The process of severing all past associations is a part of the pattern of thought reform common to virtually all cults. After the initial phase of brainwashing is completed, there continues to be an emphasis on disengagement from the old and engagement with the new. According to Dr. Kanter, The outside society, a changing, turbulent, seductive place, poses a particular threat to the existence of utopian communities, so that most successful communities of the past developed sets of insulating boundaries, rules, and structural arrangements that minimized contact with the outside. The world outside the cult is viewed as a corrupt, evil place to be ventured into only for proselytizing and fundraising and other necessities. The threat to new converts is particularly real, and therefore older members are required to accompany the neophyte.
Some groups maintain facilities that are geographically removed from the beaten path.
Specialized terminology and linguistic patterns form what Kanter terms a psychic boundary distinguishing the group from the larger society. In-group jargon emphasizes the separation of them from us. Newspapers, TV, magazines, books other than certain approved religious literature all are prohibited in most groups. Distinctive styles of dress also serve as insulating boundaries, as with Hare Krishna devotees whose saffron robes and hair styles gain attention and promote demarcation from the general population. Cult groups also discourage the formation of exclusive relationships based on two-person attraction or friendship, because such attachments pose a potential threat to the group.