40% is actually an extremely low figure. I base this on
my own work as a cult information specialist and educator who meets regularly with former
cult members to help them get some clarity on their cultic experiences. The 26 female
former cult members seen by me in the past 9 months came from a wide spectrum of
cults.2 Fifteen of the women were directly abused (14 by their leader and on occasion also
by others in the cult, and 1 raped by her cult husband at the leader‟s orders). Eight had
their personal, marital, and/or sex lives manipulated and controlled by the cult. The
remaining three were not personally abused but eventually became aware of the sexual
victimization of other female members by the leader. In four of these cases, the sexual
activity included lesbian and/or bisexual liaisons and in three, the women were also
subjected to physical abuse, one of which was ongoing and extreme.

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 8
From these data, it becomes apparent that the sexual exploitation of women in cults of all
types is widespread, and, to date, is possibly the least talked about, and certainly the least
researched, aspect of cult life. There is, in my opinion, a twofold reason for the prevalence
of sexual misdeeds in cults.
First, those who wish to dominate others discover that their power increases as their areas
of influence over the other person become more intimate and personal. Therefore,
controlling someone‟s sexuality or sex life is an effective method of all-inclusive
manipulation and control. Once sexual control is in place, no part of life is left untouched by
the cult leader‟s influence. The satisfaction of the leader‟s desires (be they real or conjured
up for the purposes of sheer display of power) becomes an expression of the cult member‟s
faith --her cross to bear, so to speak.
Second, many cult leaders fit the profile of the psychopath.3 Psychologist Robert Hare, a
specialist in the study of this particular personality disorder, estimates that there are at
least two million psychopaths in North America. He wrote:
Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their
way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations,
and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others,
they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms
and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret. (Hare, 1993, p. xi)
Certainly not all psychopaths become cult leaders, nor are all cult leaders necessarily
psychopaths. Yet, when studied, the backgrounds, personalities, and behaviors of many of
those who have led and lead cults fit quite nicely into the framework for this particular
character disorder. Several of the psychopath‟s characteristic traits lend themselves to acts
of sexual exploitation and abuse of others. Those are (1) need for stimulation, (2)
callousness and lack of empathy, (3) poor behavioral controls, (4) promiscuous sexual
behavior and infidelity, (5) glibness and superficial charm, (6) grandiose sense of self, (7)
pathological lying, (8) lack of remorse, shame, or guilt, (9) manipulation and conning, and
(10) incapacity for love.
Sexual acting out of all sorts is frequent among cult leaders and for them, as with
psychopaths, sex is primarily a control and power issue. Such behavior goes hand in hand
with more flagrant forms of irresponsibility. In one cult, for example, multiple sexual
relations were encouraged even while one of the top leaders was known to be HIV positive.
This kind of negligence toward others is not uncommon in the world of cults. Whether
sexual behaviors are kept hidden or are part of the accepted and expected group practices,
the fact remains that because of the power imbalance between leader and followers, sexual
contact is never truly consensual and is likely to have damaging consequences for the
follower.
How Submission Is Obtained: The Cult Rationale
The sexual exploitation in cults takes place on both the group and personal levels.
Sometimes everyone in the group must exhibit certain attitudes and demonstrate certain
behaviors. In other cases, only select female members must conform to particular sexual
mores. Since cults are essentially mirror images of the central leader figure, how this
transpires in each group will depend on the whims, preferences, and predilections of the
man in charge. The following are control strategies that turn up repeatedly in my study of
cults and in reports of former cult members.4
Group Rules
By controlling sex, marriage, and procreation, the cult is better able to control its
membership. Rules of all sorts will be put into place to govern the members‟ daily lives,