Dying to Self: Self-Control Through Self-Abandonment.

Individual consequences of membership in new religious groups are investigated by examining the process of self-abandonment in two Jesus People groups. The analysis is based on participant observation and intensive interviews which were carried out between 1973 and 1975. This analysis revealed that individuals who had abandoned themselves to the group eventually became stronger rather than weaker individuals. A four-stage model of this process is presented as an alternative to both the brainwashing and the drift models. The stages of this process are: 1) self-dissatisfaction, 2) self-abandonment, 3) self-reconstitution, and 4) self-authenticity. This process is generally consistent with the drift model but adds the paradoxical element of self-abandonment resulting in greater self-control. It differs significantly from the brainwashing model because the initial loss of control is seen as voluntary and temporary and because participation in the group is seen as serving individual as well as group purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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