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Identity Status of Jewish Youth Pre- and Post- Cult Involvement1 Identity Status of Jewish Youth Pre- and Post- Cult Involvement1" Idy B. Gitelson, Ph.D. and Edward J. Reed, Coordinator Interagency Project on Cults, Response Center, Chicago . it appears that cult members report having suffered moderate to severe psycho­ logical symptoms prior to their recruitment. Clinicians working with cult members report that the period of vulnerability is marked by both depression and a sense of being between affiliations. New religious groups, arising outside the die-class, idealistic, college-educated youth. traditions of mainstream American reli­ In conjunction with the authors' clinical gions, demonstrated a significant growth work with families of cult members and period during the past decade. Rudin1 former cult members themselves, a case points out that sociologists have docu­ study was designed to better understand mented the development of 1,300 new the notion of vulnerability to cult involve­ religious groups since 1965, which involve ment. The study particularly focused on thousands of young adults. The literature young adults from the Jewish community. frequently refers to a proportion of these As indicated in studies by Levine and groups as religious cults. For the purpose Galanter, et. al.,3 it appears that cult of this study the term cult refers to a group members report having suffered moderate characterized by an intense relationship to severe psychological symptoms prior to between a living, often messianic leader their recruitment. Clinicians working with and followers who totally restructure their cult members report that the period of lives around the leader's philosophical vulnerability is marked by the presence of claims. both depression and a sense of being The Jewish community in recent years between affiliations. This description of the has become increasingly concerned about period of vulnerability provided by Singer4 the numbers of Jewish youth involved in and other clinicians who have worked with religious cults. While precise numbers are ex-cult members is similar to observations not known, Davis2 estimates that 12 percent made about late adolescence in general. of the Unification Church's total member­ ship is Jewish. The Jewish community is also disproportionately represented in the 3 population from which many cult members M. Galanter, R. Rabkin, J. Rabkin and A. Deutsch, "The Moonies: A Psychological Study of are currently drawn: 18-25 years old, mid- Conversion and Membership in a Contemporary Religious Sect," American Journal of Psychiatry, * Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Con­ 136:2 (February 1979) and Saul V. Levine, "Youth ference of Jewish Communal Service, Denver, and Religious Cults: A Societal and Clinical Colorado, May 27, 1980. Dilemma," in Sherman C. Feinstein and Peter L. 1 Marcia R. Rudin, "The New Religious Cults and Giovacchini, (eds.), Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. VI. the Jewish Community," Religious Education, May- Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978, pp. June 1978, pp. 350-360. 75-89. 2 Maurice Davis, "Lure of the Cults," an address 4 Margaret T. Singer, "Coming Out of the Cults," given in Northfield, Illinois. February 26, 1979. Psychology Today. January 1979. pp. 72-82. 312 GITELSON/ REED According to Erikson5 and other develop­ distinguishable from identity diffusion mental psychologists, the tasks of late during which the crisis is vague or the adolescence involve establishing one's uncertainties are pervasive. Foreclosure is identity and forming intimate relationships used to describe the status in which an with others. The feelings of depression and individual has made an early commitment sense of being between affiliations which without experiencing any crisis. The individuals report experiencing prior to example often used of a foreclosed in­ recruitment may be reflective of the ways dividual is of the college student whose they were struggling with these life tasks. parents want him to go to medical school Erikson postulated that successful iden­ who follows through on their wishes without tity formation will be achieved only after internal struggle. an individual goes through a period of In order to gather data about the period crisis. He does not assume that the road to of vulnerability former cult members with identity achievement is smooth and con­ Jewish backgrounds were asked to focus tinuous. Erikson's polar concepts of ego on the critical period (Tv), and then contrast identity and ego diffusion have been it with their time in the cult (Tc) and the elaborated upon by James Marcia6 in present (Tp). From the previous research several empirical studies of college students. on cult membership we expected to inter­ In operationalizing Erikson's work Marcia view ex-members who had either been in identified four identity statuses which are college or were college bound. Thus we felt distinguished by the presence or absence of that the research on identity status among crisis