Robin : “For example, “ostracizing anyone who dared contradict her” would seemingly apply to a great many, perhaps the majority, of ordinary human organizations.” : Yes, but there is a difference between ostracizing = damning to the nethermost pits of hell with no hope of salvation and ostracizing = delaying your next pay increase by a couple of months. i.e., the cult-dom-ness is contingent on the existential nature of the ostracization.
Robin : “For example, “ostracizing anyone who dared contradict her” would seemingly apply to a great many, perhaps the majority, of ordinary human organizations.” : Yes, but there is a difference between ostracizing = damning to the nethermost pits of hell with no hope of salvation and ostracizing = delaying your next pay increase by a couple of months. i.e., the cult-dom-ness is contingent on the existential nature of the ostracization.