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Cult membership as a source of self-cohesion: forensic implications
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, KY 40292, USA.
The Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
|January 1, 1995
Summary
This study explores why individuals join cults, proposing that cults help restore self-cohesion for those with narcissistic vulnerabilities. It applies psychoanalytic self psychology to understand cult membership dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychoanalysis
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Interest in cults and member psychopathology is longstanding.
- Previous studies lack consensus on the psychological profiles of cult members.
- No clear theoretical framework exists to explain cultic involvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on cults and member psychopathology.
- To propose a self psychology framework for understanding cult membership.
- To explore forensic applications of this psychoanalytic model.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on cults and personality types.
- Application of Heinz Kohut's self psychology principles.
- Analysis of cult functions in relation to self-cohesion and narcissistic vulnerability.
Main Results:
- Cult membership can serve to restore self-cohesion for vulnerable individuals.
- Self psychology offers a cohesive theoretical framework for cultic involvement.
- Narcissistic pathology is implied in many cult members.
Conclusions:
- Psychoanalytic self psychology provides a valuable lens for understanding cult dynamics.
- Cults may function as a means to repair deficits in self-cohesion.
- The framework has implications for forensic psychology and understanding vulnerable populations.