Table of Contents

Preface. Overview on the Issues. Psychotherapy of cult members. Civil liberties, cults, and new religious movements: the psychiatrist's role. Perspectives on Cults and New Religious Movements. Cults and new religious movements. New religious movements in historical perspective. Contemporary youth: their psychological needs and beliefs. Life in the cults. Families of cult members: consultation and treatment. Psychotherapeutic implications of new religious affiliation. Psychological perspectives on cult leadership. Persuasive techniques in contemporary cults: a public health approach. Religious cult membership: a sociobiologic model. The psychology of induction: a review and interpretation. Deprogramming (involuntary departure), coercion, and cults. The civil liberties of religious minorities. Options for legal intervention. Public reaction against new religious movements. Index.

About the Author

Marc Galanter, M.D., is Director of the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and Professor of Psychiatry at New York University Medical Center in New York, New York.

Reviews

I greatly appreciated this book, primarily because of the diverse perspectives and multidisciplinary approach. I recommend this book to all mental health professionals and individuals from other disciplines interested in new religious movements.--American Journal of Psychiatry