Brainwashing
Brainwashing–also called mind control–is a complex process that overrides a person’s normal beliefs, will, or desires and replaces them with the opinions or will of the person or group doing the brainwashing.
What Is Brainwashing?
Brainwashing is commonly associated with cults and abuse. A cult leader might, for example, present a warm and friendly disposition to gain a person’s trust, then slowly break down the person by calling him or her names, forcing him or her to work, and engaging in other forms of abuse. This abuse might be interspersed with periodic kindness in conjunction with isolation from loved ones, rendering the person completely dependent on the cult leader. Victims of abuse–particularly child sexual abuse–sometimes report that they felt brainwashed by an abuser who, for example, convinced them the abuse was a sign of love. Brainwashing sometimes involves the use of powerful mind-altering drugs to induce feelings of euphoria and hallucinations.
A related concept, Stockholm Syndrome, occurs when a captive begins to empathize with his or her captor and may even collude with the captor.
Brainwashing is not always so extreme. Many media analysts have argued that advertisements and even news reports are a form of brainwashing. For example, an infomercial might repeatedly state the value of the product and insert subtle messages that make a viewer feel inferior without it. Similarly, the news media might choose to take one angle on a story, thus interfering with the viewer’s understanding of the larger world and altering the opinions he or she holds.
Undoing Brainwashing
Once people have identified with an abuser, captor, cult leader, or even a brand through brainwashing, they are often resistant to severing ties. Some groups have established intervention organizations to help cult escapees and other people who have experienced brainwashing.
Reference:
- Brainwashing. (n.d.). Rick Ross. Retrieved from http://www.rickross.com/brainwashing.html
Last Updated: 08-4-2015
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Jean
December 18th, 2013 at 7:31 AMWould you think that women marriage therapists on the internet, who write long artcles, that scold, blame, and tell women to bow down to their husbands, are brainwashed by male doctrines, and are trying to convince the rest of us women to adopt their way of thinking? 12-17-13
Emma
September 5th, 2018 at 1:40 AMDefinitely. Those women therapists who keep women down by blaming them for not looking good enough, not trying hard enough, not having sex enough, not keeping the house nice enough and all the other rubbish, are betraying their own sex. They are weak and passive and want other women to be just like them.
Elise Gingerich
January 11th, 2014 at 8:49 AMbut, if YOU say such things, then YOU are considered to be CRAZY, or Schizophrenic, by others, around YOU! my father, is ALWAYS telling ME, that a lot of times, when I have these USELESS arguments, with him, that I’m Schizophrenic, or CRAZY= brainwashing?! is uselessly arguing, with my father, a form of brainwashing?! THIS is a VERY SCARY society, to LIVE in, because: THIS stuff, is Actually happening, isn’t it?! ALL of THIS brainwashing stuff, IS actually happening= THIS is a VERY SCARY society, WE live in! my mother, she does THIS brainwashing stuff, in small ways, too?! is my mother, doing THIS brainwashing stuff, to ME, in small ways, too?! but: I dare not SAY anything, because: IT sounds like I’m CRAZY! IF I say ANY of THIS, than I’m CRAZY! are MY thoughts, or MY life, REALLY my own, anyways?! I’m just wondering: IS MY life, or MY thoughts, REALLY MY own, anyways, people?!?! scary, just REALLY SCARY!
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