The Psychology of Cults: A Live Event

What makes people join a cult, and what makes it so difficult to leave?

The Psychology of Cults takes audiences beyond the headlines and deep inside the world of high-control groups. Hosted by internationally recognized criminal investigator Mike King, this gripping live event explores how cults form, why people are drawn to them, and the psychological tactics leaders use to gain loyalty, isolate members and maintain control.

Drawing on examples including Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, NXIVM and the FLDS, Mike examines the manipulation, coercion and abuse that can take place behind closed doors. The evening also looks beyond the most infamous cases to reveal how similar methods of influence can appear in relationships, workplaces, wellness communities and social movements.

Through real-life cases, expert insight and audience discussion, you will learn how to recognize warning signs, better understand the people who become involved in high-control groups, and discover what it can take to break free.

Fascinating, unsettling and deeply relevant, The Psychology of Cults offers a revealing look at one of society’s most complex and misunderstood phenomena.

About Mike King

Mike King is an internationally recognized criminal investigator, author and public safety strategist with more than four decades of experience in law enforcement, intelligence, academia and public safety technology.

During his 28-year law-enforcement career, Mike served as Chief of Staff at the Utah Attorney General’s Office, worked on major investigations involving violent crime, cold cases and terrorism, and received training in behavioural analysis from FBI profilers. He has consulted on hundreds of complex criminal cases around the world and served as co-chair of the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program National Advisory Board.

Mike is also the creator and host of Profiling Evil and Mapping Evil with Mike King, true-crime platforms that have attracted more than 245,000 subscribers and 22 million downloads. He is a frequent law-enforcement analyst in national and international media and the author of several books exploring crime, cults and criminal investigation.