The Lofland-Stark Conversion Model: A Critical Reassessment

Abstract

The most refined and widely cited conversion model within the sociological literature is the value-added scheme propounded by Lofland and Stark (1965) well over a decade ago. This paper is a critical examination of the Lofland-Stark model. Data derived from an extensive study of recruitment and conversion to the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist movement in America provide little empirical support for the model in its entirety. Several components of the model are also theoretically questionable. The analysis suggests that affective and intensive interaction are not only essential for conversion to Nichiren Shoshu, but that conversion in general is highly improbable in the absence of these two factors.