How does forced brainwashing work?

illustrates Cezar Berje

edition Felipe van Deursen

Imagine losing control of your thoughts and becoming a kind of robot that acts in the way desired by a politician, a religious person or a company. But forget the image of someone altering your brain with shocks, surgery, or pills. There is no magic formula in brainwashing. “This is an application of common psychological techniques, but at a very extreme and coercive level,” says Kathleen Taylor, a researcher at the University of Oxford, UK, and author of Brainwashing – The Science of Thought Control (“Brainwashing, the science of thought control”, no edition in Brazil). The concept of brainwashing goes back to a Mandarin term, “hsi-no“, used in meditation to define cleanliness of the mind or heart. It emerged in the 1950s, when the American journalist Edward Hunter was looking for an explanation for the sudden change in the behavior of soldiers in his country. They had been held hostage by the Chinese and North Koreans in the Korean War and, upon their return to the US, became staunch communists.

READ THE REPORT “TAMED BRAINS”

– Six famous cases of brainwashing

– How forced brainwashing works

– How group brainwashing works

– How soft brainwashing works

– Learn how brainwashing works and how not to be a victim

At the base of the beating

There are three types of washing. The forced, as the name says, is the most radical and effective

1. In the breach of individual identity, the perpetrator plunges the person into an environment of extreme pressure, with physical and psychological torture. The intention is to evoke feelings such as guilt and self-betrayal until the victim breaks down and asks for help.

2. The executioner introduces the idea of ​​salvation and presents a way out, always linked to the acceptance of the new belief (religious, political, ideological, etc.). He then manipulates the person into thinking that he is the only one responsible for being there, but if he confesses his «sins», he can «help himself». This serves to make the tortured person believe that, despite everything, he still controls his own actions.

3. Time to rebuild individual identity. Gradually, torture is replaced by a more friendly environment, in which favors are granted so that the feeling of well-being is associated with the new belief. Sort of like animal trainers, who give them food when they get a move right.

planting the seed

Typical forced washing techniques

Alternation between bad and goodIt leaves the victim confused, not knowing how to act to improve their own situation

Physical and psychological threat Serves to destabilize the victim and keep him fearful and obedient

Authority Domain of the aggressor, which determines what the victim does or does not do

Chants or repetition of phrasesIt helps to fix the new content that you want to impose

need for approval The aggressor alternately punishes or rewards similar actions, which confuses the victim

guilt feeling Making the victim feel responsible for everything they are suffering

new costumes Imposing another way of dressing helps to break the person’s individuality

lack of privacyIt hinders the processing of everything that is happening and weakens the victim

IsolationIt avoids the influence of ideas or opinions that could disturb the reprogramming

diet and drugsThe person is forced to change what he eats and drinks, and sometimes to take drugs. It makes your nervous system more vulnerable.

No questions Allowing questions encourages individual thinking, something to be fought

sleep deprivationThose who do not rest do not ration well

NOT EVEN THE CIA COULD

In the Cold War, the CIA invested in a 100% reliable way of brainwashing – and it failed. The test subjects’ memories were even erased, but imposing new beliefs proved more difficult than expected. Even if you master the methods presented here, it is not easy to fully manipulate a person’s brain. This is what the classic movie shows Clockwork Orange (1971), in which the convictions of the protagonist (subjected to forced laundering) are not entirely manipulated

ONE LAST CURIOSITY Brainwashing can erase memory. In fiction, who suffers from this is Wolverine

READ TOO

– Tip from the Fundão Gang: Clockwork Orange it is disturbing and essential

– Infographic: Wolverine’s healing factor

– What are the worst psychological tortures

– How was a torture session in the Dragon Chair?

CONSULTANCY Kathleen Taylor, psychologist and neuroscience expert at the University of Oxford (UK) SOURCES Books brainwashingby Kathleen Taylor Dark Psychology 101by Michael Pace, Banned Mind Control Techniques Unleashedby Daniel Smith, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalismby Robert Lifton, and The Search of Manchurian Candidatesby John D. Marks