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Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control
The term 'brainwashing' was first recorded in 1950, but it is an expression of a much older the forcible and full-scale alteration of a person's beliefs. Over the past 50 years the term has crept into popular culture, served as a topic for jokes, frightened the public in media
headlines, and slandered innumerable people and institutions. It has also been the subject of learned discussion from many history, sociology, psychology, psychotherapy, and marketing. Despite this variety, to date there has been one angle any serious reference to real brains.
Descriptions of how opinions can be changed, whether by persuasion, deceit, or force, have been almost entirely psychological.
headlines, and slandered innumerable people and institutions. It has also been the subject of learned discussion from many history, sociology, psychology, psychotherapy, and marketing. Despite this variety, to date there has been one angle any serious reference to real brains.
Descriptions of how opinions can be changed, whether by persuasion, deceit, or force, have been almost entirely psychological.
324 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
152 people are currently reading
2751 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Taylor
6 books49 followersKathleen Taylor is a an Oxford University researcher and author specializing in neuroscience.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
September 3, 2013
While Taylor does discuss hardcore brainwashing (think Communist China), its uses, and its potential future, which in a technological age is kind of scary, much of the book (the really interesting part) deals with a more insidious, though milder, form of thought control, particularly that which is accomplished through advertising, the media, and society/culture.
The thing is once you abandon the idea of a "soul" or entity that is separate from the body, you have no choice but to accept that we are nothing more than a mass of cells, though complex (basically you accept the biological basis for all behavior). This can be a reassuring concept, but it can also be alienating and terrifying. On one level, it suggests that the devil isn't the one who makes us do "bad" things. It's our faulty neurons, a result of genetics and our life circumstances and experiences, instead. Both explanations are hard to swallow in their own way. One implies a certain level of "free will" while the other seems to eliminate it. But both acknowledge that there are forces beyond our control working on/against us.
After reading this and many other books on the subject, I find myself feeling somewhat conflicted. The idea that our brains, and therefore ourselves, are nothing more than malleable pieces of clay offers a level of hope, but also a level of despair. You can't choose your genetics, and most of us have very little control over our culture or early life experiences, both of which are changing our brains without our knowing it. Even as adults, though we may feel free...our freedoms are limited at every turn.
In the end, we are all unique experiments of nature and the societies/circumstances we are born into and ultimately some end-products that work better than others at least as far as "society" is concerned. Furthermore, this concept of free will is probably an illusion, up to a point depending on how you define "free to choose".
What the book really helped me to better understand is how things like the Holocaust can happen. It would seem we are creatures that not only create our own realities (realities that ultimately serve us and sometimes work to protect and preserve our most flawed beliefs) but we will also go to great lengths to protect those subjective realities even when those realities are challenged and their flaws revealed.
Understanding how the brain works really does help to explain how a guard in a prison camp can oversee the mass murder of a family, including children, and then return home, a loving father, to his own family. It explains how a pro-lifer can reconcile his pro-death penalty stance. We are a conundrum of illogical and blatant inconsistencies. And the greatest shot we have at true freedom is to understand why.
The "me" we feel is a brain, nothing mystical or magical, and possibly someday with enough technology and science, who we are and how we act may be both predictable and controllable.
What I found most disturbing is that manipulating individuals is extremely easy, even now with our limited knowledge of the brain/psychology, and we are all victims of "brainwashing" on some level whether we realize/admit it or not. Furthermore, our susceptibility to outside suggestions is probably highly influenced by genetics and circumstances/life experiences and thus the physical make-up of our brain. Even the food we eat may impact how our brain functions and thus who "we are" or perceive ourselves to be.
The concept that "reality" is on many levels a self-created individualized delusion (subjective and not objective) is a mind-bender, but then again if it is real to the self, than what's the difference. I keep coming back to how we see the world, say as opposed to bees. We see a flower, bees see something that looks like a bull's eye. What makes our version of "reality" any more real than theirs.
Overall, the book is well written and entertaining. I loved the quotes at the beginning of sections, which added to the literary experience, and I loved the topic, which really is why we believe what we believe and how those beliefs are formed and thus can be changed without our even knowing. I think given technology and scientific advances, this is important stuff that has far reaching implications.
I kept coming back to two great classics, 1984 and Brave New World, both which were quoted/mentioned in the book. Clearly 1984 is a dystopia...but what about Brave New World. I kept asking myself...was it a dystopian or a utopian society. If you could induce a perpetual state of happiness and contentedness (artificially) say through some new neuro-scientific procedure...would you? And are there really states of happiness or contentedness that aren't "artificial" (at least on some level) since happiness/contentedness like so many other things are subjective and personal experiences.
Would recommend to those who enjoy brain science and its implications for psychology and sociology, as well as discussions of concepts like "free will". Would also recommend The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer, Free Will by Sam Harris and Incognito by David Eagleman for complimentary reading.
Interestingly, I checked out "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" to reread before starting this book (haven't read since high school), and I am excited about reading it with Taylor's ideas still fresh in my head. Taylor also briefly talks about "mental illness" and "justified" brainwashing, as we as a society seem to agree that in certain circumstances, reprogramming (brainwashing) is not only warranted but absolutely ethical.
Some favorite quotes/ideas:
The thing is once you abandon the idea of a "soul" or entity that is separate from the body, you have no choice but to accept that we are nothing more than a mass of cells, though complex (basically you accept the biological basis for all behavior). This can be a reassuring concept, but it can also be alienating and terrifying. On one level, it suggests that the devil isn't the one who makes us do "bad" things. It's our faulty neurons, a result of genetics and our life circumstances and experiences, instead. Both explanations are hard to swallow in their own way. One implies a certain level of "free will" while the other seems to eliminate it. But both acknowledge that there are forces beyond our control working on/against us.
After reading this and many other books on the subject, I find myself feeling somewhat conflicted. The idea that our brains, and therefore ourselves, are nothing more than malleable pieces of clay offers a level of hope, but also a level of despair. You can't choose your genetics, and most of us have very little control over our culture or early life experiences, both of which are changing our brains without our knowing it. Even as adults, though we may feel free...our freedoms are limited at every turn.
In the end, we are all unique experiments of nature and the societies/circumstances we are born into and ultimately some end-products that work better than others at least as far as "society" is concerned. Furthermore, this concept of free will is probably an illusion, up to a point depending on how you define "free to choose".
What the book really helped me to better understand is how things like the Holocaust can happen. It would seem we are creatures that not only create our own realities (realities that ultimately serve us and sometimes work to protect and preserve our most flawed beliefs) but we will also go to great lengths to protect those subjective realities even when those realities are challenged and their flaws revealed.
Understanding how the brain works really does help to explain how a guard in a prison camp can oversee the mass murder of a family, including children, and then return home, a loving father, to his own family. It explains how a pro-lifer can reconcile his pro-death penalty stance. We are a conundrum of illogical and blatant inconsistencies. And the greatest shot we have at true freedom is to understand why.
The "me" we feel is a brain, nothing mystical or magical, and possibly someday with enough technology and science, who we are and how we act may be both predictable and controllable.
What I found most disturbing is that manipulating individuals is extremely easy, even now with our limited knowledge of the brain/psychology, and we are all victims of "brainwashing" on some level whether we realize/admit it or not. Furthermore, our susceptibility to outside suggestions is probably highly influenced by genetics and circumstances/life experiences and thus the physical make-up of our brain. Even the food we eat may impact how our brain functions and thus who "we are" or perceive ourselves to be.
