Dekonversion och självuppfattning : En religionspsykologisk studie av dekonvertiters berättelser

This study focuses on aspects of cult experiences, given by deconverted former members of closed religious movements. Their testimonies were published in books or interviews. The aims of the study were to understand the interaction between the religious group and its members, living in high tension towards mainstream society and their testimonies of altered self-esteem during attraction, membership, deconversion and defection. The purpose was to understand how a person´s self-esteem is affected by inner mechanisms of closed religious movements and how these experiences affects a persons identity. Another aspect was whether there might be differences in altered self-esteem, between those who enlisted as adults, and those who were born into the closed religious contexts. Social Identity Theory, Sigmund Freud´s and Carl Rogers models of personal ego were used as models of interpretations. Qualitative methods have been used for analysis of data. The defectors´ testimonies could be interpretated in terms of altered social identity. During attraction and membership, the members perceived him or herself as an in-group member, which boosted their self-esteem. Their perceived selves existed in congruence with group norms. Being a former member lead to a reversed process of socialisation and self perception, during which the out-group became a new in-group in order to enhance self-esteem. Those, who enlisted as adults, reformed back to their former identity and thereby enhanced their self-esteem by integrating their cult experiences with their former self. Those, who were born into the religious movements, had troubles to adapt to mainstream society, as they did not have any alternative personal identity outside the group, and therefore experienced difficulties to enhance self-esteem