The Manipulated Mind: Brainwashing, Conditioning and Indoctrination

by Denise Winn

This book, THE MANIPULATED MIND, by breaking down so-called brainwashing to its individual elements, shows how social conditioning, need for approval, emotional dependency and much else that we are unaware of, prevent us from being as self-directed as we think; and, conversely, which human traits make us the least susceptible to subtle influence.Ever since American prisoners of war in Korea suddenly switched sides to the Communist cause, the concept of brainwashing has continued to fascinate and confuse. Is it really possible to force any thinking person to act in a way completely alien to his character? What makes so-called brainwashing so different from the equally insidious effects of indoctrination and conditioning, or even advertising and education?Research findings from psychology show that brain-washing is not a special subversive technique; it is the clever manipulation of unrealized influences that operate in all our lives.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Cults

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2000

Reviews

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of valuable citations to look into.

Professor Jack Vernon of Princeton University carried out a large number of sensory deprivation experiments and, in his book Inside the Black Room , suggests a scenario for creating attitude change which incorporates findings from sensory deprivation research, conditioning, cognitive dissonance, dependence, obedience to authority and participation as means of attitude change. This is the scene he proposed.
He notes first that both in the softening-up process preceding brainwashing and in the sensory deprivation condition, a confined person will experience such dreadful monotony and boredom that he will be grateful for absolutely any novelty to distract him. This could be taken advantage of, says Vernon, if the aim is to instil a particular belief in a person. He suggests, for the experiment's sake, that someone who is a strong Protestant, although he doesn't know much about Protestantism, is to be converted to Islam, about which he knows very little either but he is prejudiced enough to hate Muslims. To convert him, says Vernon, the best procedure would be to leave him in sensory deprivation conditions for up to four days, to bring him to the point where he is desperate for stimulus of any kind. Then Vernon would introduce, without any explanation, two switches into the cubicle.
The 'prisoner' would soon find that if he pressed button A, he heard a speech favouring Protestantism. If he pressed button B, he got a speech favouring Islam. But the difference was that button A always produced the same speech on Protestantism whereas button B released an endless variety of speeches on Islam, all delivered by different voices. Desire for novelty would lead the prisoner to start selecting button B over button A.
'We have caused this individual by his own choice to listen to our propaganda. If we can get him to listen, we can get him to believe by making our propaganda clever enough, says Vernon, and it isn't all supposition. An experiment at McGill University in Canada found that subjects did indeed listen more often to varied unfavoured items than the same favoured item when in a condition of having no other choice.
But Vernon carries on. Even if the prisoner does insist on using button A, it still works against him, he says, because repetition can weaken meaning. He recalls the familiar experience of repeating a word over and over and finding that it suddenly becomes strange, as though it is a new word. Its meaning seems to have weakened.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is kind of an overview of basic concepts / related research areas and opinions surrounding them. it is an older book, so the material it references is as well (because that's how time works!). it doesn't feel like it's so outdated as to be irrelevant though, since it's covering the basics and those basics, of how people's minds work and how cults work, hasn't changed a whole lot in the interim. uses the Chinese efforts at "thought reform" (largely via lifton), the moonie cult and the Manson family as some of the examples, all of which are clearly extreme cases of mind manipulation, and seem fairly well studied by this books publishing date.

[Shakir Sharfraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you had missed the Korean war and its significance for the science of brainwashing, then this book will help bring up to speed.

[David O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to aspects of mind manipulation. Very valuable for the references. Original publish data, 1983, makes it no less relevant as many major studies on "Brainwashing" were done soon after the Korean War.

I was particularly interested in the explanation of "indoctrination", which is intrinsically bound to our development. Much can be inferred about our makeup due to parental, familial and initial social engagements as an unfolding process of personality selection. This topic leads me to read a referred book: "The Social Psychology of Social Movements" by Hans Toch.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How far do indoctrination, conditioning, need for social approval, emotional dependency and much else prevent us from being as 'self-directed' as we like to imagine?"

Much to digest in this book, highly recommend it.

[Aryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Manipulated Mind is fascinating and an eye-opener. It is a well sited and engaging read. Solid psychology and written by a journalist no less.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

It (indoctrination with something) can happen with you, and if you consider yourself smart and able to make good choices, it may happen even sooner. In fact, you may help it to happen.

[Tim Willwerth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you

While reading this book, the techniques Denise talks about became noticeable and more obvious than before. Every second of every program is...PROGRAMMING!

[Alsweider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manipulation findet fast überall statt, in Politik, Medien, Werbung, durch KI und Algorithmen, aber auch in der alltäglichen zwischenmenschlichen Kommunikation, bewusst oder unbewusst. Die Motive dafür mögen negativ, positiv oder ambivalent sein. Ob Manipulation aber ein moralisch legitimes Mittel ist, ist aus deontologischer bzw. naturrechtlicher Sicht keine Frage des Motivs. Manipulation ohne Wissen und Einverständnis des Manipulierten schränkt ihn in seiner Freiheit und Selbstbestimmung ein.

Als abgrenzendes Beispiel eine Manipulation mit positivem Motiv:
Wenn Anton auf der Straße stolpert und Bruno ihn zum Straßenrand stößt, um Anton das Leben zu retten, handelt Bruno ohne explizites Einverständnis von Anton. Bruno geht aber mit gutem Grund davon aus, dass Anton mit der Rettungsaktion, die ja eine physische Manipulation darstellt, einverstanden ist, da nichts auf das Gegenteil schließen lässt und zum Nachfragen keine Zeit war. In diesem Fall hat also der Zweck das Mittel geheiligt.
Anders wäre die Sachlage, wenn Bruno Anton allgemein für leichtsinnig hielte und ihn deshalb heimlich über längere Zeit hinweg darauf konditionieren würde, sich vor Autos zu fürchten. Das Motiv bliebe dasselbe, aber das eingesetzte Mittel wäre unmoralisch und unverhältnismäßig, weil Anton ohne zwingenden Grund daran gehindert wird, selbständig eine freie, autonome, rationale und informierte Entscheidung zu treffen. Hinzu kommen noch der Vertrauensverlust sowie die unvorhergesehenen Nebenwirkungen einer induzierten Phobie.

Das Buch zeigt die verschiedenen Formen und Techniken der Manipulation auf und hilft vielleicht sogar dabei, ihnen seltener zum Opfer zu fallen. Völlige Immunität sollte man sich allerdings grundsätzlich nicht einbilden.

[Rizwan Ye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very indepth book, read a few pages here and there since 2015 till now, which i am still going back on. Love the context and writing style of the author. When I was a bit younger finding this book was like a gold nugget in the library. Still love it till this day ! :)

[Peter Paulus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider this book as a description of your own susceptibility to brainwashing techniques. It is your decision to reduce or increase their effect on you.

[tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read...not for all...