Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 86
of sleep or giving them terrible dreams or abusing them sexually. Still others they
have driven to insanity, murder, or suicide. (“Agents of Evil,” 1994, p. 6)
Despite the tremendous stress of leaving a high-control group such as WTS, with all the
losses it entails, it was interesting and encouraging to note that all of the women in the
study, whether they were disfellowshipped or just “drifted away,” reported a dramatic
decrease in mental and emotional problems following their exit from WTS. For these
women, leaving coincided with a significant increase in their overall mental health.
Conclusion
The survey results, in conjunction with this article‟s review of the literature, highlight
several important issues. First, WTS appears to be a group that exercises a very high
degree of control over its members‟ personal, family, and professional lives. Control is
maintained both through direct prohibitions, such as the ban on voting, taking blood
transfusions, and celebrating holidays and birthdays, and indirect methods, such as
messages in articles that make statements such as “Would it be wise for a Christian to …”
(wear a beard, listen to rap or heavy metal music, pursue a career, date a nonmember,
etc.). Failure to comply with WTS‟s expectations about behavior and expression can be
punishable by disfellowshipping, a severe and often devastating sentence. Second, WTS is a
very patriarchal group. Not only is a Jehovah‟s Witness woman subject to this level of
minute control over everyday decisions, but she is also “subject to the headship” of her
husband, and cannot occupy positions of responsibility and authority in the congregation.
The Witness woman is instructed to “remain in wifely subjection” to her husband. Third, the
survey respondents generally reported a high degree of emotional and mental distress
during the period of membership in WTS, which decreased dramatically after leaving the
group.
This is not to say that men in the Watchtower Society do not suffer from the restrictiveness
of their culture, as well as perhaps experiencing their patriarchal role as burdensome and
isolating. Clinical experience in working with both men and women who have exited from
WTS suggests that mental and emotional distress while in the group and when in early
recovery from group influence is common to both sexes. This area would benefit from
further study of a larger population sample to compare men‟s to women‟s experiences in
WTS.
In addition, an inherent difficulty in this investigation is one that is intrinsically impossible to
overcome given the nature of the group studied. The subjects who are most willing to
respond are people who have left the group, either voluntarily or were forced out. Practicing
Jehovah‟s Witnesses are likely to be highly suspicious of any research that raises the
question that there may be problems within the organization, and either refuse to
participate or be unwilling to honestly admit to mental or emotional difficulties.
The point must also be raised that it is possible that people who choose to stay in the group
could be members who are well adjusted and happy, and those with mental and emotional
problems are the ones that are forced out or choose to leave. Personal observation does not
bear out this simplistic theory, however (although there certainly appear to be some
members who are happy and well-adjusted). Over the years of personal and professional
contact with WTS, the first author has observed many practicing Jehovah‟s Witness families
with significant mental health issues. Other research supports this observation as well.
Montague‟s study (1977) estimated that the mental illness rate of Jehovah‟s Witnesses is
approximately 10 to 16 times higher than the rate for the general non-Witness population.
Spencer (1975) found that Jehovah‟s Witnesses experienced a rate of diagnosable mental
problems at a rate of 1.54 times the general population, and found diagnoses of paranoid
schizophrenia to be 3.68 times more common in the membership than usually found.
Bergman (1992) states that “the majority of Witnesses suffer from some type of emotional

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 87
problem, although it may be minor in nature” (p. 20). He draws the conclusion that the rate
of mental illness and suicide in the Witness population is above the average rate found in
the general population. In addition, the fact that all of the respondents in this study
reported better mental health after leaving the organization indicates that they are not just
“people with problems” who would have difficulty in any setting. Their mental status as a
whole improved dramatically after leaving the group.
Another important question that needs to be addressed is the question of whether
emotionally unstable people are attracted to WTS in order to create a sense of stability (by
adopting a rigid external locus of control) in their lives, thus raising the rate of mental
illness in the group as a whole. A very interesting future study would be one that compared
mental illness rates and rates of exit from the group between adult converts versus those
raised in the religion. It would also be helpful to use standardized measures of psychological
distress in future studies.
The primary difficulty in getting a full picture of the actual rate of mental illness in WTS is
that Jehovah‟s Witnesses are generally unwilling to participate in research by outsiders, or
“worldly people.” Even though some individuals might consent to participate in impartial
studies, it would be impossible to rule out the fatally contaminating effect of the pressure to
present themselves as “the happiest people on earth.” It is vital to WTS‟s identity that
members present themselves as better than and happier than the rest of the world in order
to bolster the rationale for potential converts to join. To illustrate this attitude, The
Watchtower states that “the incomparable „peace of God‟ is an unusual tranquility enjoyed
by Jehovah‟s dedicated servants even in the most trying situations…. We are not
overwhelmed by anxiety, for we know that Jehovah makes all of his faithful people „dwell in
security‟ (“Throw All Your,” 1994, p. 22). The same issue of The Watchtower goes on to
point out that “their good reputation is precious to them because it honors their heavenly
Father and can help to draw others to their way of life and to their God, Jehovah” (“If You
Owe,” 1994, p. 28).
Despite the inherent difficulties in studying a group such as this, the results of this study
indicate that this group of women experienced positive social and mental health benefits
upon leaving WTS. In general, the women in this survey reported an increase in equality in
their relationships with the men in their lives after exiting the organization. In addition,
after leaving, these women as a whole reported substantially better psychological
adjustment, with dramatic decreases in symptoms of emotional and mental distress. These
results are consistent with the hypothesis that women who do not feel a sense of efficacy
and control in their lives are more likely to experience mental health problems. When
subjects gained a sense of increased personal and relational freedom by leaving WTS‟s high-
control and patriarchal environment, they reported experiencing significant positive mental
health benefits. It remains to be seen whether these preliminary findings will be supported
by future studies using standardized assessment measures, more representative samples,
and comparison groups.
References
Agents of evil. (1994, Feb. 1). The Watchtower, 4-7.
Alternative rock --Is it for me? (1996, Nov. 22). Awake!, 21-23.
At which table are you feeding? (1994, Jul. 1). The Watchtower, 8-13.
Bergman, J. (1992). Jehovah’s Witnesses and the problem of mental illness. Clayton, CA:
Witness Inc.
Birthday celebrations have left a trail of death. (1994, Jul. 15). The Watchtower, 25.
Bullough, V. (1973). The subordinate sex: A history of attitudes toward women. Urbana:
University of Illinois Press.
Chafe, W. (1977). Women and equality. New York: Oxford University Press.