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International Cultic Studies Association |
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Madrid, Spain July 14-16, 2005
À Madrid en Espagne du 14 au 16 juillet 2005
Madrid, España 14-16 de Julio, 2005 The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) is an interdisciplinary network of academicians, professionals, former group members, and families who study and educate the public about social-psychological influence and control, authoritarianism, and zealotry in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments. Founded in 1979 as AFF (American Family Foundation), ICSA took on its current name in late 2004 to better reflect the organization's focus and increasingly international and scholarly dimensions. |
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| English Ω 1-Home Conference Ω 2-Program Ω 3-presenters/speakers Ω 4-Fees Ω 5-Ways to Register Ω 6-Facility and Lodging Ω 7-Travel Information Ω 8-Registration Fax/Mail Form Español Français CULT DEPARTURE ABSTRACT Many former cult members perceive themselves to have been psychologically abused during their cult involvement (Chambers, et al., 1994), as well as adjustment and psychological difficulties after leaving a cult had been documented by clinicians, assessing former cult members, and researchers (e.g. Martin et al., 1992). These negative reports of former cult members are sometimes labeled as “atrocity tales” (Shupe y Bromley, 1980), and it has been argued that those evaluations of former cult experiences are negatively biased because either the influence of contact with cult awareness organizations or method of cult disaffiliation (e.g. Solomon, 1981; Lewis, 1986). It has also been suggested that those organizations “imbue former members with demands to report higher level of psychopathology” (cited from Aronoff et al., 2000) as evidence of their victimization by coercive mind control practices (Lewis & Bromley, 1987).
This presentation reviews the literature on cult disaffiliation. Data is provided according to the perceptions of a Spanish sample of 100 former members of diverse cultic groups about their cult departure, as well as perceived psychological abuse and reported levels of psychological distress regarding method of cult disaffiliation and assistance by cult awareness groups.
Perceived psychological abuse reported by former members was assessed using the Spanish version of the Group Psychological Abuse Scale (Almendros, et al., 2004; Chambers et al., 1994). Psychological distress of former cult members was assessed employing the Symptom Checklist 90 – Revised (Derogatis, 1983; González de Rivera, et al., 2002).
Concerning method of departure, the majority of our participants walked away their groups after personal reflection, without outside assistance, and considered disillusion as the most important factor for their cult disaffiliation.
Results on former member’s perceptions on the psychological abusiveness of their cultic groups and their levels of psychological distress will be presented regarding whether or not they had contact with cult education and/or awareness resources and method of cult departure.
According to our data, no evidence supports the above mentioned assertion relating contact with cult-awareness associations or way of exiting with negatively biased perceptions of former cult experiences.
Almendros, C., Carrobles, J.A., Rodríguez-Carballeira, A., Jansà, J.M. (2004). Propiedades psicométricas de la versión española de la Group Psychological Abuse Scale para la medida de abuso psicológico en contextos grupales. Psicothema, 16 (1), 132-138. Aronoff, J., Lynn, S.J., Malinoski, P. (2000). Are cultic environments psychologically harmful? Clinical Psychology Review, 20(1), 91-111. Chambers, W.V., Langone, M.D., Dole, A.A., & Grice, J.W. (1994). The Group Psychological Abuse scale: a measure of the varieties of cultic abuse. Cultic Studies Journal, 11(1), 88-117. Derogatis, L. R. (1983). SCL-90-R. Administration, Scoring and Procedures Manual II for the Revised Version of the SCL-90. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. González de Rivera, J. L. y cols. (2002). SCL-90-R. Cuestionario de 90 síntomas. Manual. Publicaciones de Psicología Aplicada. TEA Ediciones. Madrid. Lewis, J.R. (1986). Reconstructing the cult experience: Post-involvement attitudes as a function of mode of exit and post-involvement socialization. Sociological Analysis, 46, 151-159. Lewis, J.R. & Bromley, D. (1987). The cult withdrawal syndrome: A case of misattribution of cause? Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 26, 508-522. Martin, P.R., Langone, M.D., Dole, A.A., & Wiltrout, J. (1992). Post-cult symptoms as measured by the MCMI before and after residential treatment. Cultic Studies Journal, 9(2), 219-250. Shupe, A.D. & Bromley, D.G. (1980). The New Vigilantes. Deprogrammers, Anticultists and the New Religions. Beverly Hills: Sage. Solomon, T. (1981). Integrating the 'Moonie' experience: A survey of ex-members of the Unification Church. In T. Robbins & D. Anthony (Eds.), In gods we trust. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
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Last revised: July 09, 2005