Just found out the average cult member stays for 7 years before leaving

I was reading through a study from the International Cultic Studies Association and the number 7 years stuck with me. That is a long time to be under someone's control and I think most people assume it would be just a few months. Has anyone else seen stats on how long it takes people to get out?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella226d ago

Seven years just to realize the guy in the robe is a scammer, that's some serious commitment to avoiding self-reflection lol. I guess the sunk cost fallacy is real when you've already sold all your furniture and given them your life savings. By year five you're probably just too embarrassed to admit you fell for the "we're a totally normal group, just very intense about vegetable juice" pitch. At least most people eventually figure it out, even if it takes long enough to earn a degree and a half.

emma_baker616d ago

Push back on the 7 year average, honestly. @kai_burns73 makes a good point about sunk cost but I think that gets overstated in these studies. My cousin was in a group for 2 years and she was out the second she realized they wanted her to cut off her family. Another friend from college joined a meditation cult and bounced after 11 months when the leader started demanding everyone work 80 hour weeks. A lot of people leave way faster than that 7 year number suggests. The studies tend to only count people who joined during big recruitment pushes, not the folks who try it for a few months and walk away. That 7 year stat might just be the hardcore followers who were always going to stay.

kai_burns736d ago

Seven years tracks with what I've read about the "sunk cost" effect in high control groups. People invest so much time and energy that leaving feels like admitting failure for way too long. Makes sense it takes most folks multiple tries to actually walk away for good.