Cultism refers to the practices and devotions of a cult. It can also refer to a system or community of religious worship and ritual. The term "cult" often carries derogatory connotations and has been considered a subjective term used as an ad hominem attack against groups with differing doctrines or practices. Some common characteristics of cults include authoritarian control, maximum dependency, and obsessive devotion to a person, principle, or thing. Cults can be mystifying and even terrifying to outsiders, and they have left a long string of crimes in their wake.