Phenomena associated with contemporary charismatic religious sects raise
questions about the combined impact of group influence and intensely held
beliefs on group members' psychological functioning. The author considers
the stages of membership in these sects, with emphasis on psychiatric
aspects of conversion, long-term membership, and leaving. He discusses
options for psychiatric intervention, including psychotherapy,
conservatorships, and deprogramming. Systems theory is used to provide a
psychological model for the relationship between group influence in these
sects and current conceptions of individual psychopathology and normal
adaptation.
Abstract Teaser