leti’s Reviews > Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations―and Take Over Our Lives > Status Update

However, Pearce and Newton took those beliefs to an extreme. To them, Sullivan’s research on the benefits of communal living showed that the traditional focus on the nuclear family [...] was the cause of all mental illness, and therefore all societal problems.

can you imagine creating a theory that maybe people can get better if they live in community and your student thinks yes, absolutely. in a cult.