The following are some more misconceptions that people often share about cults and cult members, and that evoke opposition when considering an intervention.

1. The cult member claims to be happy – Most cult members will refuse external help by stating, and sometimes even behaving, as though they are completely happy. In such cases, some individuals may perceive the concept of helping the member as invasive and against his wishes. What needs to be realized in such a situation is that the member of a destructive cult may say that he/she is happy and may even seem to be so, but this is often a façade that even he/she is unaware of maintaining – it is simply the cult identity that is happy while the person’s real personality may be stifled.

Over the next few days, we will look at more such misconceptions that people may believe to be true.