Psychology Revision with PsychApply
Sep 26, 2026 · 5 min · 4 segments
Could ordinary people really be persuaded to join a cult? In this episode of Psychology Revision with PsychApply, we explore the psychology behind cult recruitment, obedience, conformity, social…
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One of the least useful things you could say about somebody who joins a cult is that I would never be that stupid.
Because people recruited into high control groups are not a special series of gullible human.
Very often, the interesting question is not what's wrong with them, it's what's happening around them.
The word cult is used very loosely, so psychologists often prefer to talk about high control or coercive groups and the processes that can be operating inside them.
There is no simple psychology recipe that explains every group, but several ordinary human processes explain can combine in extraordinary ways.
Start with belonging.
Humans are social.
A group that offers instant friendship, certainty, purpose and identity can be powerfully attractive, especially during periods of transition, loneliness or uncertainty.
Then add gradual commitment.
People usually don't walk through a door marked, give up your money, independence and family.
Commitment can escalate in small steps, a meeting, a retreat, a donation, more time, more responsibility, and each step can make the next feel less dramatic.
So now, if we bring in what we've already covered in the last episode, conformity matters because the group can redefine what feels normal.
If everyone around you repeats the same belief, dresses similarly, uses the same language and reacts in the same way, the social world starts to reinforce itself.
Obedience can matter where a leader is treated as uniquely legitimate or morally superior.
Information control can matter too.
If criticism is labelled dangerous, outsiders are described as hostile and alternative information is discouraged.
The person has fewer opportunities to reality check the group.
And cognitive dissonance can become relevant.
If you have sacrificed relationships, money or years of your life for a group, admitting this may be wrong is psychologically expensive.
Sometimes people reduce that discomfort by defending the commitment even more strongly.
The important thing is not to turn this into a cartoon theory of brainwashing.
Researchers disagree about how useful that term is because it can imply a magical process that erases free will.
Real influence is usually more complicated.
Social pressure, identity, dependency, persuasion, fear, commitment and restricted information can work together.
And the same psychological mechanisms exist outside cults.
One of the least useful things you could say about somebody who joins a cult is that I would never be that stupid.
Because people recruited into high control groups are not a special series of gullible human.
Very often, the interesting question is not what's wrong with them, it's what's happening around them.
The word cult is used very loosely, so psychologists often prefer to talk about high control or coercive groups and the processes that can be operating inside them.
There is no simple psychology recipe that explains every group, but several ordinary human processes explain can combine in extraordinary ways.
Start with belonging.
Humans are social.
A group that offers instant friendship, certainty, purpose and identity can be powerfully attractive, especially during periods of transition, loneliness or uncertainty.
Then add gradual commitment.
People usually don't walk through a door marked, give up your money, independence and family.
Commitment can escalate in small steps, a meeting, a retreat, a donation, more time, more responsibility, and each step can make the next feel less dramatic.
So now, if we bring in what we've already covered in the last episode, conformity matters because the group can redefine what feels normal.
If everyone around you repeats the same belief, dresses similarly, uses the same language and reacts in the same way, the social world starts to reinforce itself.
Obedience can matter where a leader is treated as uniquely legitimate or morally superior.
Information control can matter too.
If criticism is labelled dangerous, outsiders are described as hostile and alternative information is discouraged.
The person has fewer opportunities to reality check the group.
And cognitive dissonance can become relevant.
If you have sacrificed relationships, money or years of your life for a group, admitting this may be wrong is psychologically expensive.
Sometimes people reduce that discomfort by defending the commitment even more strongly.
The important thing is not to turn this into a cartoon theory of brainwashing.
Researchers disagree about how useful that term is because it can imply a magical process that erases free will.
Real influence is usually more complicated.
Social pressure, identity, dependency, persuasion, fear, commitment and restricted information can work together.
And the same psychological mechanisms exist outside cults.
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