Some individuals who join cults remain lifelong members.
Others break free and share how it felt to be brainwashed by a charismatic leader.
But there are also some individuals who leave a cult and report that their experience was positive.
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Studying cults is difficult for a few different reasons.
Its 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.
Not all cults have to be high profile groups that make headlines.
Even researchers sometimes cant agree on what constitutes a cult.
Most people can agree that cults have a leader.
Researchers have found that there are several reasons why individuals may join.
Their insecurities may drive them toward a group that promises acceptance.
Once they join a group, theyre usually distanced from outside influences.
After people are 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.
This is why some people suspect that cult members are brainwashed.
Getting out of a cult can be quite difficult.
Others don’t have financial resources to find a new place to go.
Famous Examples of Cults
Why people become cult leaders is also not well understood.
Some experts suggest that most cult leaders tend to bepsychopaths.
There have been many cults that have made the newsquite often for their tragic endings.
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 Peoples 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.
The group shot and killed the official.
Jones then instructed his followers to drink Flavor Aid laced with cyanide.
Over 900 people died, including Joneswho was found with a bullet wound to the head.
Heavens 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.
This was one of the largest mass suicides in United States history.
He and more than 100 people moved to a compound outside of Waco, Texas.
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.
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