RT Article
T1 Cracks in the Network Conversion Paradigm
JF International journal for the study of new religions
VO 3
IS 2
SP 143
OP 162
A1 Lewis, James R. 1949-2022
LA English
PB equinox
YR 2012
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1799065472
AB One of the standard generalizations about new religions is that people convert to NRMs primarily through preexisting social networks. The present paper examines data on a variety of new religions which demonstrates that social networks are not always the dominant point of contact for new converts. Additionally, recruitment patterns change over time so that different factors become dominant at different points in a movement’s development. Two reasons why this variability has escaped the attention of most researchers is an unconscious tendency to assume that the sociological profiles of members of different NRMs are essentially similar, and the fact that such groups are typically studied synchronically rather than diachronically.
K1 Hare Krishna Movement
K1 Longitudinal Approaches
K1 New Religious Movements
K1 Paganism
K1 Social Networks
K1 Conversion
DO 10.1558/ijsnr.v3i2.143