Defining Dynamics of Cult-Like Groups
Nobody joins a cult; they join a good thing. ~ Mark Vicente
The word "cult" has a lot of connotations that might make it difficult to apply it to your situation. After all, as Mark Vicente says, nobody joins a cult. They join a good thing. And then that good thing slowly shifts and changes into something unhealthy. The change can be so gradual and insidious that you hardly notice it happening, until one day you blink and realize that something really upsetting or disturbing or unhealthy is happening around you.
The articles below discuss some of the defining characteristics of cult-like and high-control groups. Do you recognize any of these dynamics in your own situation?