The Wrong Way Home: Uncovering the Patterns of Cult Behavior in American Society [Paperback]

Arthur J. Deikman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Members of political or spiritual cults exhibit conformity, a yen for dependence and susceptibility to authoritarian leaders. The same behavior, Deikman argues, can be observed in ordinary people--in relationships, the workplace and family life. For example, in the "corporate culture," this California psychiatrist has found threats of censure and expulsion, and an inhibition of active strategies and dissent--all favorite cult tactics. Other examples of cultish shenanigans cited include politicians' cultivation of a benign, powerful parent persona; military leaders who "imagine enemies where there are none"; the complicity of a subservient news media in supporting the status quo; and the humble compliance to God's will urged by religions. Although Deikman sometimes stretches the analogy of cult behavior too far, his provocative book uncovers a psychopathology of everyday life in a discerning analysis.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The author, a psychiatrist, argues that cult behavior is not limited to members of religious groups but is based on childhood desires for meaning and dependency that we all share. He describes normal society as "an association of informal cults to which everyone belongs," including our educational, business, and other cultural structures. Although we live in a democracy, cult behavior manifests itself in our unwillingness to question the judgment of our leaders, our tendency to devalue outsiders and to avoid dissent. We can overcome cult behavior, he says, by recognizing that we have dependency needs that are inappropriate for mature people, by increasing anti-authoritarian education, and by encouraging personal autonomy and the free exchange of ideas. This is a provocative book that should have appeal for a wide variety of readers. Recommended for most libraries.
- Lucy Patrick, Florida State Univ. Lib., Tallahassee
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807029157
• ISBN-13: 978-0807029152
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,695,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable and informative..., February 23, 2000

By 

Alan Brown (San Francisco, ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wrong Way Home: Uncovering the Patterns of Cult Behavior in American Society (Paperback)

Books that are both substantive and written in an engaging way are pretty thin on the ground. This is definitely one of them.

It takes the position that cult behaviour is present in less extreme forms in our every day life and is convincing and interesting in its delivery.

I recommend it very highly...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read and very informative, August 16, 2004

By 

P. J. Shockley (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wrong Way Home: Uncovering the Patterns of Cult Behavior in American Society (Paperback)

For anyone who is interested in why someone would stay involved in a cult, or become involved in the first place this book will answer your questions. The simplicity of the answers is astounding. I absolutely reccomend reading this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Human Condition, December 3, 2008

By 

F. Weeden - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wrong Way Home: Uncovering the Patterns of Cult Behavior in American Society (Paperback)

This was a really good book and I agree with a lot of what the author says. The patterns he outlines are observable. The title is a tad misleading, though. I don't think it's a trait or commentary unique to American society, but rather, the human condition, the world over.

The Nuremberg Rallies in Germany, the Kamikaze of Japan, the rabid zeal of fundamentalist Islam, ad infinitum. The whole of human history and our present condition, is flooded with example after example of cultic behavior in our societies.

It's awful when peoples' sincere desire for fulfillment and spirituality is twisted and perverted by charlatans. The key, I believe, is contained in three things: A healthy dose of scepticism, paying close attention to our inner faculties of discernment and intuition, and education and awareness.

This book does well in educating, and thereby, inoculating people against the lure of malignant cults.

"Will You Die For Me?" by Tex Watson, and "Seductive Poison," by Deborah Layton (survivor of the Jonestown Massacre) are both excellent (and horrifying) books in the same vein, for those wishing to further explore the themes contained in "The Wrong Way Home."