Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
ICSA 2025 Conference - Montreal, QC
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Sarah Feliciano; Co Authors: Chitra Raghavan
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Abstract: The present study utilized the coercive control framework to systematically assess coercion in cults. Former cult members (N=121) from various groups (e.g., psychological & self-help related) were interviewed via telephone for 1.5 to 3 hours. The sample was diverse; 63.64% female, 77.69% Caucasian, and 71.07% American; age ranged from 18-68 years old. An existing codebook of coercive control tactics was used by multiple coders with high interrater reliability (93.18%). Coercive control tactics were present in all 121 narratives. Of the eight coercion tactics queried, manipulation, intimidation, and microregulation were most frequently reported. Sexual coercion/abuse, deprivation, and degradation were reported least. The primary coercer(s) identified varied considerably, as over half of participants reported the collective group as equally responsible in their abuse (56.20%) and a fraction of participants reported a pair or small team of individuals as equally abusive (10.74%). Data also provided coercive subtactics specific to cults but rarely noted in sex trafficking or intimate partner violence settings, allowing for a nuanced understanding of abuse. Overall, findings suggest the coercive control framework can be reliably used to assess how power imbalances are created and maintained in cults to entrap members. This is the first application of coercion control to cultic study of its kind, with strong implications for improved communication between cult researchers. Similarities and differences across interpersonal abuse contexts will be discussed.
ICSA 2025 Conference - Montreal, QC
-
Sarah Feliciano; Co Authors: Chitra Raghavan
-
Abstract: The present study utilized the coercive control framework to systematically assess coercion in cults. Former cult members (N=121) from various groups (e.g., psychological & self-help related) were interviewed via telephone for 1.5 to 3 hours. The sample was diverse; 63.64% female, 77.69% Caucasian, and 71.07% American; age ranged from 18-68 years old. An existing codebook of coercive control tactics was used by multiple coders with high interrater reliability (93.18%). Coercive control tactics were present in all 121 narratives. Of the eight coercion tactics queried, manipulation, intimidation, and microregulation were most frequently reported. Sexual coercion/abuse, deprivation, and degradation were reported least. The primary coercer(s) identified varied considerably, as over half of participants reported the collective group as equally responsible in their abuse (56.20%) and a fraction of participants reported a pair or small team of individuals as equally abusive (10.74%). Data also provided coercive subtactics specific to cults but rarely noted in sex trafficking or intimate partner violence settings, allowing for a nuanced understanding of abuse. Overall, findings suggest the coercive control framework can be reliably used to assess how power imbalances are created and maintained in cults to entrap members. This is the first application of coercion control to cultic study of its kind, with strong implications for improved communication between cult researchers. Similarities and differences across interpersonal abuse contexts will be discussed.
