RESEARCHERS FIND THAT cults, or alternative religions, have a high turnover in membership. While most who leave a cult do so within the first year or two, some may stay many years before deciding to leave. Margaret Thaler Singer tells of counseling people coming out of cults after twenty-five or more years of membership.

Some become disillusioned

Some members leave when they find that the cult or its leader does not live up to their expectations or the ideal of perfection that the group claimed. Idealistic members of groups like the Divine Light Mission, which claimed to "save the world," often became disillusioned when they saw that the world was not changing as a result of their efforts.

Many members of the Unification Church became disillusioned when they were encouraged to use deceitful practices in recruiting new members and during fund-raising. One...