Study Resources	cult general information
psychological manipulation, cult groups, sects, and new religious movements

Cultic Studies Cult general Cults Questions & Answers Michael D. Langone, Ph.D. Full Text File 85K

What Types of Cults Exist?

Many systems for classifying cults have been advanced. A straightforward breakdown has been suggested by Dr. Margaret Singer, who observes the following types of cults:

• eastern religious
• Christian abberational
• Satanic
• occult/witchcraft/voodoo
• spiritualist
• racist
• Zen and Sino/Japanese philosophical-mystical
• flying saucer and outer space
• psychotherapy
• mass therapy or transformational training
• political
• new age
• commercial
• communal/self-help

How Many Cults Exist and How Many Members Have They?

Cult educational organizations have compiled lists of more than 2,000 groups about which they have received inquiries. The frequency with which previously unheard-of groups may be new religious, political, psychotherapeutic, or other kinds of movements. Experience suggests, however, that a significant number, perhaps more than 1,000, are cults. Although the majority are small, some cults have tens of thousands of members.

Several research studies lend support to informal estimates that five to ten million Americans have been at least transiently involved with cultic groups. A study which randomly surveyed 1,000 San Francisco Bay Area high school students found that 3% of students reported that they were members of a cult group, while 54% reported at least one contact with a cult recruiter. Another study, which analyzed survey data from Montreal and San Francisco, found that approximately 20% of the adult population had participated in "new religious and para-religious movements," although more than 70% of the involvements were transient. Other data in this study suggest that approximately two to five percent of the subjects had participated in "new religious and para-religious" groups that are commonly considered cults.

Are Cults Limited to the United States?

Absolutely not. Grassroots cult educational organizations exist in more than 15 countries. Government-supported inquiries into cult activities have occurred in at least five countries. International Congresses on cultism have been held in Germany, Spain, and France. And in 1984 the European Parliament passed the "Cottrell Resolution," which called member states to pool their information about the "new organizations" as a prelude to developing "ways of ensuring the effective protection of Community citizens."