Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel of daar 'n behoefte aan spesifieke terapeutiese
riglyne vir oudlede van destruktiewe kultes bestaan. Die studie is daarop gemik om aanvullend
tot die bestaande inligting rakende terapie te werk te gaan.
Die uitgangspunt van hierdie studie is dat die invloed wat psigiese beheer (mind control) op
'n persoon kan he, tydens terapie in aanmerking geneem behoort te word. Gedurende
literatuurstudie en persoonlike kontak met oud-kultelede is bevind dat individue selfs jare na die
beeindiging van lidmaatskap onder die gevolge van psigiese beheer ly. Dit wil voorkom asof die
probleme nie opklaar voordat insig ontwikkel is in die wyse waarop misleiding en beheer
plaasgevind het nie. Dit sou vir 'n terapeut dus nodig wees om die verbande wat daar tussen
sielkundige probleme wat deur persone ervaar word en psigiese beheer bestaan, in te sien
voordat terapie suksesvol aangepak kan word.
Ter aanvang is die definisies en kenmerke van kultes bespreek. Die persoonlikheid, wyse van
gesagsuitoefening en relasies van die tipiese kulteleier is aan die orde gestel. Faktore wat
vatbaarheid vir werwing by kultes kan verhoog, is bespreek en onderskeid is getref tussen die
twee belangrikste beinvloedingstrategiee wat daar in kultes kan bestaan, te wete breinspoeling en
psigiese beheer. Die verloop van die proses van psigiese beheer is bespreek asook die nadele
wat lidmaatskap by kultes vir die individu kan inhou.
Die volgende sielkundige prosesse wat by psigiese beheer betrokke kan wees, is aan die orde
gestel, naamlik: houdings, oorreding, kognitiewe dissonansie en toestande van gewysigde
bewussyn waaronder dissasiasie, psigagene amnesie, depersanalisasie, derealisasie, hipnose
en suggestie.
Ten einde meer akkurate inligting van die tipiese aud-kultelid te bekam, is anderhaude met ses
aud-kultelede gevaer. Terwille van kwalitatiewe verdieping, is diepte-andersaeke op twee van
hierdie persane uitgevaer. Op grand van inligting wat uit die literatuurstudie en van die
praefpersone verkry is, is riglyne vir die antwerp van 'n terapeutiese program vir oud-kultelede
saamgestel.
The aim of this study is to ascertain whether a need exists for specific therapeutic guidelines for
ex-members of destructive cults. This study is intended to work complementary to existing
therapeutic techniques.
The point of departure of this study is that the influence that the process of mind control can
have on a person, should be taken into consideration in therapy. During the literature study
and personal contact with ex-cult members it was found that even years after they had left the
cult, individuals still suffered from the consequences of mind control. Apparently problems are
not solved before insight is gained into the way in which deception and control has taken place.
For a therapist it would thus be necessary to gain insight into the relationship that exists
between psychological problems that people experience and mind control before therapy can be
successfully undertaken.
Initially the definitions and characteristics of cults are discussed. The personality, methods of
exercising control and the relationships of the typical cult leader are discussed. Factors that
can make a person more vulnerable to recruitment are discussed and a distinction is made between
the two main influencing strategies in cults, namely brainwashing and mind control. The course of
the process of mind control is discussed, as well as the personal disadvantages of
membership to cults.
The following psychological processes which can be present in mind control, are discussed, namely:
attitudes, persuasion, cognitive dissonance and conditions of altered consciousness, i.e. dissociation, psychogenic amnesia, depersonalisation, derealisation, hypnosis
and
suggestion.
In order to obtain more accurate information about the typical ex-cult member, interviews were
conducted with a sample group of six persons. For the sake of qualitative deepening, in-depth
studies were conducted with two of these persons. On the basis of the information that was
obtained from the literature study and from the sample group, guidelines for the design of a
therapeutic program for ex-cultists are presented.