The concept that "reality" is on many levels a self-created individualized delusion (subjective and not objective) is a mind-bender, but then again if it is real to the self, than what's the difference. I keep coming back to how we see the world, say as opposed to bees. We see a flower, bees see something that looks like a bull's eye. What makes our version of "reality" any more real than theirs.
Overall, the book is well written and entertaining. I loved the quotes at the beginning of sections, which added to the literary experience, and I loved the topic, which really is why we believe what we believe and how those beliefs are formed and thus can be changed without our even knowing. I think given technology and scientific advances, this is important stuff that has far reaching implications.
I kept coming back to two great classics, 1984 and Brave New World, both which were quoted/mentioned in the book. Clearly 1984 is a dystopia...but what about Brave New World. I kept asking myself...was it a dystopian or a utopian society. If you could induce a perpetual state of happiness and contentedness (artificially) say through some new neuro-scientific procedure...would you? And are there really states of happiness or contentedness that aren't "artificial" (at least on some level) since happiness/contentedness like so many other things are subjective and personal experiences.
Would recommend to those who enjoy brain science and its implications for psychology and sociology, as well as discussions of concepts like "free will". Would also recommend The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer, Free Will by Sam Harris and Incognito by David Eagleman for complimentary reading.
Interestingly, I checked out "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" to reread before starting this book (haven't read since high school), and I am excited about reading it with Taylor's ideas still fresh in my head. Taylor also briefly talks about "mental illness" and "justified" brainwashing, as we as a society seem to agree that in certain circumstances, reprogramming (brainwashing) is not only warranted but absolutely ethical.
Some favorite quotes/ideas:
February 5, 2016
I read this book for my fanfic-writing. The information within is very useful, but the text itself is a bit dry...
July 26, 2007
I got this book hoping that it would provide me with scientific evidence that would help me develop a more informed opinion on the controversial issue of brainwashing. Unfortunately, Taylor points out that it is ethically impossible to conduct controlled brainwashing studies, so I did not find the specific evidence I was looking for. What the book does provide, however, is a detailed discussion of what science can tell us about how we come to believe what we do, and how influence attempts can impact that process.
Taylor’s discussion of influence techniques is thorough, ranging from advertising and education through systematic techniques used by cult leaders to the physical abuse used on American prisoners during the Korean War. By diving into neuroscience to detail how concepts and ideas are established in the brain, Taylor offers insight into how different kinds of manipulation attempts try to change how people think about the world around them. Her discussion of how skilled manipulators work to link strong emotion to a new idea in attempt to bypass the critical thought processes that would make people stop and think is particularly important for people interested in cultic issues.
Taylor’s discussion of influence techniques is thorough, ranging from advertising and education through systematic techniques used by cult leaders to the physical abuse used on American prisoners during the Korean War. By diving into neuroscience to detail how concepts and ideas are established in the brain, Taylor offers insight into how different kinds of manipulation attempts try to change how people think about the world around them. Her discussion of how skilled manipulators work to link strong emotion to a new idea in attempt to bypass the critical thought processes that would make people stop and think is particularly important for people interested in cultic issues.
May 21, 2011
This is possibly one of the most important books I've read in a long while. As someone trained in media studies and employed within an advertising-driven environment, I understand all too well how modern media manipulate people. Kathleen Taylor offers readers a basic breakdown with reference to further reading, examining not only the history of thought control, but also discusses the fact that we are continually bombarded with information seeking to change our minds.
I urge anyone with an interest in psychology and thought processes to at least give this book a try. Our minds and how they function are so intricate. Taylor really drives it home that we don't know nearly enough about the symbiosis of consciousness and matter.
While she doesn't deliver any definite answers to such a complex issue, she does offer us some practical applications. Now if only more people out there were willing to pursue knowledge and employ the simple technique of stop-think.
This book's a keeper, and is a valuable resource to anyone, be they atheist, Christian, Muslim or believe in the Tooth Fairy. I've just ordered my print copy.
I urge anyone with an interest in psychology and thought processes to at least give this book a try. Our minds and how they function are so intricate. Taylor really drives it home that we don't know nearly enough about the symbiosis of consciousness and matter.
While she doesn't deliver any definite answers to such a complex issue, she does offer us some practical applications. Now if only more people out there were willing to pursue knowledge and employ the simple technique of stop-think.
This book's a keeper, and is a valuable resource to anyone, be they atheist, Christian, Muslim or believe in the Tooth Fairy. I've just ordered my print copy.
October 1, 2020
Man is the strangest animal...
Many, if not most of his actions are not grounded in any semblance of rationality or reason. This makes studying him so interesting, and why I am drawn to the field of social psychology.
Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control is an incredibly interesting book on brainwashing, social psychology, and neurology. Author Kathleen Taylor is a popular science author and a research scientist in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at the University of Oxford. Her PhD deals with Computational modelling of the contribution of posterior parietal cortex to saccadic eye movements (1999), according to her Wikipedia page.
Author Kathleen Taylor:
The writing here is very good; Taylor writes with an engaging style in a clear and concise manner readily accessible to the reader. The book begins by describing the first documented cases of and labeling of the psychological phenomenon of now know as "brainwashing".
Returned American POWs from the Korean War who underwent psychological torture and communist indoctrination were found to have become ardent believers in the Marxist doctrine, even after their release.
The book continues on, with case studies of cults; the Manson cult, and the Jim Jones cult in Guyana. There is also talk about the psychological dynamics of the cult as a social phenomenon, and the many themes and commonalities present in cults. Again - excellent insights and writing.
Other topics covered in Brainwashing :
*The role of brainwashing and mental manipulation in Maoist China, and Nazi Germany.
*Case studies of the novels 1984 and Brave New World as they relate to psychological manipulation and brainwashing.
*A chapter that talks in detail about the underlying psychological mechanisms used in advertising and the media; she covers Edward Bernays and Sigmund Freud.
*The role of brainwashing and ideological indoctrination in education.
*The Milgram Experiment and its social implications; Nazis and the Holocaust.
*The role of psychology in the Military.
*Domestic abuse.
*The usage of torture.
*Free will and the concept of the self.
*A brief introduction to neuroscience, including some great illustrations of the mechanics of neurons.
*Talk about emotions and neurology.
There are many excellent quotables here; the writing is very sharp and formidable.
I also really appreciated the excellent formatting; the book is broken into chapters, with each chapter broken into segments. The segments have headers, which makes it easy to follow the writing and retain the information presented. There is also a "Summary and conclusion" at the end of each chapter, which is further usage by Taylor of extremely effective communication. I really like when books are formatted this way.
This was an incredibly fascinating and thought-provoking read. However, I found the first ~half of the book particularly good, while I found the second ~half - where she takes a deep dive into free will, consciousness, and philosophy to be a bit overly technical and dry, unfortunately... This may just be a subjective thing; I'm not a big fan of extensive philosophical writing.
If you are interested in psychology and/or social psychology this one should be on your "to-read" list.
5 stars for the first half, and 3 stars for the second half for a total 4-star rating.
Many, if not most of his actions are not grounded in any semblance of rationality or reason. This makes studying him so interesting, and why I am drawn to the field of social psychology.
Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control is an incredibly interesting book on brainwashing, social psychology, and neurology. Author Kathleen Taylor is a popular science author and a research scientist in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at the University of Oxford. Her PhD deals with Computational modelling of the contribution of posterior parietal cortex to saccadic eye movements (1999), according to her Wikipedia page.
Author Kathleen Taylor:
The writing here is very good; Taylor writes with an engaging style in a clear and concise manner readily accessible to the reader. The book begins by describing the first documented cases of and labeling of the psychological phenomenon of now know as "brainwashing".
Returned American POWs from the Korean War who underwent psychological torture and communist indoctrination were found to have become ardent believers in the Marxist doctrine, even after their release.
The book continues on, with case studies of cults; the Manson cult, and the Jim Jones cult in Guyana. There is also talk about the psychological dynamics of the cult as a social phenomenon, and the many themes and commonalities present in cults. Again - excellent insights and writing.
Other topics covered in Brainwashing :
*The role of brainwashing and mental manipulation in Maoist China, and Nazi Germany.
*Case studies of the novels 1984 and Brave New World as they relate to psychological manipulation and brainwashing.
*A chapter that talks in detail about the underlying psychological mechanisms used in advertising and the media; she covers Edward Bernays and Sigmund Freud.
*The role of brainwashing and ideological indoctrination in education.
*The Milgram Experiment and its social implications; Nazis and the Holocaust.
*The role of psychology in the Military.
*Domestic abuse.
*The usage of torture.
*Free will and the concept of the self.
*A brief introduction to neuroscience, including some great illustrations of the mechanics of neurons.
*Talk about emotions and neurology.
There are many excellent quotables here; the writing is very sharp and formidable.
I also really appreciated the excellent formatting; the book is broken into chapters, with each chapter broken into segments. The segments have headers, which makes it easy to follow the writing and retain the information presented. There is also a "Summary and conclusion" at the end of each chapter, which is further usage by Taylor of extremely effective communication. I really like when books are formatted this way.
This was an incredibly fascinating and thought-provoking read. However, I found the first ~half of the book particularly good, while I found the second ~half - where she takes a deep dive into free will, consciousness, and philosophy to be a bit overly technical and dry, unfortunately... This may just be a subjective thing; I'm not a big fan of extensive philosophical writing.
If you are interested in psychology and/or social psychology this one should be on your "to-read" list.
5 stars for the first half, and 3 stars for the second half for a total 4-star rating.
May 7, 2014
This book was very interesting but, for me, difficult to read in some places. It's 20 years since I completed my degree in Psychology and I certainly haven't kept up with things and this book does contain some technical neuro-stuff. However, Kathleen Taylor's explanation of the many varieties of influence techniques used in politics, religion and advertising were fascinating and very useful (to me).
Her expression 'cogwebs', as an abbreviation for cognitive web - connections in the brain made through reinforcement of certain beliefs and thought patterns often through external influence, were particularly interesting. The stronger the reinforcement of these beliefs the harder they are to change. Rather like a gully cut into rock by a small stream - even though the force of the water isn't strong the constant flow gradually erodes the rock. It is then very difficult to change the route of the stream. It is the same with beliefs, it is very difficult to change beliefs when current beliefs have been reinforced over and over. Therefore, those who are part of cults or totalitarian regimes of some kind are trapped by their own minds and the influence that the leaders of these groups have over them by the constant reinforcement of certain messages.
Taylor mentions Robert Lifton's Thought Reform Criteria:
** Milieu Control – The control of information and communication.
** Mystical Manipulation – The manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated.
** Demand for Purity – The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection.
** Confession – Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group.
** Sacred Science – The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute.
** Loading the Language – The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand.
** Doctrine over person – The member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.
** Dispensing of existence – The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not.
But how does one resist such influence? Stop and think! She also suggests that cynicism and humour assist resisting influence - which is great, because being English we are endlessly cynical and like to use humour as a defence. Awesome. :)
Great book, if you're interested in this kind of thing.
Her expression 'cogwebs', as an abbreviation for cognitive web - connections in the brain made through reinforcement of certain beliefs and thought patterns often through external influence, were particularly interesting. The stronger the reinforcement of these beliefs the harder they are to change. Rather like a gully cut into rock by a small stream - even though the force of the water isn't strong the constant flow gradually erodes the rock. It is then very difficult to change the route of the stream. It is the same with beliefs, it is very difficult to change beliefs when current beliefs have been reinforced over and over. Therefore, those who are part of cults or totalitarian regimes of some kind are trapped by their own minds and the influence that the leaders of these groups have over them by the constant reinforcement of certain messages.
Taylor mentions Robert Lifton's Thought Reform Criteria:
** Milieu Control – The control of information and communication.
** Mystical Manipulation – The manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated.
** Demand for Purity – The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection.
** Confession – Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group.
** Sacred Science – The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute.
** Loading the Language – The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand.
** Doctrine over person – The member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.
** Dispensing of existence – The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not.
But how does one resist such influence? Stop and think! She also suggests that cynicism and humour assist resisting influence - which is great, because being English we are endlessly cynical and like to use humour as a defence. Awesome. :)
Great book, if you're interested in this kind of thing.
August 21, 2021
An interesting and thorough examination of “brainwashing” and the psychology and neuroscience thereof. I particularly liked the way in which Taylor identifies neuronal correlates for psychoanalytical suggestions about the nature of belief and brainwashing. There were two things that struck me. First, the idea that certain kinds of beliefs are difficult to shake because they form part of your identity. Should those beliefs change, your identity might too, which clarifies why some beliefs are so doxastically resistant (if that’s an appropriate term to describe the phenomenon). Second, a helpful abbreviation (‘ICURE’) to think of the tools of brainwashers:
Isolate individuals (from their environment, from friends, family and those that might challenge the belief they are trying to force)
Control information (what they perceive, think and do)
Uncertainty(create) about their previous beliefs
Repetition and reinforcement
Emotional manipulation (employ positive and negative emotions to weaken former beliefs and strengthen new ones)
Isolate individuals (from their environment, from friends, family and those that might challenge the belief they are trying to force)
Control information (what they perceive, think and do)
Uncertainty(create) about their previous beliefs
Repetition and reinforcement
Emotional manipulation (employ positive and negative emotions to weaken former beliefs and strengthen new ones)
December 16, 2021
Kuka Taylor ja mikä aihe?
Kathleen Taylor on Oxfordin yliopistosta valmistunut neurotieteilijä, joka on kirjoittanut useita kansainvälisiä menestyskirjoja, ja Brainwashing – The science of thought control käsittelee nimenomaan aivopesuun tähtäävää mielenhallintaa. Siihen liittyy monenlaisia uhrin pelkoja hallinnan ja oman identiteetin menettämisestä, jos olemme muiden ylivoimaisten manipulointiprosessien armoilla emmekä osaa tunnistaa saati vastustaa meihin kohdistettua suostuttelua, painostamista ja pakottamista.
Taitavat aivopesurit kykenevät aiheuttamaan ylitsepääsemätöntä stressiä monenlaisin manööverein murtaessaan saaliinsa puolustuksen. Taylor määrittelee kolme tapaa muuttaa mieltä: se tehdään pakkokeinoin, salamyhkäisesti tai suorilla aivojen manipulointitekniikoilla. Kirjassa puhutaan paljon uhreista ja niiden saalistajista, ja käsitteenä aivopesu juontaa länsimaissa yhdysvaltalaiseen toimittajaan ja monitoimimieheen Edward Hunteriin, joka oli perehtynyt myös kiinalaisiin mielenhallintamenetelmiin. Tarkoittaahan kiinalainen sana xinao ’aivojen siistimistä’.Aivopesun ytimessä on lamauttaa yksilön kokemus siitä, että hän olisi enemmän tai vähemmän oman kohtalonsa haltija – sen sijaan vapaa tahto halutaan nitistää täysin.
Kirjan rakenne
Kirja on jaoteltu selkeästi kolmeen osaan, ja alkuun lähdetään monenlaisista määritelmistä aina suostuttelusta kidutukseen; sitten päästään siihen, mitä aivoissa tapahtuu, jotta meidät saadaan tekemään, mitä käsketään; viimeisessä osiossa pohdiskellaan, kuinka vapautuminen mielen kahleista voi onnistua ja kuinka oman elämänsä sekä vapautensa voi saada takaisin hallintaansa. Lopussa pitäisi olla vielä viitteet, sanasto ja asiahakemisto, jollaiset on Kindle-versiosta pudotettu pois.
