Several early studies of former members of new religious movements (NRMs) or cults reported that participants experienced high levels of psychological distress after departure (Clarke et al. 1981). These studies have been questioned on their scientific rigor (Kilbourne and Richardson 1984). Richardson et al. (1986) suggest that means of departure is strongly associated with attitudes toward the group; those who are "deprogrammed" have more negative views. A detailed study by Wright (1987) found that defectors hold a variety of opinions, with most former members valuing their participation. Other studies also report that former devotees have a diversity of opinions about their experiences (Galanter 1989; Rothbaum 1988). In this research note we report on a study of former Rajneeshpuram residents and examine affiliation with the Rajneeshee movement and their perceptions of it.

The Rajneeshees' sojourn in Oregon began with the purchase of the 64,229 acre Big Muddy Ranch in eastern Oregon in July 1981. The ranch was renamed "Rancho Rajneesh." Rajneesh's followers or disciples, who are called Rajneeshees, sannyasins, or neo-sannyasins, developed a commune, Rajneeshpuram, with facilities of a modern American town, including a hotel, shopping center, airport, dam, sewage reclamation plant, and the third largest public transportation system in the state. By 1985 several thousand sannyasins were living on the "Ranch." In November 1985, Rajneeshpuram disbanded, and the Rajneeshpuram residents, who considered the commune their home, were suddenly asked to leave and to fend for themselves. The commune collapsed shortly after many top leaders fled the state, including its charismatic leader Shree Rajneesh, also known as Bhagwan. Several of these leaders pleaded guilty to criminal acts. It was anticipated that, due to these revelations of criminality and the methods of social control used at Rajneeshpuram, many former members would hold negative views of the movement after leaving Rajneeshpuram.

As Rajneesh's spokesperson, Ma Anand Sheela's rule of Rajneeshpuram was hierarchical and tightly controlled. Many sannyasins resented this authoritarian leadership, and after Sheela's departure, Rajneesh sought to change the movement. Sannyasins were told that they no longer needed to wear the colors of the sunrise, the special necklaces called malas, or use their sannyasin names. These three items had been the overt symbols of their affiliation. Our research sought to examine former residents' retrospective views of Rajneeshpuram and to assess their present affiliation with the Rajneeshee movement.

METHODS

Beginning in July 1986, about seven months after the large exodus from the ranch, a follow-up study of former residents of Rajneeshpuram was undertaken. Approximately one thousand letters were sent. Half the letters were returned "address unknown," "forwarding address expired," "moved -- left no forwarding address," or "not deliverable." This lack of valid forwarding addresses is understandable. Many sannyasins left Rajneeshpuram hastily, and many, after leaving the ranch, moved several times within the space of a few months. By December 1986, 362 former residents of Rajneeshpuram had responded and agreed to be in future follow-up studies. Of these 362 individuals, 231 responded to the second survey. The questionnaire sent with the initial letter was only one page. The follow-up survey was 12 pages, assessing beliefs, personality, and mental health. One question from our 1985 survey (see Latkin et al. 1987; Latkin 1989) was repeated, an open-ended item on relationships with Rajneesh. Answers to this question were compared to responses to the same question in the follow-up survey.

RESULTS

Out of the 231 respondents who filled out the follow-up survey, 60 percent were female, with 1946 as a median year of birth (mean = 1945, sd = 11). The males' median year of birth was 1948 (mean = 1948, sd = 10). Table 1 presents demographic characteristic of the respondents. Of those who obtained college degrees, 3 7.2 percent reported their highest degree as an Associate; 36.7 percent, Bachelor; 20.5 percent, Master; and 5.6 percent held a Doctorate.

TABULAR DATA OMITTED

For comparison purposes, data on previous religious affiliation and years in college are presented in Table 1 from a sample of 225 Rajneeshpuram residents who filled out a social-psychological survey in October 1985. One noticeable difference between the two samples was the higher percent of Catholics in the 1985 survey. Fifty-four percent of the respondents to the 1985 survey were female, whereas 60 percent of the respondents to the follow-up survey were female. The median year of birth was 1948 for the follow-up and 1949 on the 1985 survey. On the follow-up survey respondents and on the 1985 survey, the adjusted duration of time spent at Rajneeshpuram was 31 months. As marital status at Rajneeshpuram was confounded by the arranged marriages of foreign disciples to United States citizens to circumvent visa restrictions, any comparison of marital status between the Rajneeshpuram and follow=up surveys would be misleading.