Did my parents use cult techniques of abuse on me?
Or, did I grow up in a cult-like environment?
Control of appearance
my parents would berate me for my choice of clothing and accessories
my parents would insult me, call me names or slurs or make inappropriate comments if I dressed in a way they disapproved of
my parents would refuse to take me places until I dressed the way they required
my parents would shame me for my appearance and say they're ashamed to be seen in public with me
my parents would require me to look similar to what they look, even if it wasn't my style
my parents would take away pieces of my clothing and destroy it if they didn't like it
my parents would blackmail me or force me to wear a certain piece of clothing against my will
my parents would physically force me into clothing they decided I should wear
my parents berated, insulted and shamed me for the length, color and the style of my hair, if it wasn't what they thought I should look like
only certain styles of clothing, hair, and accessories were acceptable for me to wear
Control of information, isolation and 'them versus us'
my parents would ask me 'where did you learn that?' whenever I would say something they didn't like
my parents would blame the school/my friends and say 'is this what they taught you?' if I didn't comply with their requests
my parents would disprove of reliable sources of information; they would insist they're right even when their information was directly against science, common sense, school or expert opinion
I was restricted or heavily discouraged from absorbing certain sorts of media (tv was forbidden, or certain books were forbidden, or the internet)
my parents were happy to expose me to information on how others live only if they were showing me worse abuse than what was going on at home. my only references were people who hurt their children much worse
my parents didn't like me spending time with my friends and would criticize those friends harshly in front of me
my parents considered anyone who isn't like them stupid, undesirable, less worthy and irrelevant, they wouldn't take in new information about them and instead considered themselves superior
my parents insisted that there isn't a place for me in the 'outside world' and that I'm only ever going to be a burden and a liability to everyone
my parents convinced me that people in the 'real world' were cruel and dangerous, and that I was likely to get killed, kidnapped, robbed, sexually assaulted or taken hostage by them
my parents believed anyone who fell victim to homelessness, addictions, abuse, poverty, illness or misfortune was stupid, worthless, lived their life wrong, and it was all their own fault that this happened to them
Control of location, financial abuse and life decisions
my parents would take any money I receive as a gift away from me
my parents would take any money I earn away from me
my parents would find a way to 'borrow' or 'keep safe' the money that was supposed to be mine, and I would never see it again
my parents would employ me to do work that would otherwise be paid work, but I would never hear about the money, they would just say it would go to 'the cost of keeping me'
my parents required me to work to 'deserve to live', I would have to do extensive physical work in order to deserve food, shelter, and basic resources I needed for school
my parents didn't give me proper working conditions, when working I wasn't allowed to complain of being tired, hungry, needing the toilet or a break, I had to work silently
my parents wanted me to work for them even after coming of age
my parents wanted me to only work somewhere close to the family (in the same town/city/district, or in a relative's home) and would sabotage me getting jobs that required me to move away
my parents threw tantrums or had extreme anxious reactions if I were to try to move somewhere away from them (insisting I'd be hurt, kidnapped, killed, robbed, sold into slavery, etc)
my parents wouldn't allow me to make life decisions on my own even when I was of age, and insisted that they know what is right for me instead
my parents would withdraw their support from me, or do intense shaming, guilt-tripping, acting hurt and betrayed and blaming me for their own bad psychological state, if I tried to make my own life decisions the way I wanted (even when I'm an adult)
if I needed to move for school/work, my parents insisted on being in as close contact as possible, they wanted me to call them daily or would call daily
I felt that my parents did not trust me to know how to take care of myself and they felt it was necessary to control all of my decisions for me, or I would go directly into my own doom
Strict patriarchal standards
my family believed that the father is supposed to be the 'leader' of the family and that other members of the family, specifically children, were to listen to his orders obediently or be punished
my family allowed the father to use extremely cruel punishments if he wasn't obeyed instantly
there was a double standard for what the family was free to do, and what the father was free to do; he could act as he pleased, but for the rest, there were strict rules of behaviour and limited freedom
while the father in the family was allowed to criticize, humiliate, guilt-trip and demand labour and resources from anyone in the family, he himself was above criticism and was not to be questioned
there was a double standard for girls and boys in my family; girls needed to be submissive, pleasing to look at, work endlessly for others and act like helpers and resources for other members of the family. boys were valued for toughness, durability, aggressiveness.
