Cult Personalities / Normal Personalities / Question

It’s interesting to look back on my life and see two personalities: the Cult Personality and the Normal Personality.
I believe that most people will do things under the influence of a cult that they would not do before they joined the cult, and which they would not do after they joined the cult.
For instance, I was raised in a Christian home, and was a very good kid (in general). I would never have thought about cheating someone out of money or physical items. Yet, under the influence of a cult, I did cheat people. After leaving, these dishonest activities eventually stopped, and I wouldn’t consider doing them again.
Another example: in the COG, women who had normal sexual activities became prostitutes, and did things they would not have considered doing before they joined the cult. From what I’ve observed, these same women generally stop the prostitution and insane sexual practices after leaving.
What is it about the influence of a cult that turns normal-behaving people into deviants? Is it brain-washing? Or is it something else? Do you think that we truly believed we were doing the right thing? Or do you think that we did these things to gain the aproval of the others in the group(s)?