Propaganda, manipulointi ja aivopesu
Propagandaan ja manipulointiin ei voi välttyä törmäämästä, jos avaa tv-uutiset tai selailee päivän lehtiä. Valtaosa ihmisistä ottaa heille välitetyn uutisinformaation (lähes) sellaisenaan eikä pysähdy ajattelemaan, ovatko esitetyt ilmasto- tai koronauutiset todenmukaisia vai täyttä pötyä eli misinformaatiota. Useimmiten jotain ideologiaa tai agendaa tuetaan välittämällä vain puolueellista ja sen tavoitteita tukevaa uutisvirtaa, jota voidaan vääristellä mielin määrin. Kun uutiset pannaan tavoitteiden mukaisiin kehyksiin (frames) ja tarjoillaan sopivina annospaloina nälkäisille uutisneomaanikoille, kavennetaan ”sopivasti” yksilön tapaa tarkastella maailmaa, hahmottaa kokonaisuuksia ja asioiden välisiä suhteita.
Viestin lähettäjän kannaltahan on ideaalia, että pystyy hallitsemaan toisten uskomuksia ja käyttäytymistä niin täydellisesti, että ruuduntuijottajat ja somettajat eivät edes tajua tulleensa aivopestyiksi ja että he ajattelevat heille sepitettyjen (tai johonkin narratiiviin perustuvien) tarinoiden olevan täysin totta ja kuuluvan omaan ajatteluun. Tällaiset ihmiset sitten jatkavat viestin levittämistä ihan vilpittömin mielin. He tuntuvat tosiaan uskovan muidenkin ajattelun mullistuvan jakaessaan valheita, eivätkä he itse edes käsitä olevansa aivopesun uhreja.
(Tayloria mukaellen) lammasmaisia puudeleita ei edes tarvitse pakottaa, sillä hehän rakastavat orjuuttaan. Vähitellen ihmisten itsemääräämisoikeutta ja vapautta kaventamalla alamaiset on saatu hallintaan totalitaarisen ideologian poissulkemisen mekanismeilla. Toisin sanoen kaikki muu kuin siihen kuulumaton kielletään, käytetään retorisia keinoa ja varsinkin sanojen ladattuja merkityksiä sekä vastustajien ja heidän mielipiteidensä halventamista sekä henkilökohtaisuuksiin menevää mitätöintiä unohtamatta. Yleensä pyritään häivyttämään rationaalisuus ja järkeen vetoaminen, ja tilalle masinoidaan pelkoa, epävarmuutta, salamyhkäisyyttä ja pakottavaa mielivaltaa ja saadaan uhrit joukkopsykoosiin. Yksinkertaisuus ja toisteisuus ovat avainmenetelmiä, joita pelko ja hämmennys tukevat erinomaisesti, ja niillä korvataan monimutkaisten ja järkeen perustuvien argumenttien myyminen – vaatiihan sellainen ajatustyötä ja kuluttaa mentaalista energiaa. Päämäärä on siis ihan sama kuin joskus keskiaikaisissa kidutusmenetelmissä: uhri pyritään saamaan täydellisesti hallintaan. Samalla poistetaan myös kohteen oma identiteetti, ja jo ennen sitä ihmiset ovat antaneet itselleen luvan hallinnan menettämisestä, kun ovat oppineet pitämään tiettyjä heille tarjottuja impulsseja vastustamattomina.
Edward Hunterin ja George Orwellin kuvaamana väkisin tapahtuva aivopesu on vahvasti pakottamista, tunteisiin menevää sekä alistavaa, kun pyritään jatkuvaan ja intensiiviseen vaikuttamiseen. Toissijaisesti muokataan käyttäytymistä halutunlaiseksi, mutta päätavoite on muuttaa ajatukset ideologian mukaiseksi. Erilaisissa aivopesukampanjoissa vastuullisuuden korostaminen on olennaisen tärkeää määriteltäessä palkkioita ja ideologiaan (tai kulttiin) sopeutumattomien kannalta syyllisyyden ja rangaistusten osoittaminen, niin kuin on nähty kovilla kierroksilla käyneessä koronapropagandassa, sillä ovathan monet akateemiset vaikuttajat ”valistaneet” kansalaisia heidän uusista kansalaisvelvollisuuksistaan...
Tila loppui: teksti kokonaan blogissa: http://www.blogi.lyseo.org/wp/2021/12...
Kathleen Taylor on Oxfordin yliopistosta valmistunut neurotieteilijä, joka on kirjoittanut useita kansainvälisiä menestyskirjoja, ja Brainwashing – The science of thought control käsittelee nimenomaan aivopesuun tähtäävää mielenhallintaa. Siihen liittyy monenlaisia uhrin pelkoja hallinnan ja oman identiteetin menettämisestä, jos olemme muiden ylivoimaisten manipulointiprosessien armoilla emmekä osaa tunnistaa saati vastustaa meihin kohdistettua suostuttelua, painostamista ja pakottamista.
Taitavat aivopesurit kykenevät aiheuttamaan ylitsepääsemätöntä stressiä monenlaisin manööverein murtaessaan saaliinsa puolustuksen. Taylor määrittelee kolme tapaa muuttaa mieltä: se tehdään pakkokeinoin, salamyhkäisesti tai suorilla aivojen manipulointitekniikoilla. Kirjassa puhutaan paljon uhreista ja niiden saalistajista, ja käsitteenä aivopesu juontaa länsimaissa yhdysvaltalaiseen toimittajaan ja monitoimimieheen Edward Hunteriin, joka oli perehtynyt myös kiinalaisiin mielenhallintamenetelmiin. Tarkoittaahan kiinalainen sana xinao ’aivojen siistimistä’.Aivopesun ytimessä on lamauttaa yksilön kokemus siitä, että hän olisi enemmän tai vähemmän oman kohtalonsa haltija – sen sijaan vapaa tahto halutaan nitistää täysin.
Kirjan rakenne
Kirja on jaoteltu selkeästi kolmeen osaan, ja alkuun lähdetään monenlaisista määritelmistä aina suostuttelusta kidutukseen; sitten päästään siihen, mitä aivoissa tapahtuu, jotta meidät saadaan tekemään, mitä käsketään; viimeisessä osiossa pohdiskellaan, kuinka vapautuminen mielen kahleista voi onnistua ja kuinka oman elämänsä sekä vapautensa voi saada takaisin hallintaansa. Lopussa pitäisi olla vielä viitteet, sanasto ja asiahakemisto, jollaiset on Kindle-versiosta pudotettu pois.
Propaganda, manipulointi ja aivopesu
Propagandaan ja manipulointiin ei voi välttyä törmäämästä, jos avaa tv-uutiset tai selailee päivän lehtiä. Valtaosa ihmisistä ottaa heille välitetyn uutisinformaation (lähes) sellaisenaan eikä pysähdy ajattelemaan, ovatko esitetyt ilmasto- tai koronauutiset todenmukaisia vai täyttä pötyä eli misinformaatiota. Useimmiten jotain ideologiaa tai agendaa tuetaan välittämällä vain puolueellista ja sen tavoitteita tukevaa uutisvirtaa, jota voidaan vääristellä mielin määrin. Kun uutiset pannaan tavoitteiden mukaisiin kehyksiin (frames) ja tarjoillaan sopivina annospaloina nälkäisille uutisneomaanikoille, kavennetaan ”sopivasti” yksilön tapaa tarkastella maailmaa, hahmottaa kokonaisuuksia ja asioiden välisiä suhteita.
