Dilemmas in the evaluation and management of religious cultists
- 1 July 1981
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Psychiatric Association Publishing in American Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 138 (7) , 925-929
- https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.138.7.925
Abstract
Religious cultism defies easy generalizations. Motivating forces behind cult membership range from brainwashing-like processes to fulfillment of severe predisposing psychopathological needs; they operate to varying degrees in different individuals. Thus, the formulation of a rational and consistent therapeutic strategy may be difficult, particularly for the clinician inexperienced in this area. Treatment may be further complicated by parental pressures to adopt a deprogramming therapy model, which risks the clinician's independence, objectivity, and effectiveness. Two contrasting case histories highlight these and other evaluation and treatment dilemmas.Keywords
This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: