Una coppia nella setta: tra libertà di adesione e rischi di abusi

Psychological cults are of particular interest to criminologists due to their complex and multi-faceted structures. They may come in the form of organizations, movements, and training centers that make promises to their victims of developing or strengthening their psycho-relational capacities, thus resulting in improvements in their social, professional, and personal lives. Starting from the complex and delicate story of a professional couple who join a cult, the authors describe one case of a organization that are referred to as “psycho-sects”, and with a significant number of followers. These cases came to our attention through judicial authorities, and they offer us an opportunity to look at two aspects associated with psycho-sects: The need of individuals to belong to such groups; and the risk of abuse and violence that they face