Cognitive Dissonance

Understanding cult membership:

beyond “Drinking the Kool-Aid”

https://soar.suny.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12648/1381/Greiser_Honors.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

"Cognitive dissonance may also play a role in one’s decision to remain in a cult, even after experiencing the negative aspects cults are known for. Individuals will rationalize their cult involvement by convincing themselves the group is good and their membership is worth thehardships; it seems counterintuitive, but suffering can actually make an individual’s allegiance to the group even stronger. This dedication tends to manifest as ingroup bias, and individuals will

favor others who are also members of their group. Not only does this perpetuate their membership as they will lend more credibility to fellow members or the beliefs of the group while simultaneously shunning outside opinions, it also conducive to social identity benefits"