Key Takeaways
- Cults demand intense loyalty to a strict belief system or charismatic leader.
- People may join cults because they desire a sense of belonging, guidance, or purpose, even though there are high personal costs.
- Recognizing the signs of a cult and knowing where to get help can protect you or the people you care about.
A cult is a group that centers around a shared devotion to a person, belief, or ideology. These groups often require intense devotion and loyalty and use manipulation and control to enforce and maintain power. Recognizing the signs that make something a cult can help people better recognize when a group crosses the line.
Understanding What Makes Something a Cult
While cults are widely recognized, there isn’t a clear consensus on an exact definition of what constitutes a cult. Many definitions suggest that a cult is an organized group whose purpose is to dominate cult members through psychological manipulation and pressure strategies. Cults are usually headed by a powerful leader who isolates members from the rest of society.
Experts suggest that this coercive control distinguishes these groups, not their connection to specific faiths, religions, or belief systems.
Such groups demand excessive devotion from members. They utilize unethical and manipulative techniques to persuade and control members. Their primary goal is to advance the group leader’s agenda, even though such goals may harm individuals, families, and communities.
Some individuals who join cults remain lifelong members. Others break free and share how it felt to be brainwashed by a charismatic leader. However, some individuals leave a cult and report that their experience was positive.
Cult Warning Signs to Watch For
Sometimes individuals disagree about whether a group, such as a certain religious group, is actually a cult. Even researchers sometimes can’t agree on what constitutes a cult.
Most people can agree that cults have a leader. And the leader (or group of people who serve as leaders) is responsible for the rules that guide the members.
According to the Cult Education Institute, there are specific warning signs to look out for when considering whether a group might be a cult. Cults are characterized by:
- Absolute authoritarianism without accountability
- Zero tolerance for criticism or questions
- Lack of meaningful financial disclosure regarding the budget
- Unreasonable fears about the outside world that often involve evil conspiracies and persecutions
- A belief that former followers are always wrong for leaving and there is never a legitimate reason for anyone else to leave
- Abuse of members
- Records, books, articles, or programs documenting the abuses of the leader or group
- Followers feeling that they are never able to be “good enough”
- A belief that the leader is right at all times
- A belief that the leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or giving validation
Cults are dangerous because they typically rely on deceptive and authoritarian practices to make members dependent on and obedient to the group. Cults often cut members off from other forms of social and financial support and pose both physical and psychological risks to members of the group.
Why People End Up Joining Cults
To those on the outside, it can be difficult to understand why anyone would join a cult. However, researchers have found several reasons why individuals may join.
- They don’t know they’re joining a cult: Most individuals don’t recognize that the group they’re joining is considered a cult. Individuals who are attracted to groups that are considered cults may have certain vulnerabilities that make them more likely to join, such as anxiety or substance abuse problems.
- They have unresolved insecurities: Another study found that many cult members experience attachment insecurity prior to joining a cult. Their insecurities may drive them toward a group that promises acceptance.
- They become isolated: Once people join a group, they’re usually distanced from outside influences. After being separated from the outside world, leaving the group becomes difficult. They often grow dependent on being in the group and develop suspicions of anyone outside the group.
- They believe they are persecuted: This is why some people suspect that cult members are “brainwashed.” And there is some science behind this idea, as members are often told they’re being persecuted by people outside the group.
- They are manipulated into joining: The other major theory about why individuals remain in cults is mostly sociological. Cult leaders often promise to reward members in some way. They may tell them they’ll move up the ranks within the cult or convince them that something really good is going to happen to their special group.
- They are subjected to psychological abuse: Some people believe those involved are more like “victims” rather than “members,” since they are often subjected to psychological manipulation tactics that lure them into making unhealthy decisions—including suicide in some cases.
- Leaving isn’t easy: Getting out of a cult can be quite difficult. Some members don’t have contact with the outside world, so it can be nearly impossible to get help. Others don’t have the financial resources to find a new place to go.
Why It’s Hard to Study Cults
Studying cults is difficult for a few different reasons. It’s nearly impossible to study active cult members due to their unwillingness to let others into their closed societies. Quite often, they are suspicious of outsiders.
Consequently, cults are usually examined from the perspective of former members. But sometimes, individuals are reluctant to talk about their experiences as cult members. For these reasons and others, it can even be tricky to agree on a solid definition of a cult, especially given many of the stereotypes presented in film, TV, and other media. Not all cults have to be high-profile groups that make headlines.
Examples of Well-Known Cults
Why people become cult leaders is also not well understood. Some experts suggest that most cult leaders tend to be psychopaths. They are often charismatic and use psychological tactics to gain power, social control, and allegiance from their followers.
There have been many cults that have made the news, quite often for their tragic endings.
Charles Manson
In the 1960s, Charles Manson assembled a group of young people and referred to them as his family. Manson expressed his ideas about an imminent race war, and he told his followers he wanted them to go on a killing spree.
One night in 1969, several followers murdered five people, including actress Sharon Tate. Manson was later convicted of first-degree murder.
Jim Jones
Jim Jones founded The People’s Temple in Indianapolis in 1955. He moved his followers to Eureka, California out of fear that a nuclear attack might strike Indiana. He later moved his followers to Guyana, to an area which became known as Jonestown.
An official went to investigate the group in 1978 after the government grew concerned that some members were being abused.
The group shot and killed the official. Jones then instructed his followers to drink Flavor Aid laced with cyanide. Over 900 people died, including Jones, who was found with a bullet wound to the head.
Heaven’s Gate
Heaven’s Gate was a group that started in the 1970s. It was known as a “UFO religious” cult. The tightly knit group required members to give up almost all of their possessions.
In March of 1997, 39 members put on matching dark clothes, ingested barbiturates, and placed plastic bags over their heads and killed themselves. This was one of the largest mass suicides in United States’ history.
David Koresh
David Koresh thought he could have conversations with God and he convinced his followers the world was ending. He and more than 100 people moved to a compound outside of Waco, Texas.
The FBI tried to arrest Koresh in 1993 because of violations of the law, such as advocating for underage girls to marry adult men. This led to a 51-day standoff. Ultimately, 75 people from the group died. Like Jim Jones, Koresh was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
How to Get Help Leaving a Cult
If you grew up in a cult or you recently got out of one, you may want to talk to a mental health professional about the complex feelings you may have. Whether you were exposed to traumatic events or you are confused about your identity, there are many reasons why talking to someone might help you.
Research suggests that leaving a cult can be difficult, leading to complex feelings. In one study, former cult members described experiencing a sense of chaos and confusion upon leaving. While in the cult, they reported feeling disconnected from themselves. Afterward, they had to try to reconnect with their feelings and values. Forming new bonds with friends and family outside the cult was an important part of this process, although this, too, could be challenging.
The good news is that former cult members report eventually seeing the world in a brighter and more hopeful way.
It can be scary if you think a friend or family member may be involved with a cult. Reach out for professional help to get some guidance on what you can do or how you can cope with your emotions. It’s going to take time, understanding, and a lot of patience to help extricate your loved one if they are in a dangerous situation.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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