Cult-like dynamics share recognizable behavior changes in adherents

Evidence

What these different topics have in common is that their adherents sometimes change in ways that appear “cult-like” to others after contact with the respective group or worldview. For example, they fanatically promote the ideology/product, invest time and money in it, break off old contacts and change in a negative way. Sometimes there is unhealthy dependence on one person. Only a few experts deal with the (group) psychological mechanisms of these communities and even fewer offer therapeutic support for those affected and their relatives. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 866

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: the behavioral fingerprint of harmful group influence (fanatical promotion, broken contacts, unhealthy dependency) as a layperson-detectable warning sign.