What Is a Cult? 4 Types of Cults and Common Characteristics

The term “cult” refers most often to a group of people with usually atypical beliefs living in relative isolation from the world. They tend to centralize around one charismatic person—the cult leader—who orders the beliefs, behaviors, and customs of all the other members. Many cults stand in as de facto new religions for their followers, but some are irreligious in nature.

The word “cult” descends from the Latin “cultus,” an ancient word encompassing the concepts of adoration, education, and cultivation. At first, it became a catch-all term for groups devoted to a specific subject. This could be something philosophical and religious or more mundane and material. By the nineteenth century, it evolved to mean an unorthodox group of zealous and eccentric believers.

Still, the definition of “cult” remains somewhat expansive. While it’s synonymous with these sorts of often destructive movements and bizarre forms of belief, it can also refer to an ordinary group of people. For example, a movie might have a “cult following,” meaning it appeals to a niche group of people. This doesn’t imply anything nefarious about the film itself.

Each cult has its own distinctive focus, but almost all of these groups share at least some elements in common, such as:

• Authoritarian control: Cultism hinges on encouraging maximum dependency. People in the cult must feel incapable of living an individual life outside the norms of the group. These beliefs often go hand in hand with a worshipful attitude toward the group’s authoritarian leader.
• Extremist beliefs: Cult members hold to very dogmatic and extreme beliefs. They also are unable to question these belief systems without fear of reprisal or punishment from the leader or other group members.
• Isolation from society: As soon as new members join a cult, other adherents work hard to isolate them from family members and friends. This helps fulfill the mind control aspirations of the leader. It also creates a hive mind of sorts between the new person and the other members.
• Veneration of a single individual: Charismatic leaders are often at the center of most cults. Consider the Manson family of the late 1960s. As their name suggests, they adopted the beliefs of their leader, Charles Manson, and fulfilled his requests. The same pattern repeats in almost all other cults, albeit to less violent ends in many cases.

There are many different types of cults focusing on different end goals or beliefs. Here are just a few general groupings:

1. 1. Doomsday cults: Certain cults come together to prepare for the allegedly imminent end of the world. For instance, the Branch Davidians stockpiled firearms and explosives in a Waco, Texas, compound over the 1980s and ’90s to prepare for the apocalypse. This led to an infamous standoff with the federal government.
2. 2. Political cults: Political groups on both the left and right can morph into cults. Janja Lalich wrote an entire account of her own experience in such an environment.
3. 3. Religious cults: Spiritual beliefs serve as the bedrock for many cults. Some cults are offshoots of mainline religions while others offer brand-new dogmas and theology.
4. 4. Sex cults: All types of cults might have a component of sexual abuse, but some focus on sex as one of their primary functions. For instance, New York–based NXIVM encouraged rampant sexual behavior between its group members before dissolving.

Cults have made headlines over the years due to their outrageous and sometimes tragic behavior. Perhaps you’ve even heard of some of these notorious cultic groups:

• Heaven’s Gate: Inspired by the Book of Revelation, Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite formed Heaven’s Gate as a doomsday cult with a focus on UFOs. In 1997, all the members died by mass suicide in an effort to ride a comet passing by the Earth.
• The Peoples Temple: Jim Jones, a charismatic preacher from the United States, formed the Peoples Temple to spread his own flavor of Christianity before moving to Guyana. There, he founded Jonestown, a compound for his religious group of followers. They died by mass suicide in 1978.
• The Unification Church: A new religious movement that began in South Korea, The Unification Church spread to the rest of the world. All adherents follow the teachings of Sun Myung Moon, hence their colloquial nickname (the Moonies).

People join cult movements for various reasons, most of which revolve around a desire for meaning and community. Many who become part of such organizations have troubled backgrounds and difficulty fitting into society. They might also feel mainstream culture has no place for them and nothing of spiritual value to offer either.

Former cult members often describe the long-lasting sense of loneliness and nihilism they felt prior to becoming part of something bigger than themselves. This encourages them to put down their defenses and accept the stranger elements of their new communities. Of course, this has sometimes led to horrific and even deadly outcomes in extreme circumstances.

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