10 WARNING SIGNS OF A POTENTIALLY UNSAFE GROUP OR LEADER BY RICK ROSS, EXPERT CONSULTANT AND INTERVENTION SPECIALIST

Potentially unsafe groups or leaders ‘come off very nice at first, they go for vulnerable people who are looking for answers, lonely, what you’d call ‘normal people.’ They’re very good at what they do and can get people to believe anything. You might think you’d never get taken in, but don’t bet on it.

– Margaret Singer, Ph.D.

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader

By Rick Ross, Expert Consultant and Intervention Specialist

  1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
  2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
  3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
  4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
  5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
  6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
  7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
  8. Followers feel they can never be “good enough.”
  9. The group/leader is always right.
  10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
The author of this list, Rick Ross, gave me written permission on March 9, 2012. Please do not copy the contents of this article. Link sharing is permitted and/or sharing to https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html
Full attribution: Ross, Rick. “Warning Signs.” Cult Education Institute. 1999-2014. Trenton, New Jersey. Accessed November 3, 2020. Retrieved from https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html with permission.

Rebecca Anne

Rebecca Anne is a book author and board certified pastoral counselor who specializes in counter-cult education, helping cult victims and trauma recovery from narcissistic abuse.

She has nearly fifteen years of experience with social work research.

From the University of Michigan graduate School of Social Work, she received advanced training in practice methods, advocacy and social justice frameworks related to social work practice and a Masters Certificate in Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research.

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