Viestin lähettäjän kannaltahan on ideaalia, että pystyy hallitsemaan toisten uskomuksia ja käyttäytymistä niin täydellisesti, että ruuduntuijottajat ja somettajat eivät edes tajua tulleensa aivopestyiksi ja että he ajattelevat heille sepitettyjen (tai johonkin narratiiviin perustuvien) tarinoiden olevan täysin totta ja kuuluvan omaan ajatteluun. Tällaiset ihmiset sitten jatkavat viestin levittämistä ihan vilpittömin mielin. He tuntuvat tosiaan uskovan muidenkin ajattelun mullistuvan jakaessaan valheita, eivätkä he itse edes käsitä olevansa aivopesun uhreja.
(Tayloria mukaellen) lammasmaisia puudeleita ei edes tarvitse pakottaa, sillä hehän rakastavat orjuuttaan. Vähitellen ihmisten itsemääräämisoikeutta ja vapautta kaventamalla alamaiset on saatu hallintaan totalitaarisen ideologian poissulkemisen mekanismeilla. Toisin sanoen kaikki muu kuin siihen kuulumaton kielletään, käytetään retorisia keinoa ja varsinkin sanojen ladattuja merkityksiä sekä vastustajien ja heidän mielipiteidensä halventamista sekä henkilökohtaisuuksiin menevää mitätöintiä unohtamatta. Yleensä pyritään häivyttämään rationaalisuus ja järkeen vetoaminen, ja tilalle masinoidaan pelkoa, epävarmuutta, salamyhkäisyyttä ja pakottavaa mielivaltaa ja saadaan uhrit joukkopsykoosiin. Yksinkertaisuus ja toisteisuus ovat avainmenetelmiä, joita pelko ja hämmennys tukevat erinomaisesti, ja niillä korvataan monimutkaisten ja järkeen perustuvien argumenttien myyminen – vaatiihan sellainen ajatustyötä ja kuluttaa mentaalista energiaa. Päämäärä on siis ihan sama kuin joskus keskiaikaisissa kidutusmenetelmissä: uhri pyritään saamaan täydellisesti hallintaan. Samalla poistetaan myös kohteen oma identiteetti, ja jo ennen sitä ihmiset ovat antaneet itselleen luvan hallinnan menettämisestä, kun ovat oppineet pitämään tiettyjä heille tarjottuja impulsseja vastustamattomina.
Edward Hunterin ja George Orwellin kuvaamana väkisin tapahtuva aivopesu on vahvasti pakottamista, tunteisiin menevää sekä alistavaa, kun pyritään jatkuvaan ja intensiiviseen vaikuttamiseen. Toissijaisesti muokataan käyttäytymistä halutunlaiseksi, mutta päätavoite on muuttaa ajatukset ideologian mukaiseksi. Erilaisissa aivopesukampanjoissa vastuullisuuden korostaminen on olennaisen tärkeää määriteltäessä palkkioita ja ideologiaan (tai kulttiin) sopeutumattomien kannalta syyllisyyden ja rangaistusten osoittaminen, niin kuin on nähty kovilla kierroksilla käyneessä koronapropagandassa, sillä ovathan monet akateemiset vaikuttajat ”valistaneet” kansalaisia heidän uusista kansalaisvelvollisuuksistaan...
Tila loppui: teksti kokonaan blogissa: http://www.blogi.lyseo.org/wp/2021/12...
July 28, 2020
التحكم بالتفكير من أجل تحقيق أهداف سياسية ودينيه عن طريق الدعاية والتعليم والجماعات الدينية والسياسية والطب النفسي وعلاجه.
January 2, 2020
Too philosophical and lacking of relevant informations.
January 30, 2015
Making sense of the “accreted concoction of ideas we call the self”
Kathleen Taylor is one of my favorite authors. She has a rich, irreverent writing style — bordering on the cheeky — matched with an incredible depth of knowledge in neuroscience and human behavior. More importantly, at least to me, she tends to focus those two things onto the darkest alleys of human existence — why people do bad things.
My introduction to her was through reading Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain, a terrific book about the neurological sources of cruelty as shaped by evolutionary pressures, and brain function and chemistry. Brainwashing was written two years earlier and is structured in much the same way: using a negative concept — in this case, the fear, processes and outcomes of brainwashing — to explore the neuroscience of how we think and why we respond in often predictable, similar ways to the external world. It’s a rewarding journey through the architecture and function of the brain and how people have tried — with varying levels of success — to brainwash others into changing or suppressing core beliefs.
Many of the examples come from politics (the Red Army, our CIA), religion (Christianity, Branch Davidians, the People’s Temple), cults (the Manson family) and culture (academia, the family unit, advertising and the news media).
Some of the standout a-ha moments include the concept of emotions as a contagion, domestic abuse as an especially effective, and heinous, form of brainwashing and the “thought terminating clichés” of ethereal concepts that hide lack of meaning or complexity (especially intriguing given the jargon-heavy corporate world I work in).
Had I read this book before Cruelty, it would have gotten 5 stars, but it suffers just a bit by comparison — mostly due to the “softer” final section that focuses on ways to prevent brainwashing and the effects of undue influence. The moralizing felt flat compared to the harder revelations of why we are who we are and how easily we succumb to “influence technicians.” It seems that section could have been distilled down into two simple concepts: we should be more accepting of others and we should reinforce the value of critical thinking.
It’s not a book for those who consider themselves, their community, their religion or their country exceptional in any way or who are unsettled by confronting the “scary fragility of that accreted concoction of ideas we call the self.”
Perhaps I’ve been brainwashed myself, but I’m greatly looking forward to reading her newer book The Brain Supremacy: Notes from the Frontiers of Neuroscience.
Kathleen Taylor is one of my favorite authors. She has a rich, irreverent writing style — bordering on the cheeky — matched with an incredible depth of knowledge in neuroscience and human behavior. More importantly, at least to me, she tends to focus those two things onto the darkest alleys of human existence — why people do bad things.
My introduction to her was through reading Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain, a terrific book about the neurological sources of cruelty as shaped by evolutionary pressures, and brain function and chemistry. Brainwashing was written two years earlier and is structured in much the same way: using a negative concept — in this case, the fear, processes and outcomes of brainwashing — to explore the neuroscience of how we think and why we respond in often predictable, similar ways to the external world. It’s a rewarding journey through the architecture and function of the brain and how people have tried — with varying levels of success — to brainwash others into changing or suppressing core beliefs.
Many of the examples come from politics (the Red Army, our CIA), religion (Christianity, Branch Davidians, the People’s Temple), cults (the Manson family) and culture (academia, the family unit, advertising and the news media).
Some of the standout a-ha moments include the concept of emotions as a contagion, domestic abuse as an especially effective, and heinous, form of brainwashing and the “thought terminating clichés” of ethereal concepts that hide lack of meaning or complexity (especially intriguing given the jargon-heavy corporate world I work in).
Had I read this book before Cruelty, it would have gotten 5 stars, but it suffers just a bit by comparison — mostly due to the “softer” final section that focuses on ways to prevent brainwashing and the effects of undue influence. The moralizing felt flat compared to the harder revelations of why we are who we are and how easily we succumb to “influence technicians.” It seems that section could have been distilled down into two simple concepts: we should be more accepting of others and we should reinforce the value of critical thinking.
It’s not a book for those who consider themselves, their community, their religion or their country exceptional in any way or who are unsettled by confronting the “scary fragility of that accreted concoction of ideas we call the self.”
