THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SATANIC CULT INVOLVEMENT: AN ...

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After being arrested for exhibitionism, S believed that he had hurt his partner, destroyed
her trust, and lost everything he had loved (116,117,118). Feeling distraught, guilty, and
humiliated, he again contemplated suicide (119). Whatever the interpersonal reality of S's
relationship with his partner at this point, in fantasy he had damaged the good maternal
object, and was overwhelmed by depressive anxiety, guilt, and self-hatred. S was rescued
from his suicidal state by the charismatic Christian who had previously converted him
(120,121). He was taken to a rural mission station, where he was exorcised, baptised, and
taught to rely completely on God to protect him from Satan (121,122,123). Thus began a
process of identification with a new idealised paternal part-object, God, and the protective
expulsion ofthe destructive subpersonality with the help ofChristian rituals.
Despite his Christian conversion, S continued to experience demonic attacks, in the form
of intense headaches, whenever he engaged in Christian worship(124). This indicates that
the defensive expulsion of the destructive subpersonality was not entirely successful, and
that fantasies of intrusive attack by this subpersonality gave rise to visceral pain. After
undergoing repeated exorcism rituals S regained control of his life, and won the trust of
his friends (125). After living with his Christian mentor for a year, S moved out, resumed
drinking alcohol, and ceased attending Christian gatherings (126,127,128). This made S
vulnerable, once more, to unconscious identification with the destructive subpersonality,
and resulted in further ego-dystonic perverse behaviour, with concomitant loss of all his
former self-respect and dignity (128,129).
With the help of Christian friends, he again managed to regain control of his life from the
demonic forces (130). As a consequence of God's profound influence on his life, he
avers, S has high self-esteem, and is filled with unambivalent love and compassion for
others (131,132). S had clearly established a state of constant introjective identification
with an idealised paternal part-object, giving rise to a new subpersonality structure,
characterised by ideal Christian qualities. Having become a transformed son of God, S is
now on a Christian mission of salvation, devoted to protecting others from Satan
(133,135). Defensive splitting, and the absolute reversal of positive and negative
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