Abuse Quote by Lloyd Demause
““Why Cults Terrorize and Kill Children – LLOYD DEMAUSE The Journal of Psychohistory 21 (4) 1994 "Extending these local figures to a national estimate would easily mean tens of thousands of cult victims per year reporting, plus undoubtedly more who do not report.(2) This needn’t mean, of course, that actual Cult abuse is increasing, only that-as with the increase in all child abuse reports-we have become more open to hearing them. But it seemed unlikely that the surge of cult memories could all be made up by patients or implanted by therapists. Therapists are a timid group at best, and the notion that they suddenly begin implanting false memories in tens of thousands of their clients for no apparent reason strained credulity. Certainly no one has presented a shred of evidence for massive “false memory” implantations.””
About This Quote
Source Journal Article: The Journal of Psychohistory, Vol. 21, No. 4, 1994
The passage argues that reported cult victim numbers likely reflect increased reporting and openness, not a real rise in abuse, and dismisses large‑scale false‑memory implantation claims.
In simple terms: More reports, not more abuse, and false‑memory claims lack evidence.
Key Takeaway
Question data, be skeptical of sensational numbers.
Themes
child protection
reporting bias
memory reliability
cult dynamics
Mood
concerned
analytical
critical
Type
explanatory
informative
When to use this quote
- policy making
- legal investigations
- clinical practice
- public awareness campaigns
Key Concepts
psychology
sociology
media influence
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we improve reporting accuracy?
- What safeguards prevent false memory implantation?
A Different Perspective
The claim that therapists are implanting false memories en masse is unsupported and unlikely.
