This is a good article
http://hypnosiscontrol.com/the-psychology-behind-cultsreligion/
The Psychology Behind Cults/Religion
November 10th, 2007 · No Comments
Cults maintain their following by putting members through a cycle of ups and downs. There is a psychology behind these tactics and it is to exploit the the members and keep them dependent on the cult. This brainwashing is very effective and it is important for people to understand how it works.
To follow up from my last post let me reiterate:
From Wikipedia, “Cult roughly refers to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture considers outside the mainstream.â€