and/or commitment. Marcia views college students to be directly relevant to these crises as involving occupational goals our concerns. We hypothesized that the as well as a religious and political belief. depression characterizing the period of vul­ Marcia's identity statuses include: 1. nerability would relate to being in a state of identity achievement; 2. identity diffusion; either extended moratorium or identity 3. moratorium; 4. foreclosure. Identity diffusion. Furthermore, given our interest achievement has been described above as in Jewish youth we were particularly in­ the optimal process by which an individual terested in characterizing religious identity experiences a crisis of some duration and status in order to better understand then makes the necessary commitments. vulnerability. Identity diffusion is described as the state in which an individual may or may not Method experience crisis but has not made a com­ Given the exploratory nature of this mitment. Moratorium is described as a research we choose to use a study approach. period in which the individual is in crisis As Lijhart7 points out, the great advantage but has not yet made a commitment. Social of the case study is that by focusing on a scientists have come to view the college single case, that case can be intensively years as a time during which it is normative examined even when the resources are to be in a state of moratorium. Quite relatively limited. The limited research clearly moratorium is viewed as a transi­ resources facing us were those of a limited tional stage in which the crisis is apparent and uncertain subject sample. We could to the individual and he or she is struggling not predict how many ex-cult members to deal with it. In this way moratorium is would come forth nor would we be able to control or precisely evaluate what popula­ 5 Erik H. Erikson, Identity: YouthandCrisis. New tion our sample could be said to represent. York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1966. 6 James E. Marcia "Development and Validation 7 A. Lijhart, "Comparative Politics and the Com­ of Ego Identity Status," Journal of Personality and parative Method," American Political Science Review, Social Psychology, 3 (1966); 551-58. 3(1971). 313 JOURNAL OF JEWISH COMMUNAL SERVICE The scientific status of the case study to focus on this critical period (Tv) and method is somewhat ambiguous since then had them contrast it with their time in science is a generalizing activity. However, cult (Tc), and the present (Tp). We used the case studies can make important contri­ identity status interview designed by butions to the establishment of general Marcia9 to assess identity status for these propositions and thus to theory building.8 three time periods. We also asked detailed Thus we undertook what could be con­ questions about earlier life history including sidered an hypothesis generating case study relationship with parents, school experi­ of former cult members. ences, and peer relationships. Subjects and Design Overview of the Cases Studied We solicited interviews from ex-cult The seven cases of cult involvement we members of Jewish origin through the use have studied consist of one female and six of newspaper ads and public speaking, as male ex-members. Four of the six males well as the informal network of individuals were members of the Unification Church, and agencies working with clients having one was in Scientology, and the other was a cult related concerns. Our goal was to member of Ananda Marga (a lesser known interview 20 Jewish ex-cult members, 10 religious cult involved in grass roots political non-Jewish ex-cult members, and a control change). The female ex-member had be­ group of 10 Jewish non-cult members. longed to Synanon (a drug treatment group Through the use of this design we can which became cult like). The length of stay compare the two Jewish groups in order to in these groups varied from 1 month to examine the factors that pre-disposed ex- several years. Two of the Unification Church members to join. In this comparison, reli­ members were deprogrammed while re­ gion is held constant and we can compare maining interviewees left the cult on their other life experiences between these reli­ own. Following is a brief description of giously homogeneous groups. By including each of the seven cases of cult involvement the latter group of non-Jewish ex-cult we studied. members we sought to increase our knowl­ Interviewee A was our only female mem­ edge of ex-cult members in general and to ber. This woman is in her mid-forties and be able to compare the pre-disposing factors quite different from our interviewees in of Jewish vs. non-Jewish youth. several respects. She joined Synanon while The information we are presenting in in her 30's. She was seeking treatment for a this paper represents our research in minor addiction problem as well as re­ progress. To date we have interviewed 7 sponding to a delusional desire to maintain Jewish ex-cult members and it is the inter­ contact with a show business celebrity.
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