Editing Religious abuse (section)

===Research and examples===
Flavil Yeakley's team of researchers conducted field-tests with members of the [[Boston Church of Christ]] using the [[Myers-Briggs Type Indicator]]. In ''The Discipling Dilemma'' Yeakley reports that the members tested "showed a high level of change in psychological type scores", with a "clear pattern of convergence in a single type".{{Sfn|Yeakley|1988|p=39}} The same tests were conducted on five mainline [[Christian denomination|denomination]]s and with six groups that are popularly labeled as [[cult]]s or manipulative [[sect]]s. Yeakley's test results showed that the pattern in the Boston Church "was not found among other churches of Christ or among members of five mainline denominations, but that it was found in studies of six manipulative sects."{{Sfn|Yeakley|1988|p=39}} The research did ''not'' show that the Boston Church was "attracting people with a psychological need for high levels of control", but Yeakley concluded that "they are producing conformity in psychological type" which he deemed to be "unnatural, unhealthy and dangerous."{{Sfn|Yeakley|1988|pp=44, 46–47}}

This was not a [[longitudinal study]] and relied on asking participants to answer the survey three times; once as they imagined they might answer five years prior, once as their present selves and once as they imagined they might answer after five years of influence in the sect. The author insists that despite this, "any significant changes in the pattern of these perceptions would indicate some kind of group pressure. A high degree of change and a convergence in a single type would be convincing proof that the Boston Church of Christ has some kind of group dynamic operating that tends to produce conformity to the group norm." However it could instead indicate a desire on the part of the respondents to change in the direction indicated. To determine actual changes in MBTI results would require a longitudinal study, since the methodology here was inherently suggestive of its conclusion. This is also amply borne out in its instructions: "The instructions stated clearly that no one was telling them that their answers ought to change. The instructions said that the purpose of the study was simply to find out if there were any changes and, if so, what those changes might indicate."{{Sfn|Yeakley|1988|pp=30–31}}<ref>{{cite web |date=18 June 2023 |title=10 reasons why the church is the perfect culture for abuse |url=https://nakedpastor.com/blogs/news/10-reasons-why-the-church-is-the-perfect-culture-for-abuse |access-date=5 August 2024 |website=NakedPastor}}</ref>