In my estimation, cults are everywhere — in far more common and insidious ways than you might at first think. When using the term loosely, you can apply it to almost any group, movement, or mindset. Of course, the more intense and damaging version is what cult and cult leader usually refers to, and we’ll get into that. But in a broad sense, I believe our society in the United States (and elsewhere) is extremely cultish right now in terms of herd mentality, groupthink, and division.
Take a moment and consider how cultish people, groups, or mindsets may have affected you. A valuable question to ask yourself is: what might I be believing or buying into due to a leader or figurehead, or because of people in my life or people I identify with or admire? The alternative is an authentic opinion or viewpoint, based on personal experience, research, and/or education.
Cult leaders, and some other types of leaders, tend to share certain traits and behaviors. They enable them to manipulate and control a person, audience, or followers. Let’s get into the psychology of cult leaders so you can spot it for yourself or friends and family, and more effectively escape or detach if necessary. This is very important for your mental health.
Understanding the mind of a cult leader will allow you to have a more realistic perspective. The goal is to help you snap back to logic, reality, or thinking for yourself. Critical thinking and examining your assumptions will serve you in every area of life, forever. This skill is more important now than ever in the age of endless agendas, hidden interests, and awakening.
We will go over what cult leaders tend to do, why they do it, if they believe their own ideologies, and how they manipulate. Buckle up!
In a word: manipulate. One definition of manipulation is influencing in a dishonest, devious, or skillful way. The main tenets of this manipulation are isolation, pressure to believe an ideology or conform to certain behavior, and dependency (see more on each of these in the sections below).
Famous and extreme examples include Jim Jones and his People Temple that ended in mass suicide of cult members and the Manson Family cult led by Charles Manson.
Cult leaders manipulate due to their (conscious or unconscious) need for control. There is also often a bit of hubris, revenge, resentment, or trauma thrown in there.
For someone to be a cult leader, they have to think pretty highly of themself. Ironically, this often stems from early trauma (see below) and becomes an overcompensation technique or defense mechanism. Many psychopaths, who feel no empathy or remorse, are victims of massive or repetitive trauma. That’s what formed their psychological makeup and overly inflated ego.
Cult leaders may be motivated by exacting revenge on someone, a group, or life itself. They may have a festering resentment that propels them to act a certain way and subsequently gain attention, followers, and power. If they are Machiavellian or sadistic as well, they might enjoy harming others or being cruel. They may derive satisfaction from making someone or a group pay for their actions (or lack thereof).
As I’ve already touched on, cult leaders and abusers are themselves usually trauma survivors. They did not heal, or could not. This is one of the most devastating aspects of cult leader psychology, and the psychology of toxic people in general. As a side note, we all have some slightly “toxic” behaviors or aspects of ourselves. But we are referring here to people where that energy has taken over their personality and relationships.
The psyche, brain, and body can only take so much adversity. Early abuse or horrific circumstances of any kind (especially when repetitive) may fracture the person psychologically. This can lead to them repeating the abuse cycle. One manifestation of that is a cult leader or high level abuser.
It depends. Some are completely brainwashed themselves, or literally just believe whatever they decide to tell their followers. It’s similar to the concept of aware or unaware narcissists.
Unaware refers to unconsciously being narcissistic or abusive, or doing certain behaviors without realizing they are doing it or why. This phenomenon is unfortunately extremely common. In the narcissist example, they are usually very wounded themselves and developed this coping mechanism in childhood or early life. Defense mechanisms and these types of unconscious patterns are self-preservation, but that doesn’t make them any less toxic or damaging. Aware narcissists or abusers DO know they are doing it.
Some cult leaders are purposely and knowingly deceiving people in order to get or maintain power, control, money, or attention. Others fully believe what they are selling. Both are sinister.
Here are a few of the common traits of cult leaders.
Cult leaders tend to have a lot of charisma and charm. They pull people in with a magnetic personality, good looks, intellect, love bombing, or all of the above.
Their high levels of self-belief, arrogance, and ego allow cult leaders to direct and control others without compunction.
To define a cult or unhealthy group, deception, lying, or false promises must be included.
The way that cult leaders and other abusers manipulate can be broken into these categories.
All kinds of people are vulnerable to cults. Even strong, relatively “healed” or unwounded people can fall prey to cult tactics. But vulnerability goes up in certain situations and with certain people. Codependent tendencies is one example. Being codependent means deferring to others’ needs or wants over your own, people pleasing, or caretaking in unhealthy ways.
Trauma survivors or people with false beliefs around not being good enough, for example (usually unconscious), are also extra vulnerable to manipulation. They want healing, comfort, and guidance, and if they have not gotten that in healthy ways or with healthy people (sometimes even if they have), cult leaders have an upper hand. They may be told: this group or these belief systems will fix everything for you.
Related to the above point, people who are manipulated by cult leaders are usually seeking belonging and support. Maybe they have not found it elsewhere – or they have, but it was taken away or unhealthy. In fact, past unhealthy patterns make people more susceptible to cults because the vibe is more “familiar” (again, this is often unconscious). People with healthier backgrounds or stable self-esteem may notice more quickly that something feels off or false. Wounded people may believe that this is their only option for community, especially if the leader says they will be together forever, have some sort of mission, or their souls will be saved through the cult (such as in a religious group).
Sad to say, sometimes abusers like cult leaders have a way of sniffing out sensitive people and those who have suffered a lot. Their high levels of empathy, compassion, or desire to make others happy puts them in danger. They may also have damaged self-worth and negative expectations or trust issues. They are more likely to buy what is being sold or believe lies and ideologies fed to them. Cult leaders tend to be very charismatic and appealing in an outer way, which adds to the allure.
Well done on reading this blog all the way through. You are armed and ready to spot culty behavior and dynamics. Or maybe you have already lived through a cult experience and are on the other side trying to pick up the pieces. Healing is possible, and you are more than halfway there by educating yourself about how cult leaders operate. Don’t hesitate to seek out professional help as well, or feel free to email me at erin@centeredone.com. One specialty of mine that I have first-hand experience with is leaving the cult of new age spirituality. Best wishes on your journey!
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