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**********
Dennis Tourish, Ph.D. is a Reader in Communication Management at the University of
Aberdeen, in Scotland. He specializes in the study of interpersonal and organizational
communication, and of cults.
Tim Wohlforth is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, living in Oakland, California.
They are the joint authors of On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left, published by
Sharpe, New York, 2000.
This article is an electronic version of an article originally published in Cultic Studies Journal, 2000, Volume 17,
pages 15-41. Please keep in mind that the pagination of this electronic reprint differs from that of the bound
volume. This fact could affect how you enter bibliographic information in papers that you may write.

Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 32
Domestic Violence as a Cultic System
David Ward
Logan Counseling Centre
Brisbane, Australia
Abstract
The phenomenon of domestic violence has been regularly explored in the
therapeutic literature in recent years. The therapeutic community‘s
knowledge of destructive cults has also increased. However, little has been
written comparing the knowledge bases from these two domains. This paper
seeks to offer a brief investigation into some of the parallels experienced by
victims of cults and victims of domestic violence. Theoretical concepts from
both areas will be outlined first, followed by some specific parallels. Finally,
some implications for therapy will be discussed.
Despite the vast and ever-increasing volumes published on domestic violence debate
continues. Initially, pathology was located in the individual and presumably resulted from
traumatic experiences in the formative years. As time passed, and particularly when
systems theory gained widespread acceptance, dysfunction was explored, analyzed, and
addressed in the wider psychosocial and socio-political arenas. This appears to have
continued with increasing fervor, to the extent that pathology now is decreasingly seen in
individual experience, and increasingly attributed to language, conversation and cultural
discourse (Gibney, 1996). This paper seeks not to disregard the gains made by previous
models, but to supplement our knowledge base by investigating principles of abusive power
in one context, domestic violence, to help understand another, cultic abuse. I shall begin by
outlining a brief review of cult dynamics.
Cult Dynamics
There are many definitions of ―cults,‖ including the following, which is appropriate to the
purposes of this paper:
A group or movement exhibiting great or excessive devotion or dedication to
some person, idea or thing and employing unethical manipulative or coercive
techniques or persuasion and control to advance the goals of the group‘s
leaders to the actual or possible detriment of the members, their families, or
the community. (Tobias &Lalich, 1994, p.12)
Various frameworks have been put forward to explain the ―unethical manipulative or
coercive techniques‖ of cultic systems. Below I summarize a model advanced by Singer
(1995)
Keep the person unaware of what is going on and how she or he is being changed a step at
a time.
Like the proverbial frog in the kettle, prospective recruits for a cult are unaware of the
dynamics involved in their recruitment. Whether it is a religious group that employs ―bible
studies,‖ or a ―self esteem‖ course offered by an organization, the goal is to entice
individuals to commit to more and more group activities, while keeping them unaware of
increasing entrenchment.
Control the person‟s social and/or physical environment especially the person‟s time.