The aim of this project is to examine five of the new religious movements of the 60s and 70s and their development over time, thereby relating to and expanding existing theoretical perspectives on the development of religious organizations. The five movements chosen are: the Hare Krishna movement, the Osho movement, the Family/Children of God, the Unification Church/Family Federation and the Church of Scientology. These movements have developed in very different ways, so the project will look into ideological, organizational and social factors that might influence different kinds of development. The movements will be investigated on a global scale, but with a strong emphasis on a local and national plane (Sweden). An interesting question is what has happened to the second generation of these movements in Sweden. Their development over time will be investigated through different types of written material, interviews and field studies. The method will be essentially qualitative, descriptive and comparative. To shed light on the individual level as well, a number of deep interviews will be conducted with long-term members of the movements. The interviews will be analysed using theories from social constructivism, with a certain emphasis on how the individual constructs a self-biography and creates personal narratives.