controlling, bullying and assaulting girls would be forgiven and dismissed, but girls would not be allowed to fight back.
boys were encouraged to fight and were not supposed to complain about injuries or fear physical violence at all
girls were valued for chastity, virginity and appeal to men, while boys were valued for physical strength, leadership, agression and decision making
extensive shame was put on any sexual desire, curiosity or even requests for information about sex
it was assumed that the goals for the young girls in the family was to become married and were trained for 'serving their future husband', to the point where they would be criticized and humiliated for anything 'their future husband wouldn't like'
my family did not give us any resources or information that would teach us about sex or protect us against sexual abuse
there was sexual abuse of children in my family (by adults, or by other children) and it was ignored, dismissed, either never brought to light or the perpetrators were protected if it ever was brought to light, and the entire thing covered up
Breaking (tw torture, tw murder attempts)
I was denied food or shelter if I would disobey my parents as a child
I was locked up somewhere if I would disobey my parents
I was hit, chased, threatened with violence, had things thrown at me and had people scream at me in rage if I disobeyed them as a child
I was beaten, to the point where I had marks on my body, as a punishment for disobedience
I was starved as a punishment for disobedience (my food intake was limited, a meal was withdrawn every day or multiple meals were, or my meals were less than what everyone else was allowed to have)
I was sleep-deprived as a punishment (allowed less than 8 hours of sleep at night)
I was overworked as a punishment (forced to do long or unusual cleanings or other menial labour)
I was exposed to life-threatening situations as a punishment (someone would try to drown/choke/injure me, or put me in a situation where I would likely get injured)
Punishments would not be over until I would break down unable to bear it any more and I would apologize and beg for it to stop, sometimes it still wouldn't stop
After punishments, nobody would speak to me, look at me, pay attention to me, or give me any comfort or acknowledgment, everyone acted as if I was poisonous or toxic (this is shunning)
After punishments, I would be isolated, without any human contact, for prolonged periods of time, I wouldn't be allowed back into the family until they decided it was time
I was exposed to extensive shaming and contempt for disobeying (I was told I was the worst, most selfish creature to live, that I was evil, possessed, demonic, I was called slurs, animal names, monstrous names, compared to the devil or worst humans to exist, blamed for everyone's suffering, accused of causing suffering on purpose and enjoying it)
intimate, sexual or extremely uncomfortable punishments were done to me for disobeying or talking back
I believed that the members of the family were all-powerful, and that there was no way of escaping their punishments, or for them not to find out if I've done anything wrong. I became terrified of making any mistakes and couldn't see a world where they wouldn't find out
I was scared that the family members could read my thoughts and was forbidden to think anything ill of them
Religious and Spiritual Abuse (control of thoughts)
I was supposed to accept the same religion my parents believed in, and anything else was unacceptable
I was forced to participate in church going, religious activities and rituals even if I strongly did not want to be involved
I was taught extensive religious or spiritual beliefs from the start of life, and would be judged on those standards/had to prove my faith in various ways
I was forced to 'confess' my thoughts and beliefs to a member of the family or the church, who then judged me and 'corrected' my way of thinking, telling me how I should (must) think
my place in society was dictated by my religion, if religion said my purpose is to have a family, or have children, then the only way for me to exist would be to follow that purpose
I was taught that laziness is a sin and I was to work every moment I possibly could, or I would be shamed as a sinner
I was told I was impure, sinful, that certain parts of human nature like curiosity, desire for knowledge, critical thinking and indulgence in my interests and desires was 'against god', and I had to give it all up in order to be a good person
I was taught to fear god's wrath and that punishment would come for anything that could possibly be perceived as wrong
I was taught that suffering is necessary and good for us, that the more we suffer in this world, more will we be rewarded in the next one, and that being put through extensive and prolonged pain would actually save me and give me good graces with god
alternatively, I was told that any suffering was my fault and only here because 'I didn't believe enough' or 'my faith isn't pure enough' and if I only did everything right, then I would have no suffering, no illnesses, no problems and no bad moods ever
