Psychology of Brainwashing and Interrogation

to limit all forms of communication with the outside world, making it difficult to 'reality test'

brainwashing

gentle strategies to induce mild commitment, followed by elaboration and manipulation of sentiments

mystical manipulation

difficulty in 'reality testing'

it increases compliance and commitment

use of confession

it raises significant concerns about the violation of human autonomy and dignity

To radically change a mind, so that the individual becomes a living puppet, a human robot, without the atrocity being visible on the exterior, the objective being to create a tool in flesh and blood, furnished with new beliefs and new thought processes inserted into a captive body.

The term 'brainwashing' was invented by the CIA after examining why a number of US POWs appeared to be converted to Communism during the Korean War, and was popularized by Condon's novel The Manchurian Candidate (1958).

The four strategies are: (1) placing prisoners in an altered state of consciousness, (2) making prisoners highly suggestible in the resulting primitive state, (3) conditioning prisoners through punishment and reward, and (4) assuming a new personality that persists indefinitely.

The CIA's perspective suggests the use of hypnosis or placing captors in a dissociative state, whereas research on Korean POWs and Western civilians did not show evidence of such techniques.

Engaging one's mind in critical evaluation.

Tolerating guilt allows individuals to resist the pressure to conform to the brainwasher's demands and prevent them from rushing to ease their guilt through paths laid out by others.

Brainwashing is a form of manipulation that aims to create a mind-controlled individual, which raises ethical concerns about the autonomy and agency of the individual.

Unconditional love from strangers can be a sign of manipulation or deception, and being wary of it can help individuals resist brainwashing.

The assumption is that absolute purity is attainable, and that anything done to achieve it is ultimately moral. This allows the manipulator to become the judge of good and evil, using guilt and shame to control others.

The pursuit of ultimate purity leads to the manipulation of individuals through confessions, guilt, and shame, resulting in the surrender of the self to the environment and the loss of private ownership of one's mind and its contents.

Group dogma is elevated to an aura of sacredness, with the prohibition of questioning basic assumptions and reverence demanded for the Word and its originators, creating an illusion of logic and precision.

The manipulation of individuals through group norms and dogma can lead to a flawed sense of morality, where dissent is viewed as immoral and 'unscientific', and individual freedom and autonomy are suppressed.

Private ownership of the mind and its contents is viewed as immoral and unnecessary in the context of brainwashing, leading to the surrender of the self to the environment and the loss of autonomy.

Cults and brainwashing techniques use group norms and dogma to control individuals by creating an aura of sacredness, suppressing dissent, and promoting conformity, leading to the loss of individual identity and autonomy.

Guilt and shame are used to manipulate individuals by creating a sense of moral obligation to conform to the group's norms and values, and to suppress dissent and critical thinking.

The concept of ultimate purity is used to justify the manipulation of individuals through mind control, leading to a suppression of individual freedom and autonomy, and a flawed sense of morality.