Late twentieth-century psychoanalytic interpretations of sects and cults: Weston La Bare, Norman Cohn, & E. P. Thompson
This article revisits the role of classical psychoanalysis in early studies of sectarian and cultic groups. Highlighting works by La Barre, Cohn, and Thompson, it argues that despite its limitations, Freudian theory offered valuable interpretive insights into the psychological dynamics of religious movements.
The theory that won’t go away: An updated review of the role hypnosis plays in mind control
This article reviews enduring debates on hypnosis and mind control, examining its contested role in cult influence and contrasting claims of coercive power with psychological critiques of suggestibility limits.
A ride with my best friend: The fiscal arbitrators pseudolaw tax evasion scheme, recruitment, and litigation
This article explores a Canadian tax fraud scheme where participants exploited pseudolaw tactics for financial gain, challenging stereotypes of pseudolaw users as ideologically motivated.
David Berg’s perversion of biblical bridal theology in the Children of God / The Family
This article analyzes how mystical marriage was twisted into abuse by David Berg, and how survivors struggle to find informed support for religious trauma.