What Makes a Cult and Why We Love Them

You're probably in a cult. You just don't know it yet.

Most of us think we'd never fall for a cult. We picture robes, chanting, and remote compounds. But toxic groups thrive in boardrooms, group chats, fitness classes, political rallies, religious groups, and corporate retreats—anywhere we seek identity, purpose, and belonging.

In The Culting of America, cult survivor, scholar, and former Army intelligence officer Daniella Mestyanek Young—author of bestselling memoir Uncultured—teams up with award-winning writer Amy Reed to dismantle the illusion that cults are rare or easy to spot. Blending personal narrative, cultural critique, and deep research, they introduce the cultiness spectrum: a ten-part framework revealing how coercive group behavior shows up across all groups—from extremist movements to trusted institutions—exploring the line between community and control, devotion and exploitation, leadership and manipulation.

Whether you're part of a church, company, fandom, or political movement, the question isn't if you're in a cult. It's how much of yourself you've already lost.