I was told there was something demonic and evil inside of me, and had to bear punishments to 'exorcise the possession'
I was told I was so evil, selfish and demonic that I could not be loved, or could only be loved under certain conditions, and if I'm continually punished
I was introduced to a 'new age religion' or a specific spiritual belief by my family and was then groomed to participate in it long term, not realizing that it was done for a purpose to benefit a certain cause that was ultimately exploitative and deceptive
I was shamed and told I was doing harm to the world for arbitrary things, like having my own stuff, eating certain foods, participating in certain harmless activities or buying certain things
limits and restrictions would be placed on completely harmless things for which I would then be persecuted
Escape prevention
I was told that I was not capable of living in the normal world and that I would die if I ever escape
I was told I would commit suicide if I escape
I was told that the world outside is life-threatening, that people are dangerous, prone to attack, murder, rob, assault or kidnap me
I was told that I was absolutely unwanted, burden and a waste of space if I'm outside of the family
I was told there was no way for me to become a part of any other group or have a place in any social circle outside of the family
I was terrified that there would be revenge if I ever escaped, and that someone would come and attempt to take my life
(in case of escape) extensive measures were taken to try and get me to come back, I was searched for, contacted and harassed by multiple people trying to find me and bring me back home
(in case of escape) my relatives, friends, acquaintances and peers were harassed and manipulated to believe they need to bring me back and that I'm making a mistake
I was extensively shamed, told I was being cruel, in the wrong, that I needed to forgive and forget any wrongdoing, that I was doing damage and hurting people, if I ever tried to escape
I could feel that I would be shunned, everything I had would be taken from me and I would be left without any family, any resources or any safety net if I ever escape
(in case of escaping) I became shunned and unwelcome in my own family
(in case of escaping) the worst rumors and allegations were spread against me, my family told everyone made-up stories or exaggerated lies of how awful, cruel, selfish, crazy, distorted, sick and psychotic I am
(in case of escape) after escaping, I was hit with severe terror and trauma, and was barely able, or completely unable to function for a period of time, I didn't believe I would survive, and I didn't know how to function in the world
(in case of escape) after escaping, I realized I had nothing to my name, no skills for survival outside of the family, and I needed to re-learn everything, from socialization with people to financial skills and self care, I wasn't taught anything that would help me live in the outside world
*if someone other than your parents did this to you, you can substitute 'parents' by 'abuser'. Sometimes cults will cut family bonds and convince you that the cult community is your only family
If you've scored high on this list, it doesn't necessarily mean you were brought up in a cult, because cults often use tactics of domestic abuse, and the reverse is also true, domestic abusers often use cult tactics of abuse. It also doesn't mean that you weren't brought in a cult, if most of this is applicable you could potentially benefit from reading resources about cults and how they function, and how to recover from them and clear your mind of their control.
Most families raise their children in their own religion, and by patriarchal standards, it doesn't mean that it isn't religious and sexist abuse, because children are often not free to choose their beliefs or live freely of those standards. It's a societal type of 'accepted abuse'. However, you had anything from 'Breaking' category true for you, you were severely abused and someone attempted to take your free will completely from you, and take control of you. Everything in there counts as torture, is illegal, and is not in any way acceptable to do to a child, or adult, and none of it could ever be done for your own good. Also, control of your appearance, finances, information and escape prevention are strong signs of exploitation and being held hostage and used against your will. Control of appearance is mostly done so that nobody in the outer world could recognize that you're not there by your free will and as a part of that family/community, it's to make your abuse invisible and undetectable. Control of information is there to make it invisible to you, so that you can't figure out whats happening to you isn't normal.
If you've scored high on this list, it means you've been through extensive and terrifying levels of abuse, and that strong measures were taken to prevent you from escaping. This type of abuse has long-lasting effects and is not something one can easily recover from. Nobody deserved anything on this list to be done to them, every point is abuse.
