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The Impact of Cult Membership on Career Development and Employment

Leisure Whitlatch, Alissa A.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1242395946

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Counselor Education (Education).
Cults are widespread throughout the world and many have been shown to have negative effects on individuals who have been members of these types of groups. There is a lack of research completed addressing career development and employment in the recovery of cult survivors. Because of the limited amount of research concerning the impact of cult membership on career development, other populations who have experienced similar types of coercive relationships were examined including those involved in intimate partner abuse. The literature review indicated that victims of cult membership and survivors of domestic violence might experience some of the same issues that negatively impact their career development and employment. This study examined the following research question: Are the career development and employment of former cult members impacted by the length of time they participated in a cult, their level of education, their perceived need for vocational rehabilitation services and their mental health symptoms? A non-random sample of 56 former cult members who underwent treatment at the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center participated in the study. Data for this study were received from two sources: the Work and Cult Recovery Index, a non-standardized instrument developed for this study, and scores from the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) that were retrieved from the existing database at Wellspring. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the predictors. The results indicated a rejection of the null hypothesis indicating that as a set, the 4 independent variables were significantly related to the perceived impact that cult membership had on career development and employment. The perceived need for vocational rehabilitation services and the length of time spent in the cult demonstrated a significant relationship with the perceived impact of cult participation on career development and employment. These two variables were both negatively correlated with the dependent variable as was expected. As a result, those individuals who perceived a need for vocational rehabilitation services were more likely to perceive that cult participation negatively impacted their career development and employment. Similarly,individuals who spent more time in the cult were more likely to perceive that cult participation negatively impacted their career development and employment.
Jerry A. Olsheski, PhD (Committee Chair)
148 p.
Mental Health; Psychology; Rehabilitation; Social Work
cults; cult membership; thought reform; coercive relationships; brainwashing; employment; career development; vocational rehabilitation services

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Leisure Whitlatch, A. A. (2009). The Impact of Cult Membership on Career Development and Employment [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1242395946

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Leisure Whitlatch, Alissa. The Impact of Cult Membership on Career Development and Employment. 2009. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1242395946.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Leisure Whitlatch, Alissa. "The Impact of Cult Membership on Career Development and Employment." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1242395946

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1242395946
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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.