Cultic Abuse
Environmental Control Cults control whom the individual is allowed to see and associate with.
Cults control reading matter, living arrangements, and lifestyle.
Economic Abuse Cults often expect a large proportion of an individual's income, including signing over assets, getting money from family, moneymaking activities.
Using Children Cults can emotionally, spiritually and physically abuse children. They can threaten to harm children to control the parents.
Coercion & Threats Cults regularly use fear, guilt, and other emotional manipulations to control members.
Minimizing/Blaming Cults make sure if something is wrong, it's the individual's fault; no critical thinking about the group is allowed.
Powerlessness/Helplessness Cults systematically create a sense of powerlessness through a system of rewards and punishments.
Attack on Self Cults destabilize the sense of self, reinterpret reality according to the group, and create a cult identity.
Performance Orientated "Happiness" and commitment are measured up or suffer the consequences.
Residual Effects One of the most common psychiatric disorders experienced by ex-cult members is PTSD (giambalvo 1993)
The above is compared to:
Domestic Violence
Environmental Control Perpetrators control who the woman sees, talks to, what she reads and where she goes; limits outside involvement.
Economic Abuse Perpetrators can prevent the woman from getting a job, make her ask for money, take her money, forbid access to family income.
Using Children Perpetrators can use the children to make the woman feel guilty, threaten harm to children, alienate children from Mother.
Coercion & Threats Perpetrators threaten to hurt and can use guilt and fear and other emotional manipulations to control the woman.
Minimizing/Blaming Perpetrators refuse to take responsibility for abusive behavior; they say it is the woman's fault or ignore or make light of abuse.
Powerlessness/Helplessness Perpetrators ensue that the woman is dependent on the male; a learned helplessness is established.
Attack on Self The result of DV can be a shattered self; a "hollow shell": "I no longer feel like a person."
Performance Orientated "As long as you do what you're told, it'll be ok". "I'll try not to upset him tonight."
Residual Effects Many battered women exhibit symptoms consistent with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Walker 1993).
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