Joining a cult is much easier than you think. That’s what makes them dangerous and scary. Victims don’t know it. Until they have already joined.
Here’s why it’s often so easy (for awareness, not instruction)
It happens in the strangest places: Most people don’t “join a cult” on purpose.
- A support group
- A church
- A self-help seminar
- A spiritual workshop
- A friend’s invite
At first it feels like:
- Instant belonging
- Constant praise (“You’re special,” “You’re chosen”)
- A clear identity
- A sense of purpose
STOP. You see that right there. That is the KICKER. PURPOSE.
We are a flawed creation. Born to follow. Do you know how they give you purpose?
Here are the warning signs:
- Gradually separating you from friends/family
Example: Friends are the family you choose. This is a powerful statement, and for the most part, it’s true. But I once had a “friend” who claimed to be a grandparent to my kids, a father figure, and he was basically trying to control every aspect of my life. It got to the point where he would feel jealous of my actual dad.
2. Framing outsiders as “lost,” “evil,” or “unenlightened”
Everyone outside of the friendship was exactly that. Weirdos, “not like us”, “I can’t be myself outside of this group.”
3. Using sleep deprivation or long rituals
4. Making you confess secrets that can later be used to control you
5. Claiming the leader has exclusive truth or divine authority
Okay… 3-5 did not happen to me. But be careful. Don’t miss the warning signs.
Bottom line. I had a small experience with this. Even though I’ve studied Sociology and still didn’t see the warning signs.
Don’t let your friends turn your friendship into a cult. It doesn’t matter how many are in the group. It could be a group of three or a group of 100. Be careful.
Why Smart People Join
People don’t join because they’re weak. It often happens when someone is:
- Lonely
- Grieving
- Feeling directionless
- Looking for purpose or healing
Cults target emotional vulnerability, not intelligence.
Nobody wakes up and thinks: “Today feels like a good day to join a cult.” It never starts that way.
It starts with:
- Kindness.
- A warm voice. A hand on your shoulder. Someone who listens when no one else does.
- They don’t call it a cult. They call it a community. A group.
- First, they only want your time.
- An hour-long meeting.
- A weekend retreat.
- A group dinner where everyone laughs a little too loud and smiles a little too wide.
- They tell you: You belong here. You were always meant to find us.
And you believe them — because it feels good to be seen. It feels good to be part of a special group.
- Slowly, the world outside grows colder.
- Your friends “don’t understand.”
- Your family is “asleep.”
- The news is “lies.”
- Only they are awake.
- Only they “get you”
By the time the rules appear, you’re already inside the circle. Think of Meet the Parents, “The Circle of Trust.”
Sociology Behind Cults: (Why They Work on the Human Brain)
Cults don’t start with violence. They start with belonging.
From a sociological perspective, cults are dangerous because they hit you where it matters the most.
1. The Need to Belong
Humans are social creatures. We fear isolation more than danger.
Cults create a powerful “us vs. them” mindset.
The group becomes your new family, and outsiders become a threat. This creates emotional dependence on the group for identity and safety.
2. Identity Replacement
Sociologists call this identity stripping. Old beliefs, hobbies, names, even clothes are gradually replaced. You don’t just join the group — you become it. Your old self becomes something to be ashamed of.
3. Charismatic Authority:Ever hear of cult of personality? Flip it. Personality cult. Power based not on law, but personality.
Cult leaders often:
- Speak with certainty.
- Claim special knowledge
- Position themselves as chosen, enlightened
People don’t follow logic — they follow confidence.
4. Social Isolation as Control:Cults separate members physically or psychologically from outsiders.
This creates: Fear of the outside world and dependence on the group for truth
Once isolation is complete, control becomes invisible because it feels normal.
5. Cognitive Dissonance Trap: The more you sacrifice, the harder it is to leave.
Sociologists call this the sunk cost fallacy. Your brain hates admitting wasted time, money, or belief. So, it doubles instead. You don’t stay because you’re convinced. You stay because leaving would shatter your identity.
It’s like forgetting your jacket on a cold day, sitting on a bench, and telling yourself, “It’s not that cold, I prefer the cool weather.”
Scary Experiment. The Stanford Experiment.
A real experiment that showed how easily humans follow, confirm, and obey. The Results will shock you.
In 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo created a fake prison at Stanford University.
Normal college students were randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners. Sounds simple enough. But within days:
The “Guards” became abusive. “Prisoners” became submissive – can you believe it? The students playing prisoners didn’t know how to fight back, speak up, walk out. They were more worried about “finishing” the experiment. Or proving how sadistic the guards had become by … suffering?
People lost their real identities in a whopping six days. In less than one week. The experiment had to be shut down early. It proved something terrifying:
Give humans a role, a uniform, and authority — and identity can dissolve.
This experiment is real-life horror.
Think about it, what would you do if you were in charge of someone in a cell? It didn’t matter what you did to that person. They were forced to follow your rule. Or, else. Humans are the scariest monsters. The first monsters.
In the Stanford Prison Experiment, ordinary people became cruel in days. Not because they were born that way, but because the situation swallowed them.
Watch The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) – Free Movies | Tubi
How to Protect Yourself
Warning signs
- Discourages outside relationships
- Claims exclusive truth
- Pressures secrecy
- Using shame instead of discussion
- Treats doubt like betrayal
That’s not a community. That’s a warning sign.
Get away from them! And don’t waste any more of your precious time.
Is there a particular cult that made your skin crawl? Leave your comments below.
For me: Jonestown
Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown | Official Trailer | Hulu – YouTube
What happened at the Jonestown massacre? – YouTube
Warning. These are warning-focused, ethical to write about, and educational.
This is not framed to “recruit people.”
E.G. Anderson Fear Journal 
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