Unification Church ("Moonie") dropouts: psychological readjustment after leaving a charismatic religious group

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Of 66 persons who left the Unification Church (the Moonies), 23 (36%) reported that they had had serious emotional problems after leaving. After an average of 3.8 yr, the former members studied here had apparently achieved a stable adjustment. Most of them retained a notable fidelity toward the sect and its beliefs, but those who had been deprogrammed had more negative views and themselves had coerced other members to leave. The impact of group membership on individual development and departure in relation to the psychopathology, such as depression and paranoid ideation, that may emerge, were examined.