42 International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation ■ Vol. 2, 2021
Obsequious Sororium (DOS) to disseminate
his ideas. 4 This latter organization came
under particular scrutiny during the trial (and
in the media) because of the extremely
coercive practices—especially sexual ones—
that Raniere implemented in it moreover, it
is evident that many of his earlier teachings
groomed women in preparation for entry into
this elite “sorority.”
Grooming women and establishing female
submission were interconnected processes in
NXIVM. To examine these dual strategies, I
draw on Grant Sinnamon’s (2017) research
on grooming adult women, 5 in conjunction
with Janja Lalich’s (1997) research insights
on the psychosexual manipulation of women
in cults. 6 Sinnamon’s work includes a
discussion of extreme grooming and
predatory practices—that is, those that
characterize the behaviors of narcissistic
predators. Thus, his observations are
extremely useful for my analysis of Raniere,
who likely is a narcissist. Sinnamon’s
landmark research on adult grooming is the
only academic work of its kind that I have
been able to locate. Lalich’s article (1997)
offers a critical guide to the core strategies of
sexual control and female submission in
cultic environments, the features of which
dovetail with many of Sinnamon’s (2017)
observations of the grooming process.
I begin this article with a brief overview of
Sinnamon’s research on adult grooming and
4 See Raine (2020) for a fuller discussion of NXIVM’s constituent
organizations.
5 Although Raniere mostly targeted adult women, in two cases—
sisters, Daniela and Camilla—his victims were adolescent minors
who lived separately from their parents. The girls’ parents and their
older sister, Marianna, also were members of NXIVM.
6 NXIVM exemplifies Lalich’s (2004, p. 4) definition of cult (Raine,
2020).
7 Without Raniere being subject to clinical assessment, one cannot
assert conclusively what psychopathology might ail him, but
narcissism seems likely. It is beyond the scope of this article to
address narcissism in its entirety. Rather, I draw mostly on
Sinnamon’s use of the term in the context of grooming. The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (2013)
outlines current psychiatric criteria for narcissistic personality
its value to the study of an ideological setting
such as NXIVM. Then, I discuss sexual
control in cults and the ways in which women
especially often are subject to mechanisms
that foster and/or enforce their submission to
male authority. In the next section, I offer an
overview of Raniere. In it, I examine his
claims to brilliance, the way in which he
presented himself to others, and how, in turn,
his followers came to revere him. A
deliberation of his apparent narcissism is
integral to this discussion.7 A summary of the
key characteristics of narcissistic sexual
predation follows, after which I include an
analysis of how Raniere incorporated
measures that fostered and even demanded
female submission (Lalich, 1997) throughout
the grooming process (Sinnamon, 2017).
In this article I draw primarily on the court
transcripts from Raniere’s trial in 2019.
Former-member memoirs (see Edmondson &
Gasbarre, 2019 Natalie &Hardin, 2019 &
Oxenberg &Stoynoff, 2019), news media,
investigative journalist reports, and websites
all contribute further to my discussion.
Grooming
Scholarly literature on grooming focuses
mostly on the grooming of children for sexual
abuse, and those with expertise in the field
consider it a growth area (Craven et al., 2006
disorder and is essential also to my discussion. Raniere has
manifested many of the DSMV criteria, including the following: a
“pervasive pattern of grandiosity,” a “grandiose sense of self-
importance,” and a “sense of entitlement.” Certainly, Raniere
“requires excessive admiration” and views himself “as special.”
Furthermore, he clearly is “interpersonally exploitative” and seems
to “lack empathy” (For a discussion of these features of narcissism,
see American Psychiatric Association, 2013, pp. 669–672). For
analyses of narcissism in the context of cultic and sectarian
leadership, see Anderson (1999), Clarke (1988), Lane &Kent
(2008), Oakes (1997), and Zeider &Devlin (2020). Of course, in
any given cult setting, multiple contributing factors influence beliefs
and practices, the structure of the group, and the interpersonal
relationships therein.
