4 ICSA TODAY
In my clinical practice, I often see how dysfunctional families
cause pain to their members, and it is my opinion that the cult
perspective can help explain certain aspects of what these
families go through. (Many families may be dysfunctional in
ways that have nothing to do with cultic dynamics. Those are
not the focus of this paper.)
I start with a working definition of a dysfunctional family and
note some broad areas of relationship between dysfunctional
families and cults. Then, using three concepts from family
systems theory (Minuchin, 1981 Satir, 1976)—boundaries, rules,
and roles—I suggest similarities between how a dysfunctional
family weakens its members and the harmful effect of a cultic
group on its members.
In this article, I do not intend to deal with the relationship
between persons being part of dysfunctional families and the
degree of risk of their being recruited by a cult. Dysfunctional
families may make their members more vulnerable to cult
recruitment, but professionals acknowledge that even people
belonging to healthy families can be deceived into cultic
involvement no one is free of the risk of recruitment. Rather, I
focus on how families in which there is psychological abuse or
inadequate relationships are similar to cults.
By Jose Fernández Aguado
This article is based on a paper presented at ICSA’s Annual Conference in Bordeaux, France in 2017.
Functions
Like a Cult
How a
Dysfunctional
Family
In my clinical practice, I often see how dysfunctional families
cause pain to their members, and it is my opinion that the cult
perspective can help explain certain aspects of what these
families go through. (Many families may be dysfunctional in
ways that have nothing to do with cultic dynamics. Those are
not the focus of this paper.)
I start with a working definition of a dysfunctional family and
note some broad areas of relationship between dysfunctional
families and cults. Then, using three concepts from family
systems theory (Minuchin, 1981 Satir, 1976)—boundaries, rules,
and roles—I suggest similarities between how a dysfunctional
family weakens its members and the harmful effect of a cultic
group on its members.
In this article, I do not intend to deal with the relationship
between persons being part of dysfunctional families and the
degree of risk of their being recruited by a cult. Dysfunctional
families may make their members more vulnerable to cult
recruitment, but professionals acknowledge that even people
belonging to healthy families can be deceived into cultic
involvement no one is free of the risk of recruitment. Rather, I
focus on how families in which there is psychological abuse or
inadequate relationships are similar to cults.
By Jose Fernández Aguado
This article is based on a paper presented at ICSA’s Annual Conference in Bordeaux, France in 2017.
Functions
Like a Cult
How a
Dysfunctional
Family