Perhaps I’ve been brainwashed myself, but I’m greatly looking forward to reading her newer book The Brain Supremacy: Notes from the Frontiers of Neuroscience.
January 27, 2010
I found this book hard to read at first until I got used to the author's style and began to figure out her goals. (I skipped to the end of the book to read her conclusion.) Taylor stated in the beginning that she was examining the concept of brainwashing, but I did not understand what her definition of brainwashing was. She outlines many aspects of brainwashing: as a term of abuse, as a scientific process, as a dream, and as a concept of last resort, but does not obviously pick one definition before discussing the term, usually referring to "brainwashing" without qualification. As a result, I had difficulty following the discussion. I couldn't keep all of these aspects of the term "brainwashing" in my head as I read. This was especially true in the earlier sections about the history of brainwashing and the cultural experiences we have had with it. I understand now that she was trying to step back from any context in which brainwashing had been defined and start with a blank page, but I found it too frustrating. I did not know right away what the foundation of her arguments for deconstructing the concept was at any given time. I took me awhile to catchup.
The book became more focused as it got into discussions of psychiatry. By the time I read the sections on how the brain works, the text flowed more logically, although it was complex and challenging because of the subject matter. A very broad book, Brainwashing was a 5-week investment of my time. It was worth it, but I did struggle at times with the complexity of the issues Taylor was attempting to tackle. She touched the surface of a lot of important interrelated issues surrounding brainwashing. But this book, by itself, does not go into enough depth in any one area to truly make me feel that I understand.
I also thought that Taylor's style was a bit clunky. Maybe it was a cultural barrier between British English and American English. Taylor seemed to be trying to be "hip," which increased the cultural barrier, and which, at times, seemed flippant.
Taylor does deserve kudos for beginning to tackle the concept of brainwashing in a scientific way. She uses both empirical data and laboratory results to support her arguments. I plan to go on to other sources to get more information on the brain, psychiatry and behavioral studies. Taylor includes an extensive reference and further reading list, which I plan to use.
I recommend the book, but not as a single source on the subject.
The book became more focused as it got into discussions of psychiatry. By the time I read the sections on how the brain works, the text flowed more logically, although it was complex and challenging because of the subject matter. A very broad book, Brainwashing was a 5-week investment of my time. It was worth it, but I did struggle at times with the complexity of the issues Taylor was attempting to tackle. She touched the surface of a lot of important interrelated issues surrounding brainwashing. But this book, by itself, does not go into enough depth in any one area to truly make me feel that I understand.
I also thought that Taylor's style was a bit clunky. Maybe it was a cultural barrier between British English and American English. Taylor seemed to be trying to be "hip," which increased the cultural barrier, and which, at times, seemed flippant.
Taylor does deserve kudos for beginning to tackle the concept of brainwashing in a scientific way. She uses both empirical data and laboratory results to support her arguments. I plan to go on to other sources to get more information on the brain, psychiatry and behavioral studies. Taylor includes an extensive reference and further reading list, which I plan to use.
I recommend the book, but not as a single source on the subject.
May 29, 2017
Wow - first published in 2004 but a new edition with a new eleven page preface that makes the book's relevance most topical. Here is a topic we all thought we understood but laid bare by cogent scientific argument made accessible for the lay reader (or almost - there were a few very technical sections on the physics of the brain and its operations !).
" ...Brainwashing describes three approaches to mind-changing; by force, by stealth and by direct brain manipulation technologies..."
The author describes the psychological process..
"The aim is to isolate victims from their previous environment; control what they perceive, think and do; increase uncertainty about previous beliefs; instil new beliefs by repetition; and imply positive and negative emotions to weaken former beliefs and strengthen new ones."
As I read this I thought about misogynistic men and how they abuse women in these three ways to undermine their self esteem and ultimately self belief.... And for me it is that sort of mind expanding read that so many different approaches are adopted by the author in her wide ranging discussion that all manner of different thoughts occur....
And then there is the impact of such 'brainwashing' upon national politics and our media through deliberate manipulation 'fake news' and misinformation...
...and television reality shows that distort things further..
So, she argues advertising with its powers of persuasion and deliberate manipulation of the media may be contributing to our immersion in an environment which is in fact becoming increasingly manipulative.
" ...Brainwashing describes three approaches to mind-changing; by force, by stealth and by direct brain manipulation technologies..."
The author describes the psychological process..
"The aim is to isolate victims from their previous environment; control what they perceive, think and do; increase uncertainty about previous beliefs; instil new beliefs by repetition; and imply positive and negative emotions to weaken former beliefs and strengthen new ones."
As I read this I thought about misogynistic men and how they abuse women in these three ways to undermine their self esteem and ultimately self belief.... And for me it is that sort of mind expanding read that so many different approaches are adopted by the author in her wide ranging discussion that all manner of different thoughts occur....
And then there is the impact of such 'brainwashing' upon national politics and our media through deliberate manipulation 'fake news' and misinformation...
...and television reality shows that distort things further..
So, she argues advertising with its powers of persuasion and deliberate manipulation of the media may be contributing to our immersion in an environment which is in fact becoming increasingly manipulative.
October 30, 2023
This is an interesting book about what is brainwashing and how it has been used through history to coerce and manipulate people’s willpower. The beginning of the book is really interesting and offers information about cults, political, crime, and war cases.
The author identifies the essential factors required for brainwashing:
- Isolation
- Repetition
- Milieu Control of external stimulus
- Uncertainty
- Appeal to Abstract ideas
- Appealing to emotion and emotional manipulation
I think it’s really interesting how people with narcissistic traits or narcissistic personality disorder also use these techniques. They are so powerful that it is almost impossible to get out of them.
It’s terrifying understanding how vulnerable the human brain is and how our beliefs change our perception of the world.
It’s also outstanding how the repetition of our habits and thoughts control who we become. The book made me realise about the importance of challenging our own beliefs and patterns of thought and behaviour.
The author also covers the neurological aspects related to brainwashing
I only have 3 stars to the book because the second half of the book used repetitive examples and I found it quite boring. Nonetheless, the first part of the book is extremely interesting.
Kathleen Taylor offers a brief explanation of her book on this video:
https://youtu.be/rlQwZghCOGs
The author identifies the essential factors required for brainwashing:
- Isolation
- Repetition
- Milieu Control of external stimulus
- Uncertainty
- Appeal to Abstract ideas
- Appealing to emotion and emotional manipulation
I think it’s really interesting how people with narcissistic traits or narcissistic personality disorder also use these techniques. They are so powerful that it is almost impossible to get out of them.
It’s terrifying understanding how vulnerable the human brain is and how our beliefs change our perception of the world.
It’s also outstanding how the repetition of our habits and thoughts control who we become. The book made me realise about the importance of challenging our own beliefs and patterns of thought and behaviour.
The author also covers the neurological aspects related to brainwashing
I only have 3 stars to the book because the second half of the book used repetitive examples and I found it quite boring. Nonetheless, the first part of the book is extremely interesting.
Kathleen Taylor offers a brief explanation of her book on this video:
https://youtu.be/rlQwZghCOGs
March 24, 2017
The subject deserves 5 star, Kathleen is knowledgeable but book has a rather messy structure. Maybe was her first book so I added one more on my reading list.
Liked the FACET approach, the dangers of VR and nanotech that can be used to manipulate our brains without even knowing it. Is book deserves a public debate about the morals of brainwashing, or mind altering techniques that could be used for the benefit of humanity but also for total control.
I think that one needs to read such a book to understand the techniques currently available and also the ones under development.
