Raffaella Di Marzio received her doctorate in Psychology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, in June 2016, with a dissertation entitled “Affiliation and Disaffiliation from New Religious Movements. Presentation and deep analysis of the Rambo et coll.' integrated model".
She has a B.A. degrees in: Psychology (University “La Sapienza” of Rome, 1981), Educational Science (Pontifical Salesian University, 1981) and History of Religions (University “La Sapienza” of Rome, 2003) and Religious Science (Institute for Religious Studies Ecclesia Mater, linked to the faculty of theology of Pontifical Lateran University, 1986).”.
In 2002 she set up a Centre of Information on Cults, New Religious Movements, Cult-Watching and Anti-cult Groups: the Online Center http://www.dimarzio.info/en/
She is founder and Director of the Center for Studies on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience (LIREC) and member of Editorial Board of Psychology of Religion e-Journal (PRej). She has been one of the HRWF network of experts which covers more than 20 countries, until 2016. HRWF is a non-profit organization based in Brussels (Belgium) that promotes human rights through fact-finding missions, research and advocacy.
She has been ICSA Today’s News Co-Correspondent for Italy from 2000 to 2017.
She is member of SIPR (Italian Society of Psychology of Religion) and she has been member of managing board of this organization until October 2017.
She was the secretary of the Executive Committee of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), until July 2016.
She has been a Catholic religion teacher in a senior high school in Rome until 2020 and she has been Professor of Psychology of Religion at the Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences “Auxilium” in Rome.
Since 2017, she is Professor of Psychology of Religion at Master in “Terrorism, prevention of subversive radicalization, security and cybersecurity. Policies for inter-religious and intercultural integration and for deradicalization”, University of Bari Aldo Moro.
Since 2019, Lecturer of Psychology of religion for the Post-Graduate Training in “Awarness of radicalization: gender, minors and deradicalization processes, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research at the University of Bari Aldo Moro.
She has published more than 100 articles about cults, mind control, New Religious Movements and anti-cult groups, is a contributor to CESNUR’s Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy(2013) and to Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 6 vol., ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara [California] 2010), J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann Editors and to The World Religions & Spirituality Project (WRSP), established at Virginia Commonwealth University (Project Founder/Director: David G. Bromley, Ph.D.).
She is regularly invited to lecture at pontifical and state Universities on Cults, New Religious Movements and topics regarding the Psychology of Religion in general.
She is in demand as a Cult and New Religious Movements expert for TV and radio shows, Conferences and Lectures widely.
Bibliography (Book Covers)
Human Rights Without Frontiers in Italy
Member of the Managing Board of SIPR
More about me
The confessions of the monster in the mirror
To be or not to be a cult : That is the question