Exploring Undergraduate recruitment into coercively controlling groups
This exploratory research aims to understand the prevalence of coercively controlling groups recruiting undergraduates. There is ever expanding evidence from traditional and social media sources indicating this is a widespread problem. Currently, there is minimal academic research on this phenomenon, so we are wanting to develop a data set relating to chaplaincy and student service personnel鈥檚 experience of undergraduate recruitment into coercively controlling groups.
Coercively controlling groups isolate and manipulate their victims into exploitative relationships. They may present as being religious, political, well-being and lifestyle-based, or business and self-development organisations. While not that all such organisations are coercive, these groups often use these ideologies as facades to recruit their members. What distinguishes coercively controlling groups from non-coercively controlling groups is how they behave towards their members. Coercively controlling groups will entice their members with deception. Survivors at our recent knowledge exchange event described being invited to a party, then isolated in a separate room, and 鈥榩reached at鈥� before being placed in small groups and given different missions to fulfil.
Another common tactic is isolating victims from their friends and family by vilifying these relationships to dismiss loved one鈥檚 concerns, thereby producing further isolation. Newly recruited members will often be expected to move in with other members, ensuring ongoing surveillance of behaviour. This creates fear, contributing to group cohesion. Additionally, financial pressures are common, with expectations of tithing or a demand to invest money in the organisation, often requiring undergraduates to work long hours away from their university studies.
This research project is how these behaviours may be presented to student facing services in universities, including chaplaincies, student services both well-being and academic provision.
There a perceived benefit of this exploratory research is to aid the development of preventative safeguarding practices. These practices focus on educating undergraduates about behaviours to be alert to and ensuring student service provision, including chaplaincy services, is increasingly aware of the undue influence these groups exert. Ultimately, we aim to develop a culture within university spaces that reduces the number of undergraduates who are recruited into these groups; to minimise the harm that coercively controlling groups cause to individuals, their families, and communities and wider society.
We are running a survey as part of this project, in order to collect data from Universities across the UK. You are invited to participate if you work in university chaplaincy services, or university student well-being services.
Please click here to access the survey:
Your contribution to this research is greatly appreciated.
If you would like further information, please contact
Sally Hewlett: sjh231@bath.ac.uk ,
Joy Cranham: jc2990@bath.ac.uk
Esther Anaya-Boig: e.anaya-boig@imperial.ac.uk