Category
Theoretical Proposal
Description
What moves individuals to leave families, sell businesses, and reconstruct their identities in devotion to a charismatic leader? This study explores the communicative movement at the heart of cult recruitment, persuasion, and retention. Grounded in social identity theory, this qualitative phenomenological research investigates how cult leaders strategically mobilize identity, language, and belonging to attract and sustain followers.
Existing literature that applies social identity theory to persuasive language will be examined, alongside documentary and textual analysis, to understand how individuals interpret and internalize these communicative strategies. Drawing from existing literature and rhetorical analysis of leaders such as Marshall Applewhite, Warren Jeffs, David Koresh, and Amy Carlson, this study examines how prophetic framing, divine authority claims, and exclusive language construct new social realities. Terms such as “next level,” “ascending,” and “chosen” function not merely as descriptors but as mechanisms of identity transformation—moving individuals from outsiders to committed insiders. These linguistic patterns help create isolation, reinforce group cohesion, and facilitate psychological relocation into an alternative worldview.
By examining the rhetoric and relational dynamics that animate cult growth, this research contributes to broader conversations about persuasive communication, identity formation, and the power of language to mobilize human behavior. Ultimately, it seeks to better understand the communicative forces that move people—sometimes dramatically—toward new identities, new loyalties, and entirely new worlds.
The Power of Cult Rhetoric
Theoretical Proposal
What moves individuals to leave families, sell businesses, and reconstruct their identities in devotion to a charismatic leader? This study explores the communicative movement at the heart of cult recruitment, persuasion, and retention. Grounded in social identity theory, this qualitative phenomenological research investigates how cult leaders strategically mobilize identity, language, and belonging to attract and sustain followers.
Existing literature that applies social identity theory to persuasive language will be examined, alongside documentary and textual analysis, to understand how individuals interpret and internalize these communicative strategies. Drawing from existing literature and rhetorical analysis of leaders such as Marshall Applewhite, Warren Jeffs, David Koresh, and Amy Carlson, this study examines how prophetic framing, divine authority claims, and exclusive language construct new social realities. Terms such as “next level,” “ascending,” and “chosen” function not merely as descriptors but as mechanisms of identity transformation—moving individuals from outsiders to committed insiders. These linguistic patterns help create isolation, reinforce group cohesion, and facilitate psychological relocation into an alternative worldview.
By examining the rhetoric and relational dynamics that animate cult growth, this research contributes to broader conversations about persuasive communication, identity formation, and the power of language to mobilize human behavior. Ultimately, it seeks to better understand the communicative forces that move people—sometimes dramatically—toward new identities, new loyalties, and entirely new worlds.
