Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 94
25.Segretariato per l‘ecumenismo e il dialogo della CEI, “L‟impegno pastorale della Chiesa di
fronte ai nuovi movimenti religiosi e alle sette,,Nota Pastorale del 30 Maggio 1993,
Edizioni Paoline, Milano, 1993, pag. 16.
Acknowledgment
Earlier versions of this article were originally published first on the GRIS-Roma Web site
(http://www.grisroma.it) and then on the first issue of AFF‘s Internet journal
(www.cultsandsociety.com). It is reprinted here with permission of the authors.
**********
Alberto Amitrani is the former president of GRIS Rome, Italy. GRIS (Group for Research
and Information about Sects [Cults]) is a non-profit cultural and religious association,
organised on February 8, 1987 and involved in researching, studying, and disseminating
information concerning ―new religious movements.‖ On September 25, 1990, the articles
of association of GRIS received the approval of the Italian Bishops‘ Conference.
Raffaella Di Marzio is President, GRIS Rome. She set up a support and counseling centre
in Rome, for all those troubled, directly or indirectly, by experiences associated with
belonging to a cult. Dr. Di Marzio and her husband, Dr. Amitrani, both have two degrees,
one in Psychology (University ―La Sapienza‖ of Rome, 1981) and one in Educational Science
(Pontifical Salesian University, 1981). Moreover they both have the Superior Diploma in
Religious Science from the Institute for Religious Studies Ecclesia Mater, linked to the
faculty of theology of Pontifical Lateran University. They have been teachers in a Senior
High School in Rome since 1981.
This article is an electronic version of an article originally published in Cultic Studies Journal, 2000, Volume 17,
pages 122-142. 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 95
The Relation of Group Philosophy to Different Types of Dangerous
Conduct in Cultic Groups
Dianne Casoni
School of Criminology
University of Montreal
Abstract
Though dangerous behavior is not always present in cultic experiences, its
occurrence remains a current social concern. In order to better understand
the circumstances that may lead to the occurrence of dangerous behavior, a
theoretical model is proposed that establishes a link between the types of
philosophy implicitly or explicitly shared by members of different cultic groups
and the types of dangerous behavior that can be experienced in such
communities. Four types of group philosophical functioning are described at
length as they apply to seven basic components of group life: leadership,
membership, children, doctrine, rituals, spatial organization, and social
organization. Following this presentation, a discussion of the specific types of
dangerous behavior potentially present in each type of group is discussed.
For the general public as well as for social scientists, there are enough examples of extreme
behavior in sectarian groups to warrant the study of the risks associated with being a
member of such groups. Whether one thinks of forced group suicide, as in Jonestown and
Uganda, or of child sexual and physical abuse as occurred in some groups affiliated with
Krishna consciousness and in Catholic and Protestant boarding schools during the last
century, such disturbing phenomena beg the attention of scholars.
Although the study of these excesses demands objectivity, a good dose of humility, and, all
too often, some courage, it is nevertheless gratifying to think that research can help protect
society‘s more vulnerable members. Also, unbiased research can contribute significantly to
reducing the risk that marginal spiritual experiences will be the target of inappropriate social
discrimination. In light of this backdrop, the aims of the present paper are twofold: firstly, to
describe four specific types of group philosophical functioning, and secondly, to relate these
philosophies to certain types of dangerous behavior that occur in some cultic groups.
By philosophy, I am referring to an implicit, and often explicit, way of viewing life, of
representing one‘s actions and conduct, and of interpreting the conduct of others.
Philosophy in this sense is akin to definition number 5 of Webster‘s Encyclopedic Unabridged
Dictionary (1989): ―a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs‖ (p.1082). Thus,
the philosophy of a group is seen as having a most important effect on many aspects of
group members‘ daily lives. The internal politics of a group, the manner in which children
are treated, or the way in which the group interacts with the outside world, for instance, are
determined in a large part by shared group philosophy.
In the first part of this article, four types of philosophical functioning are described at length
as they apply to seven elements of paramount importance in everyday life. I choose to
present each philosophy through these seven elements in order to illustrate the ubiquitous
quality of a shared philosophy of life. Indeed, group philosophy is seen as exerting a
determining effect on: types of leadership, types of membership a particular group will
favor, how children will be treated, the role rituals will play in the group, the way the
doctrine will evolve, and the types of spatial and social organization that will develop.
Although the conduct of members who share in any one of these philosophies can very well