Obsequious Sororium (DOS) to disseminate
his ideas. 4 This latter organization came
under particular scrutiny during the trial (and
in the media) because of the extremely
coercive practices—especially sexual ones—
that Raniere implemented in it moreover, it
is evident that many of his earlier teachings
groomed women in preparation for entry into
this elite “sorority.”
Grooming women and establishing female
submission were interconnected processes in
NXIVM. To examine these dual strategies, I
draw on Grant Sinnamon’s (2017) research
on grooming adult women, 5 in conjunction
with Janja Lalich’s (1997) research insights
on the psychosexual manipulation of women
in cults. 6 Sinnamon’s work includes a
discussion of extreme grooming and
predatory practices—that is, those that
characterize the behaviors of narcissistic
predators. Thus, his observations are
extremely useful for my analysis of Raniere,
who likely is a narcissist. Sinnamon’s
landmark research on adult grooming is the
only academic work of its kind that I have
been able to locate. Lalich’s article (1997)
offers a critical guide to the core strategies of
sexual control and female submission in
cultic environments, the features of which
dovetail with many of Sinnamon’s (2017)
observations of the grooming process.
I begin this article with a brief overview of
Sinnamon’s research on adult grooming and
4 See Raine (2020) for a fuller discussion of NXIVM’s constituent
organizations.
5 Although Raniere mostly targeted adult women, in two cases—
sisters, Daniela and Camilla—his victims were adolescent minors
who lived separately from their parents. The girls’ parents and their
older sister, Marianna, also were members of NXIVM.
6 NXIVM exemplifies Lalich’s (2004, p. 4) definition of cult (Raine,
2020).
7 Without Raniere being subject to clinical assessment, one cannot
assert conclusively what psychopathology might ail him, but
narcissism seems likely. It is beyond the scope of this article to
address narcissism in its entirety. Rather, I draw mostly on
Sinnamon’s use of the term in the context of grooming. The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (2013)
outlines current psychiatric criteria for narcissistic personality
its value to the study of an ideological setting
such as NXIVM. Then, I discuss sexual
control in cults and the ways in which women
especially often are subject to mechanisms
that foster and/or enforce their submission to
male authority. In the next section, I offer an
overview of Raniere. In it, I examine his
claims to brilliance, the way in which he
presented himself to others, and how, in turn,
his followers came to revere him. A
deliberation of his apparent narcissism is
integral to this discussion.7 A summary of the
key characteristics of narcissistic sexual
predation follows, after which I include an
analysis of how Raniere incorporated
measures that fostered and even demanded
female submission (Lalich, 1997) throughout
the grooming process (Sinnamon, 2017).
In this article I draw primarily on the court
transcripts from Raniere’s trial in 2019.
Former-member memoirs (see Edmondson &
Gasbarre, 2019 Natalie &Hardin, 2019 &
Oxenberg &Stoynoff, 2019), news media,
investigative journalist reports, and websites
all contribute further to my discussion.
Grooming
Scholarly literature on grooming focuses
mostly on the grooming of children for sexual
abuse, and those with expertise in the field
consider it a growth area (Craven et al., 2006
disorder and is essential also to my discussion. Raniere has
manifested many of the DSMV criteria, including the following: a
“pervasive pattern of grandiosity,” a “grandiose sense of self-
importance,” and a “sense of entitlement.” Certainly, Raniere
“requires excessive admiration” and views himself “as special.”
Furthermore, he clearly is “interpersonally exploitative” and seems
to “lack empathy” (For a discussion of these features of narcissism,
see American Psychiatric Association, 2013, pp. 669–672). For
analyses of narcissism in the context of cultic and sectarian
leadership, see Anderson (1999), Clarke (1988), Lane &Kent
(2008), Oakes (1997), and Zeider &Devlin (2020). Of course, in
any given cult setting, multiple contributing factors influence beliefs
and practices, the structure of the group, and the interpersonal
relationships therein.
