Leaving NRMs
Leaving NRMs: Social Science Perspectives
Soc 257:
New Religious Movements
Primary source for lecture:
Wright, Sturart A. and
Helen Rose Ebaugh, "Leaving New Religions," in Handbook
on Cults and Sects in America, D. Bromley and J. Hadden
(eds) 1993.
Lecture Outline:
- Introduction
- Conceptualizing Defection
- Methodological Issues
- Theoretical Issues
Part I
Introduction
Introduction
- As we saw last time, a significant body of scholarly literatrue
has emerged on the subject of joining or conversion to NRMs.
While it was obvious during the 1960s that people were leaving
NRMs as well as joining, relatively little attention was paid
to the latter.
In retrospect, this seems ironic because the anti-cultists were
arguing that it was virtually impossible to leave "cults"
without the benefit of outside help.
- Two scholars who did pioneering work on leaving religioius
groups were:
- Helen Rose Ebaugh and
- Stuart Wright
Helen Rose Ebaugh
Stuart A. Wright
Handbook of Cults and Sects in America
David Bromley
Jeffrey K. Hadden (eds)
Part II
Conceptualizing Defection
Conceptualizing Defection
- Disaffection
- Disillusionment
- Disaffiliation
Disaffection = Affective
- Emotional withdrawal
- Deterioration of bonds
Disillusionment = Cognitive
- Disbelief, doubt
- Removal of moral authority of
leaders
Disaffiliation - Social Organization
- Severance of ties of membership
Part III
Methodological Issues
Methodological Issues
- Retrospective Reporting
- Social and Organizational Factors in
Reconstruction
Retrospective Reporting
- Biography is constantly being reconstructed.
- Retrospective accounts may tell us more about
how the individual now interprets involvement than what actually
happened.
Persons who left involuntarily are especially likely to
view the experience negatively in conformity to the view of parents
who had them removed.
Social and Organizational Factors in
Reconstruction
Refers both to social and organizational factors in the group
left behind as well as social and organizatoinal affiliations
after leaving.
- Deparating nuns:
- Church is not responsive to demands of change
- Retrospective view after participation in support
groups:
Temporal Variability
The passing of time offers perspecive that may significantly
alter the way one feels about the group.
It may also alter one's perceptions about how one felt at
the time of departure.
- Transistion to successful new roles is likely
to soften negative feelings one may have had at the time.
Persons who don't seem to be able to get on with their lives are
more likely to harbor resentment for the experience and blame
the group for their current situation.
Proposition time:
The more successful the transition to other roles, the more likely
one's experience in the "cult" will diminish in signifiance
for the individual.
The more successful the transition to other roles, the less likely
the individual will interpret their experience in the NRM in negative
terms.
Summary methodological
observation:
- Three major issues impact the validity
of the accounts people offer of their experience in an NRM:
- Retrospective reporting
- Social and organizational factors influencing
reconstruction.
- Temporal variability of accounts.
- Therefore, accounts
of leaving need to be treated as data for analysis and not just
assumed that the information is objective.
Part IV
Theoretical Issues
Theoretical Perspectives
- Role Theory
- Causal Process Models
- Social Movement Theory
- Psychosocial Disruption
A. Role Theory
- Defection as Role Exiting
- Incorporating an Ex-status
- Disengaging from a formally meaningful role
- Reestablishing identity in a new role
- Role Residual
- "hangover identity"
- "guilt" for having abandoned a commitment
- Societal Reactions
- Shifting Friendship Networks
B. Causal Process Models
Defection as Sequential Disengagement
- Crisis
- Review and Reflection
- Disaffection
- Withdrawal
- Cognitive transformation
- Cognitive reorganization
Crisis factors that could precipitate
disaffection:
- Breakdown of insulation from outside world
- Development of unofficial and unregulated dyadic
relationship
- Perceived lack of success in achieving world
transforming activities
- Inconsistencies between actions of leaders and
the ideals they symbolically represent
Crisis factors that could precipitate
disaffection (con't):
- Affective pull of friends, family
- Desire to return to school
- Discovery of an alternative belief system
Review:
Defection as Sequential Disengagement
- Crisis
- Review and Reflection
- Disaffection
- Withdrawal
- Cognitive transformation
- Cognitive reorganization
C. Social Movement Theory
- People attracted by the group's promise of
world transformation.
- As group progresses, its world transformation
goals are restructured or abandoned.
- Individual members my become disillusioned or
disaffected because:
- They come to doubt the world transforming ideals
- New goals of group different from those that
initially attracted the individual
- The group abandons initial world transforming
goals
D. Psychosocial Disruption
Explusion
- Insubordination, challengers to authority
- Rule violations
- Individual a burden or embarrassment to the group
- incapacity to care for self
- nerd
Extraction
- Involuntarily removed
- Voluntarily removed
What do we know about people who leave?
- Brainwashing model:
- Leaving without help is extremely difficult
- This thesis is contradicted by lots of empirical
evidence.
- the overwhelming propotion of people who get
involved in NRMs do leave--most short of two years.
- the overwhelming proportion of people leave of
their own volition.
- Wright's study found that two-thirds [67%] felt
"wiser for the experience."
How one leaves makes a big difference
in how the adjustment period goes
James Lewis studied 154 persons who left NRMs.
They left by different paths:
- Involuntary exit counseling
- Voluntary exit counseling
- Own volition without counseling
They experienced dramatically different mental health symptoms
Homework
Assignment
Which group experienced the greatest
stress symptoms?
- Involuntary exit counseling
- Voluntary exit counseling
- Own volition without counseling
Next topic:
Deprogramming