Kelley Massingale successfully defended her MA thesis

The School of Criminology warmly congratulates Kelley Massingale who successfully defended her MA thesis entitled: “The Rise and Fall of NXIVM: A Social Network Analysis”.

ABSTRACT

Once believed to be a self-help organization, NXIVM has impacted how we traditionally perceive new religious movements (NRMs), opening the dialogue to further explore the relationship between NRMs and criminal behavior. This study employs social network analysis to explore the evolution of criminal behavior, including within-group violence, that occurred over NXIVM’s life course. Network data was obtained from autobiographical and biographical data, court documents, and secondary sources, and triangulated for validity and reliability. The current study will the role turning points play on the movement’s trajectory, measuring network cohesion and actor centrality across NXIVM’s Onset, Persistence, and Escalation and Desistance. Results showed the each turning point elicited significant change in the network, decreasing NXIVM’s overall density and cohesion. The study also examines the relationship between offending, victimization, (e.g., enslavement, sexual assault, exploitation, etc.) and centrality in the network. Bivariate results showed that influential actors—specifically women—in the network were and continued to be, victimized whilst victimizing fellow members. Results confirm this sentiment, showing select women took an active role in the exploitation and victimization of others, while being victimized themselves. As of current, no studies have used social network analysis to map the network of new religious movements. Pursuing network studies would be invaluable for understanding the evolution of violence and persistence in NRMs.

Kelley will be starting the PhD program here in the School of Criminology in the fall.

Congratulations, Kelley!