Should I buy a Electromagnetic shield soon? Well less internet and more books could be OK for the time being.
Liked the FACET approach, the dangers of VR and nanotech that can be used to manipulate our brains without even knowing it. Is book deserves a public debate about the morals of brainwashing, or mind altering techniques that could be used for the benefit of humanity but also for total control.
I think that one needs to read such a book to understand the techniques currently available and also the ones under development.
Should I buy a Electromagnetic shield soon? Well less internet and more books could be OK for the time being.
February 17, 2009
Very thorough and intelligent book looking at the way cults, totalitarian regimes and even the media can bring us round to their way of thinking. Looks at the subject from all angles - from the violent spouse to the torture camp, from the narrow focus of most media to the milieu control of cult leaders. Explains how ethereal ideas such as "freedom" and "liberation" can be used to manipulate an individual, group or even entire populace into consensus.
Also has a fascinating primer into neuroscience, perception, the self and consciousness which repays repeat reading.
Also has a fascinating primer into neuroscience, perception, the self and consciousness which repays repeat reading.
May 28, 2017
I am planning to write an article about how political Islam is radicalizing generations of young Muslims around the world and found out about this book during my research work for the topic. It is a very interesting book and I did learn many things from it. Maybe the book offers too much theory and rather less observations, but in spite of this, I would recommend this book to anyone who has questions regarding the authenticity of her/his thoughts and even more to those who are sure of the authenticity of their thoughts.
October 6, 2016
This book started interesting but got boring like a textbook REAL fast. I should have know since it said science but somehow I expect EVERY book that isn't a textbook to have some sort of story. This didn't. It had some really interesting observations but between each one was ALOT of science and no story. Nonetheless, I did pick up some interesting info about brainwashing but that was few and far between.
Read
February 8, 2020هذه التقنيات لازالت مستمرة برعاية دولية تحت غطاء العمل من اجل إسكات بعض الاصوات الساعية إلى العيش بسلام...اجهزتها معروفة اعلامية، مرئية' مسموعة، مدفوعة التكاليف لمن يطرق بابك ولمن قد يجاورك في الحي، بعلمه او بمقصد منه وربما بغاية ورائها الخير.
لك حياتك عشها كما تحب وكما يجب لا عليك في حيوات الاخرين...لا تحرجهم بفعل قد تكون عواقبه وخيمة واولها القطيعة...صدق اناسا تعرفهم لا اقنعة دمرت شخوصا وعوالم خلف ستار الحق...وهو منهم براء. كم كتابا قرات لتصبح داعية..؟؟؟؟.
لك حياتك عشها كما تحب وكما يجب لا عليك في حيوات الاخرين...لا تحرجهم بفعل قد تكون عواقبه وخيمة واولها القطيعة...صدق اناسا تعرفهم لا اقنعة دمرت شخوصا وعوالم خلف ستار الحق...وهو منهم براء. كم كتابا قرات لتصبح داعية..؟؟؟؟.
February 5, 2016
It gives some examples of how and when brainwashing has been used and explains the psyhological processes behind it as well as what happens in the brain... Quite interesting.
Read
April 12, 2018Interesting book. I liked it.
October 30, 2018
كتاب ممل و مضيع الوقت
October 16, 2023
A book about how the brain works, as much as it is about brainwashing
Brainwashing 2nd Edition 2017. Digital Copy.
While this is certainly a book about Brainwashing, it is about so much more, and also about so much less. Surprisingly, apart from scattered comments, there is no systematic presentation of how brainwashers typically go about trying to trigger brainwashing. What the book does instead is to set out the neuroscience of how brains acquire ideas, so that the implications for brainwashing unfolds.
At the heart of the book is Robert Lifton’s ‘Eight Totalist Themes’ (p23) which is an account of how people’s mind are dominated in situations of cults and totalitarian propaganda. These themes recur throughout the book, and they explain how contexts are managed, how ideas are made to seem sacred, and how individuals are primed to feel and believe an idea to be appropriately received.
In other chapters we also hear about the work of other figures, such as Robert Cialdini’s work on Influence. There are also some interesting reports on how diets and hormones can have measurable impacts upon what people seem to be prepared to affirm. These parts of the book are particularly interesting.
One of the issues which the book flags up, is the danger of big principles (‘Ethereal Ideas’) like ‘freedom’ or ‘justice’ or ‘Progress’ or ‘Equality’ (etc). Ideas like this are positive sounding enough so that they cannot be challenged, and they thus slip under people’s belief defence mechanisms. But they are also inherently ambiguous ideas, which can be surreptitiously twisted to mean whatever their champion wants. Thus, they become ‘dangerous’ ideas, and even ‘lethal’ (p209) when coupled with specific ethics.
The most dangerous ethic is the ‘end justifies the means,’ especially when it is understood to mean that ideas are more important than individuals. Thus, ‘one of the most poisonous ethereal ideas is the concept of an absolute authority which overrides all other moral or legal considerations’ (p.381). When that absolute authority is a specific political leader or one person’s hotline to a god, then indeed, any amount of murder or mayhem can be made to seem good.
That extreme is rightly condemned. But what the book doesn’t acknowledge is that the opposite extreme is also problematic. When the interests of individuals can trump supreme laws, then bribery, corruption, discrimination and different forms of injustice flourish. Part of what makes it so difficult to deal with Ethereal ideas is surely the fact that they need to be interpreted as lying between extremes, but humans find it hard to steer a mid course (?).
A similar lack of nuance seemed to occur when we were told that humans can hold incompatible beliefs because ‘otherwise how could many people oppose abortion while supporting the death penalty’ (p.188). That’s an odd analogy. Surely those who hold such beliefs would just say that they believe in the sanctity of ‘innocent life,’ thus unborn babies should live, and guilty criminals should die. That example doesn’t illustrate ‘incompatible beliefs.’ I would have liked to have seen a genuine example of incompatible beliefs, as there is a degree of controversy about whether, and to what extent, anyone really does hold incompatible beliefs.
Overall, this was a well researched and well written book. It is a little ‘dry’ in places, but it also avoids unnecessary technicalities, so it is accessible to readers from any background. Around 20% of the book is notes and indexes.
Brainwashing 2nd Edition 2017. Digital Copy.
While this is certainly a book about Brainwashing, it is about so much more, and also about so much less. Surprisingly, apart from scattered comments, there is no systematic presentation of how brainwashers typically go about trying to trigger brainwashing. What the book does instead is to set out the neuroscience of how brains acquire ideas, so that the implications for brainwashing unfolds.
At the heart of the book is Robert Lifton’s ‘Eight Totalist Themes’ (p23) which is an account of how people’s mind are dominated in situations of cults and totalitarian propaganda. These themes recur throughout the book, and they explain how contexts are managed, how ideas are made to seem sacred, and how individuals are primed to feel and believe an idea to be appropriately received.
In other chapters we also hear about the work of other figures, such as Robert Cialdini’s work on Influence. There are also some interesting reports on how diets and hormones can have measurable impacts upon what people seem to be prepared to affirm. These parts of the book are particularly interesting.
One of the issues which the book flags up, is the danger of big principles (‘Ethereal Ideas’) like ‘freedom’ or ‘justice’ or ‘Progress’ or ‘Equality’ (etc). Ideas like this are positive sounding enough so that they cannot be challenged, and they thus slip under people’s belief defence mechanisms. But they are also inherently ambiguous ideas, which can be surreptitiously twisted to mean whatever their champion wants. Thus, they become ‘dangerous’ ideas, and even ‘lethal’ (p209) when coupled with specific ethics.
