The Influence of Cultic or High-Control Group Involvement on Adult Attachment and Identity
The Influence of Cultic or High-Control Group Involvement on Adult Attachment and Identity
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Issue Date
2025-11-10
Authors
Boyd, Stephen
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Abstract
This project examines how cultic and high-control religious environments impact the attachment systems of their members using attachment theory, constructivist, and trauma-informed frameworks. The literature identifies the themes of attachment disruption, identity fragmentation, relational dysregulation, sexual exploitation, and spiritual injury, highlighting survivors' experiences with shame, intimacy difficulties, mistrust, and struggles with meaning-making from their experience in coercive environments. Empathy, validation, autonomy, and empowerment within therapeutic relationships, along with community-based support and education, are important aspects of survivors' repair and healing processes. Future research on cults should prioritize definitional clarity, the development of standardized methodologies, the exploration of the impact of cults on individuals across diverse contexts, and the identification of evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
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Keywords
cults , high-control religious environments , new religious movements , religious & spiritual abuse , attachement injury