• By involving members in wrongdoing, the group fosters a sense of complicity. This shared guilt reinforces the member's dependency on the cult, as both the individual and the group hold potentially damaging information about each other.
• Blackmail Potential: The cult gains leverage over its members by possessing incriminating evidence of their involvement in these activities. This can be used as a form of blackmail to prevent members from leaving or speaking out against the group.
• Moral Entanglement: Engaging in wrongdoing can lead to moral entanglement, where members rationalize their actions through the cult's belief system, further aligning themselves with the group's values and distancing themselves from societal norms.
• Isolation: By pushing members to partake in activities that are condemned by society, cults further isolate their members from the outside world, making the group the primary or sole social and moral compass for the individual.
• Cost Sunk Fallacy: Members who have committed significant portions of their lives to the cult, including engaging in wrongdoing, may find it psychologically difficult to leave due to the investment they've made. They might feel that leaving would render their sacrifices meaningless.