The most dangerous ethic is the ‘end justifies the means,’ especially when it is understood to mean that ideas are more important than individuals. Thus, ‘one of the most poisonous ethereal ideas is the concept of an absolute authority which overrides all other moral or legal considerations’ (p.381). When that absolute authority is a specific political leader or one person’s hotline to a god, then indeed, any amount of murder or mayhem can be made to seem good.
That extreme is rightly condemned. But what the book doesn’t acknowledge is that the opposite extreme is also problematic. When the interests of individuals can trump supreme laws, then bribery, corruption, discrimination and different forms of injustice flourish. Part of what makes it so difficult to deal with Ethereal ideas is surely the fact that they need to be interpreted as lying between extremes, but humans find it hard to steer a mid course (?).
A similar lack of nuance seemed to occur when we were told that humans can hold incompatible beliefs because ‘otherwise how could many people oppose abortion while supporting the death penalty’ (p.188). That’s an odd analogy. Surely those who hold such beliefs would just say that they believe in the sanctity of ‘innocent life,’ thus unborn babies should live, and guilty criminals should die. That example doesn’t illustrate ‘incompatible beliefs.’ I would have liked to have seen a genuine example of incompatible beliefs, as there is a degree of controversy about whether, and to what extent, anyone really does hold incompatible beliefs.
Overall, this was a well researched and well written book. It is a little ‘dry’ in places, but it also avoids unnecessary technicalities, so it is accessible to readers from any background. Around 20% of the book is notes and indexes.
August 16, 2021
The book starts explaining the origin and common use of the term "brainwashing." The author explains the brainwashing experienced by POWs and others around the time of the Korean War. The author then takes us back to the brain, its main components and how thoughts are formed. The author discusses the differences between thoughts, memories and emotions before addressing the difficult topic of "free will" and "freedom." This section is especially noteworthy since it reduced the concept of freedom to the smallest common denominator - 'freedom to impact future outcomes.'
The third part provides practical guidelines to identify brainwashing techniques in media, advertisements and politics. It provides cautionary behavioral advise to avoid "othering" people and thus avoid gaslighting, brainwashing of oneself and others. The author moves here from the individual back to the society.
This book was written before the COVID pandemic and the political polarization in many Western countries. It would have been very interesting to get the author's comments on today's media culture and politics, although one can extrapolate from this very well written book.
The third part provides practical guidelines to identify brainwashing techniques in media, advertisements and politics. It provides cautionary behavioral advise to avoid "othering" people and thus avoid gaslighting, brainwashing of oneself and others. The author moves here from the individual back to the society.
This book was written before the COVID pandemic and the political polarization in many Western countries. It would have been very interesting to get the author's comments on today's media culture and politics, although one can extrapolate from this very well written book.
September 6, 2021
I saw Michael Shermer recommend this book on Twitter and thought I’d check it out. This book from Kathleen Taylor is fantastic. I’m interested in this topic because words like “brainwashing” and “cult” are thrown around all willy nilly, but what does the science actually say? In this book, Kathleen Taylor breaks down the science as well as the psychology of what brainwashing is and what it isn’t. Taylor dives into the nuances of different research around neuroscience, psychology, personality studies, and much more. The book is extremely informational and educational, and by the end, you’ll not only have a better understanding of brainwashing, but you’ll also know how to improve your ability to think for yourself.
Although I highly recommend this book, I personally feel like it could have been a little bit shorter. I think a more condensed version of this book would help reach a wider audience, and this topic is extremely important during a time where people are denying science and believing whacky conspiracy theories. But, if you’re into really deep dive books, this book is for you.
Although I highly recommend this book, I personally feel like it could have been a little bit shorter. I think a more condensed version of this book would help reach a wider audience, and this topic is extremely important during a time where people are denying science and believing whacky conspiracy theories. But, if you’re into really deep dive books, this book is for you.
June 21, 2021
The subject matter of this book is extremely fascinating, and the author is quite thorough in her multi-faceted approach, including insights from neuroscience, psychology, history, sociology, even literature. Unfortunately, the poor structure of the book doesn't quite put it all together. This is only made worse by the fact that the author doesn't ever define the word used for the book's title, so that any instance of mental manipulation could be included under a vague umbrella. I think the book would have been more effective if the focus was narrowed to examples of mass manipulation by force and stealth, which is likely what readers are looking for in a book entitled Brainwashing. A little humor and personality would have went a long way, too. In the end, this book is a champion for critical thinking, which is good because you'll need it to navigate the awkward order of information and the author's occasional condescension of ideas she disagrees with. Take it all with a grain of salt, and you just might enjoy this well-researched but disorganized book.
June 11, 2024
For a book titled "brainwashing," there is shockingly little content about brainwashing. The author delves into a number of pet topics, including politics, science, and neurology, but all in a scrambled blend that doesn't serve to make a coherent point.
Her arguments are poorly constructed, and I kept shaking my head at the number of times she would use *fictional* novels as evidence for a point about brainwashing. She also presumed shared politics with her reader, including comments such as "this presumption is as nonsensical as someone who opposes abortion but supports the death penalty"--it's out of left field for the point she's trying to make, and its introduction undermines rather than supports her argument.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the political content - is she arguing that politics is brainwashing? If not, why does she keep returning to politics throughout the book? Perhaps there's a reason, but she doesn't articulate it, and the book is ultimately choppy and incoherent. I made it halfway through and then gave up.
Her arguments are poorly constructed, and I kept shaking my head at the number of times she would use *fictional* novels as evidence for a point about brainwashing. She also presumed shared politics with her reader, including comments such as "this presumption is as nonsensical as someone who opposes abortion but supports the death penalty"--it's out of left field for the point she's trying to make, and its introduction undermines rather than supports her argument.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the political content - is she arguing that politics is brainwashing? If not, why does she keep returning to politics throughout the book? Perhaps there's a reason, but she doesn't articulate it, and the book is ultimately choppy and incoherent. I made it halfway through and then gave up.
December 30, 2019
This one took me a long while to finish, I started and stopped it a few times before I finally ended up picking it up and making enough progress to finish. I really enjoyed it.
I thought her bits on neuroscience were interesting, although fairly dense.
I appreciated the way she handled a lot of topics tactfully, especially religion. She talked about religious cults and religious brainwashing, but she did not deride religion nor did she say that everyone who has religious faith is brainwashed.
I thought her chapter on freedom and determinism was good and thought provoking.
Kind of a dry book but there were definitely interesting parts. I liked her conclusion at the end of how to avoid being brainwashed and her FACET approach.
I thought her bits on neuroscience were interesting, although fairly dense.
I appreciated the way she handled a lot of topics tactfully, especially religion. She talked about religious cults and religious brainwashing, but she did not deride religion nor did she say that everyone who has religious faith is brainwashed.
I thought her chapter on freedom and determinism was good and thought provoking.
Kind of a dry book but there were definitely interesting parts. I liked her conclusion at the end of how to avoid being brainwashed and her FACET approach.
October 3, 2020
This was a well thought out academic approach to this topic. I found it dry in many spots and I find this topic fascinating. It has a lot of information and cases but I did not consider it a page turner by any means. The book is well thought out and does provide interesting questions and material that will lead you off to investigate more of what is shared here. This is a good read for those interested in this topic and the psychology behind identity change by any means.
Mr. Joe
Mr. Joe
April 16, 2021
I listened to this book on audible. For some reason I found my mind drifting through the whole book and would have to replay time and again. Something about this book that was not holding my attention even though I'm really interested in the subject. Maybe it was all the descriptions of the neuroscience stuff. What is going on in the brain physically, chemically, electrically. So I'm not really going to review this book unless I get a hard copy and read it again.
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