Danger signs of abuse within a polygamous relationship

• Control over private lives: telling people where they should work; expecting attendance at multiple church services and activities, dictating decisions that should be made by the entire family.
• Manipulation of marriages: arranging for people to get married; telling women to stay in abusive home situations and accept the abuse as "correction from the Lord".
• Sexual demands: pressures to perform sexual acts through coercion.
• Threats or intimidation: threats to "take away" the husband’s attention for "wrong behavior."
• The group seems perfect: everyone agrees and follows orders cheerfully.
• The group claims to have "all the answers" to your problems.
• You begin to feel guilty and ashamed, unworthy as a person.
• The group speaks in a derogatory way about those outside the religious affiliation.
• Outsiders are defined as unable to understand and help you with religious matters.
• Males are believed to have more rights and abilities than females.
• Leadership is never shared.
• Someone frequently prefaces his or her remarks with things like "The Lord has told me."
• An authoritarian leadership that claims exclusive access to God’s will.
• Total control over members' daily lives.
• Exclusivity and isolation.
• Development of unhealthy emotional dependence.
• Prohibition of critical analysis and independent thinking.
• Practices methods of ego destruction and mind control.
• Discouragement of free and independent pursuit of education.