Note 3: You must use Microsoft Word and double-space in 10 pt. font.
Graded Product. Write summary the contents of each of the three articles and report the
general theme or themes you have discovered. This can be done in less than 300 words
including citations in APA format within the text and at the end of your analysis.
Except that it is not double-spaced as will be required in your actual assignment submission, the
structure could be something like this example about cults, which contains 270 words inclusive
of citations:
Short Article Analysis: Cults as DevianceThe first article about cults that I selected revealed that
these organizations are lead by a charismatic person who believes the mainstream culture is
evil and attracts followers to his or her radical ideas about an alternative lifestyle. These
followers are isolated from mainstream society by the leader and easily influenced towards
actions and beliefs that represent deviance from established social norms (Myers, 2010: 271-
273). The second article that I looked at pointed out that cults will inevitably be subjected to
social control attempts by authorities because they are perceived as dangerous to social order
(Gardener, 1997).
The last article that I consulted was about how cult members are subjected to social control by
the cult leader; once a member of the cult the person is expected to be a committed advocate
for the cult and demonstrate his or her loyalty even if that means following the leader into
death (Unknown, 2000). From these three articles I conclude that a cult is perceived as a
dangerous type of deviant group by society and subject to interventions by authorities. At the
same time the internal climate of the cult does not tolerate non-compliance by members,
which would represent another form of deviance from the group norms within the cult.
References Cited
Gardner, M (1997). “Heaven’s Gate: the UFO cult of Bo and Peep” in Skeptical Inquirer,
July/August, pp. 15-17.
Myers, David (2010). Social Psychology 10th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Unknown (2000). Ugandan sect commits fiery mass suicide. (2000, April). The Christian
Century, 117(11), 386. Retrieved April 6, 2010, from EBSCOHost database. (Document ID:
52220735).
The Short Article Analysis will be marked as follows: