Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'Brainwashing' in China

by Robert Jay Lifton

Informed by Erik Erikson's concept of the formation of ego identity, this book, which first appreared in 1961, is an analysis of the experiences of fifteen Chinese citizens and twenty-five Westerners who underwent "brainwashing" by the Communist Chinese government. Robert Lifton constructs these case histories through personal interviews and outlines a thematic pattern of death and rebirth, accompanied by feelings of guilt, that characterizes the process of "thought reform." In a new preface, Lifton addresses the implications of his model for the study of American religious cults.

Genres: Psychology, History, Nonfiction, Politics, China, Cults, Science

524 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Robert Jay Lifton was an American psychiatrist and author, chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes and effects of wars and political violence, and for his theory of thought reform. He was an early proponent of the techniques of psychohistory.

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very 1984.

Pot - kettle! I don't think it's pertaining just to China but it's a simultaneously fantastic and horrifying book. It's not fair to stick just China with these practices. I'm sure they are not alone in that.

Permeating stuff. These practices are used throughout assorted stages of life: marketing, politics, media, even the latest inclusive thinking stuff stems from these techniques. Fun, huh?

[Ebookwormy1]

I am interested in this topic, but have not read the book yet.

From several internet sources, it appears these are Lifton's "8 Criteria for Thought Reform":

1- Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.

2- Mystical Manipulation. There is manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority or spiritual advancement or some special gift or talent that will then allow the leader to reinterpret events, scripture, and experiences as he or she wishes.

3- 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. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.

4- Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.

5- Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.

6- Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clich�s, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.

7- Doctrine over person. 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.

8- Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also. (Lifton, 1989)

The author discusses his work in a 2015 interview here:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/hiddenpersuaders...

[Jeff]

This book invented the term "thought terminating cliché". I'm looking forward to reading this.

[Isaac Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a tough book to review. Although it is one of the seminal works in the field of brainwashing, it is laced with the politics of the Cold War and feels almost like it's just a twin to the type of thought reform it is trying to discourage. Repeatedly, communism and socialism are conflated and straw-manned while capitalism is portrayed as the saving grace of humanity. While this left a bad taste in my mouth, it is also undeniable that Lifton brought immense clarity to the field of psychology in his illumination of how totalist groups are able to exercise unbelievable control over the minds and behaviors of others.

A particularly interesting section was his interview with a catholic priest who "was struck by the similarity (the identical methods and the identical terminology) between these Communist conversion techniques and those of his own Catholic Church. He also emphasized, however, what was for him the crucial difference between the two: The state demands such a complete change and turnover of mind as we only allow God to demand." (p. 141)

This made me want to throw up a little, as the same sort of coercion was noticed, contemplated, and swiftly dismissed because it happened to be filtered through the construct of the divine. No thought was given to how, whether real or perceived, this divine's will was disseminated through power-incentivized systems. Lifton presented this man's faith as the reason he was able to resist some of the brainwashing procedures he was subjected to, and in typical 1960s fashion, no questioning was made of why a white, Christian faith could possibly be detrimental too (despite being deeply implanted enough to ward off other cognitive penetration attempts). For me, this flippancy was the quintessential proof for why this field of psychology is so important - a divided consciousness forms in which critical examination of other toxic structures is fully possible, while also having a total inability to truly see one's own views in the same light. Even while they may be aware of the problems of their own faith system, their brains are discouraged from making leaving a goal. This results in feelings of confidence and comfort in a system those on the outside see as destructive. Lifton's study also found that once people leave these totalist environments, they quickly realize and resolve the dissonance, which is why totalist systems often encourage excessive time spent with other members.

So nice job, Lifton - you made a great springboard for this field of research. But oh my do you have a blissful lack of self-awareness.

[Lucas Amorim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not find Lifton's writing style very engaging and free-flowing, but if you can get past that, this book is a gem. I was mesmerized by the personal stories of Westerners and China natives that underwent the heart-stopping processes of Chinese Communist thought reform. I was happy to read of their eventual physical and psychological emancipation from that regime, but I was left a bit despondent knowing that the vast majority of these thought-reform subjects were "converted."

Thought reform, "brainwashing," whatever you want to call it: it's real and it's all around us. I plan on cultivating my mind carefully as I stay clear away from any totalist ideology, as is my hope for every other human being in the world.

[Kenneth Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating presentation of the application and effects of a cultural-government program of totalism, applied though the various "re-education" programs of Communist China. This is a thick read, but moves at a good pace, and the author is a great writer--nothing dry or repeated, just a presentation of his amazing study of survivors of the Chinese thought-reform prisons and schools. Lifton's "Eight Principles" of thought-reform are as insightful and relevant today as when he initially presented them in this book, and readily applicable to all high-control/demand groups in the religious, political, military, psychotherapy world. Highly recommended for anyone who is into this kind of study.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Както сме забелязали всички от скорошните ни срещи с българския социализъм/комунизъм, да бъде човек искрен комунист не е лесна работа. Даже е невъзможна - дори да приема комунистическите идеи като цяло, все пак в почти всеки остава рационална нишка и той не се жертва сляпо за общото благо, както повелява доктрината, а тихомълком гледа да използва каквото може, за да уреди себе си и семейството си.

Т.е. известата от Оруел (1984) "двумисъл" - от една страна знаеш (щото така учи комунизмът), че трябва да работиш безкористно за общото благо , а от друга осъзнаваш (щото не си идиот), че за да оцелееш се налага да работиш в свой интерес.

Това противоречие, естествено, е отлично познато на комунистическите идеолози и функционери. И те са се стремели да го "поправят", да накарат хората да мислят "правилно", като тези в Китай са се отличили с особено усърдие.

Тази книга представлява психологически анализ на китайци и чужденци, преминали през специално създадените през 50-те след революцията в Китай институции за "идеологическа промяна" - т.е. лагери, в които са вкарвали хора и с помощта на физически психологически издевателства са опитвали (с различен успех) да деконструират личността им (т.е. да ги доведат до тотален умствен и психически срив) и после да ги съградят наново, но вече комунисти.

Промиването на мозъка продължава средно по 3 години, през които жертвите са постоянно в затвора (чужденците) или специални лагери (китайските интелектуалци) и там нонстоп, 24/7 са подлагани на смазващ физически и психически натиск, докато се откажат от самата идея за собствена личност, и им бъде втълпена идеологията на комунизма.

Разказите на оцелелите от тези институции са ужасяващи, а авторът ги анализира от гледна точка на психологията, свързвайки използваните от комунистите техники за промиване на мисълта с практиките в секти и религии. Той извежда няколко основни стъпки, чрез които човек може да бъде доведен до състояние да повярва във всичко, отричайки себе си и даже живота си.

Книга за ужасите на комунизма - поредното доказателство за анти-човечността на тази идеология, която може да бъде приета истински само от човек с промит мозък (и това се осъзнава най-добре именно от идеолозите на комунизма).

[Vasil Kolev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Не случайно я сложих в "must-read". Случвало ли ви се е да прочетете някоя книга и да си мислите "трябвало е да попадна на нея доста отдавна"?

Книгата е едно много добро психоаналитично изследване на тоталитарните режими и култовете, методите им на работа, последиците от тях. Съсредоточена е в/у работата на китайците около 1950та година и показва как те са взели някои основни неща от СССР, които там са били ползвани основно с пропагандна цел, тук са били насочени много повече към "превъзпитаване" на хората.

Изследва се също разликата с науката, с някои религии, как някои методи се срещат на различни други места.

Като цяло книгата показва един много хубав поглед върху ��исленето и дава добри идеи как да си го запазим.

Стилът е малко тежък, на моменти психиатричната страна ми идваше малко повече, но се чете сравнително лесно. Няма и особено големи проблеми с превода.

[Gerald Jerome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to start this book twice and couldn't continue. Once I finally forced myself to complete it, I was not disappointed. If you're interested in just the personal reports from the case studies included, then there's plenty for you. What's great is the diverse background and manners of treatment that was undergone but all for the same end. Further to that, there is a breakdown of what the author felt were the stages involved. It's a very engrossing read and I've been very tempted to read it again lately.

[Isabel Hogue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth pushing through because of the insights it reveals on the psychology behind political correctness and mind control.

[Jemmie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year I read Rick Alan Ross's book "Cults Inside Out" which is a really comprehensive & accessible cultic studies book that everyone should read. That book references Lifton's book about thought reform very frequently. I would say that it wouldn't be an overreach to classify communist China as a very large cult.

Lifton's book compiles years of interviews with both eastern and western victims of communist thought reform into case studies. His analysis involves deep psychological examination of a subject's past, and how this past was used against them during their own reforms. He lays out thought reform techniques in a way that is very thorough, yet still easy to understand. This is an excellent book, I look forward to reading more of Lifton's work.

[Deke Hardwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bracing and important work, revealing stealthy dangers and techniques of indoctrination, GroupThink, absolutism and historical accounts from communist China that pierce the veil of autocracy. This reform study of psychological supplanting of former beliefs with new ones in a uni-centric way of life applies to governing bodies, cultism, behavioral manipulation and establishing dominant dependence/subservience through clean slating and establishing new beliefs, fears, and cohesion in groups.

[Ihor Kolesnyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Книга класична - її варто прочитати для кращого розуміння культурних процесів і виховання.
Але не читайте цього українського перекладу від "Віват". Гугл-транслейт з російського, рядки "шарпані", слова "розірвані".

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but a bit technical
Like a lot of people I've developed an interest in deprogramming, cult mind control, and brainwashing. In every book on the subject they all praise or reference this one. The grand daddy of the thought control books. It's about the massive country wide thought reform program in communist china 1940 something to 1952? and off and on again since then.
Be aware that this book was written by a psychoanalyst who had worked for the U.S. Air Force, so it gets a bit technical with the jargon (if I had a dollar for every time he said Milieu). Surprisingly the cold war paranoia isn't as strong as I thought it would be, this book sounds like it's almost unbiased.
There is a lot to learn here if you have an interest in the subject, but if you're just a generally curious person this might be a long walk for a short drink of water.
Even if this book isn't written as recreational reading, I can see why everyone cites it as a source. This guy goes way in depth.

One thing did particularly strike me, people who had been forced (some times by torture) to make false confessions were later fooled by believing other confessions were real. Now that's some grade A brain-washing right there. That anyone who went through Thought Reform would ever believe that government again is just astounding.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt like a good balance of trying to stick closely to the interviews and still giving a sufficient historical context for my ~complete lack of context. The experiences of the Western and Chinese ex-prisoners were mindblowing to me. The interviewees' lives seemed extremely colorful, and the PRC's thought reform practices during confinement were so close to 1984 that it really drove me up the wall.

Also really enjoyed the theorizing of Lifton, e.g. about the psychology of totalism and [practices of thought reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought...). Originally took up this book because Lifton came up with the concept of the thought-terminating cliché.

The book apparently holds up very well when checking against declassified documents from that time: https://mobile.twitter.com/amindasmit...

[Herald Birchfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Individual accounts of survival. Interesting but repetitive brainwashing accounts.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful, if difficult, book. The psychiatrist author conducted interviews in the 1950s with 25 Westerners and 15 Chinese citizens who had undergone Maoist thought reform or "brainwashing" indoctrination. These programs, often conducted over years in prison settings, sought to force people into giving false confessions as one means of radically altering their views about Communism, the Chinese state, and themselves as individuals. Much of the first three sections is focused on the often heart-rending stories of these people. Part 4 gets more wide-ranging and philosophical, with Robert Jay Lifton describing his theories. Some of them seem unjustified and outlandish to me, but there is much wisdom about the nature of the human mind and societies to be found here. It is in Part 4 where we get the first ever use of the phrase thought-terminating cliché:

The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis. (p. 429).

It is also here, in chapter 22: Ideological Totalism, where we are introduced to Lifton’s eight methods that are used to “brainwash” people. While the book is focused on Chinese thought reform, the ideas are applicable to many other cultures, totalitarian political systems, and even religions:
1- Milieu Control.
2- Mystical Manipulation.
3- Demand for Purity.
4- Confession.
5- Sacred Science.
6- Loading the Language.
7- Doctrine over person.
8- Dispensing of existence.

Milieu Control
The most basic feature of the thought reform environment, the psychological current upon which all else depends, is the control of human communication. Through this milieu control the totalist environment seeks to establish domain over not only the individual’s communication with the outside (all that he sees and hears, reads and writes, experiences, and expresses), but also—in its penetration of his inner life—over what we may speak of as his communication with himself. It creates an atmosphere uncomfortably reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984; but with one important difference. Orwell, as a Westerner, envisioned milieu control accomplished by a mechanical device, the two-way “tele-screen.” The Chinese, although they utilize whatever mechanical means they have at their disposal, achieve control of greater psychological depth through a human recording and transmitting apparatus. It is probably fair to say that the Chinese Communist prison and revolutionary university produce about as thoroughly controlled a group environment as has ever existed. The milieu control exerted over the broader social environment of Communist China, while considerably less intense, is in its own way unrivalled in its combination of extensiveness and depth; it is, in fact, one of the distinguishing features of Chinese Communist practice. (pp. 419-20).

Mystical Manipulation
The inevitable next step after milieu control is extensive personal manipulation. This manipulation assumes a no-holds-barred character, and uses every possible device at the milieu’s command, no matter how bizarre or painful. Initiated from above, it seeks to provoke specific patterns of behavior and emotion in such a way that these will appear to have arisen spontaneously from within the environment. This element of planned spontaneity, directed as it is by an ostensibly omniscient group, must assume, for the manipulated, a near-mystical quality. (p. 421).

The Demand for Purity
In the thought reform milieu, as in all situations of ideological totalism, the experiential world is sharply divided into the pure and the impure, into the absolutely good and the absolutely evil. The good and the pure are of course those ideas, feelings, and actions which are consistent with the totalist ideology and policy; anything else is apt to be relegated to the bad and the impure. Nothing human is immune from the flood of stern moral judgments. All “taints” and “poisons” which contribute to the existing state of impurity must be searched out and eliminated. (p. 423).

The Cult of Confession
Closely related to the demand for absolute purity is an obsession with personal confession. Confession is carried beyond its ordinary religious, legal, and therapeutic expressions to the point of becoming a cult in itself. There is the demand that one confess to crimes one has not committed, to sinfulness that is artificially induced, in the name of a cure that is arbitrarily imposed. Such demands are made possible not only by the ubiquitous human tendencies toward guilt and shame but also by the need to give expression to these tendencies. In totalist hands, confession becomes a means of exploiting, rather than offering solace for, these vulnerabilities. (p. 425).

The “Sacred Science”
The totalist milieu maintains an aura of sacredness around its basic dogma, holding it out as an ultimate moral vision for the ordering of human existence. This sacredness is evident in the prohibition (whether or not explicit) against the questioning of basic assumptions, and in the reverence which is demanded for the originators of the Word, the present bearers of the Word, and the Word itself. While thus transcending ordinary concerns of logic, however, the milieu at the same time makes an exaggerated claim of airtight logic, of absolute “scientific” precision. Thus the ultimate moral vision becomes an ultimate science; and the man who dares to criticize it, or to harbor even unspoken alternative ideas, becomes not only immoral and irreverent, but also “unscientific.” In this way, the philosopher kings of modern ideological totalism reinforce their authority by claiming to share in the rich and respected heritage of natural science. (p. 427).

Loading the Language
The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis. In thought reform, for instance, the phrase “bourgeois mentality” is used to encompass and critically dismiss ordinarily troublesome concerns like the quest for individual expression, the exploration of alternative ideas, and the search for perspective and balance in political judgments. And in addition to their function as interpretive shortcuts, these clichés become what Richard Weaver has called “ultimate terms”: either “god terms,” representative of ultimate good; or “devil terms,” representative of ultimate evil. In thought reform, “progress,” “progressive,” “liberation,” “proletarian standpoints” and “the dialectic of history” fall into the former category; “capitalist,” “imperialist,” “exploiting classes,” and “bourgeois” (mentality, liberalism, morality, superstition, greed) of course fall into the latter.10 Totalist language, then, is repetitiously centered on all-encompassing jargon, prematurely abstract, highly categorical, relentlessly judging, and to anyone but its most devoted advocate, deadly dull: in Lionel Trilling’s phrase, “the language of nonthought.” (pp. 429).

Doctrine Over Person
This sterile language reflects another characteristic feature of ideological totalism: the subordination of human experience to the claims of doctrine. This primacy of doctrine over person is evident in the continual shift between experience itself and the highly abstract interpretation of such experience—between genuine feelings and spurious cataloguing of feelings. It has much to do with the peculiar aura of half-reality which a totalist environment seems, at least to the outsider, to possess. (p. 430).

The Dispensing of Existence
The totalist environment draws a sharp line between those whose right to existence can be recognized, and those who possess no such right. In thought reform, as in Chinese Communist practice generally, the world is divided into the “people” (defined as “the working class, the peasant class, the petite bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie”), and the “reactionaries” or “lackeys of imperialism” (defined as “the landlord class, the bureaucratic capitalist class, and the KMT reactionaries and their henchmen”). Mao Tsetung makes the existential distinction between the two groups quite explicit:

Under the leadership of the working class and the Communist Party, these classes [the people] unite together to form their own state and elect their own government [so as to] carry out a dictatorship over the lackeys of imperialism. . . . These two aspects, namely, democracy among the people and dictatorship over the reactionaries, combine to form the people’s democratic dictatorship . . . . to the hostile classes the state apparatus is the instrument of oppression. It is violent, and not “benevolent.” . . . Our benevolence applies only to the people, and not to the reactionary acts of the reactionaries and reactionary classes outside the people.

(pp. 432-33).

*
Title: Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'Brainwashing' in China
Author(s): Robert Jay Lifton
Year: 1961
Genre: Nonfiction - Psychology, political extremism
Page count: 524 pages
Date(s) read: 9/16/23 - 9/20/23
Reading journal entry #179 in 2023
*
Additional quotes:

This study began as a psychiatric evaluation of Chinese Communist “thought reform,” or “brainwashing.” It is still primarily this; but it has also, inevitably, become a psychological study of extremism or totalism—and even more broadly, a study of the “closed” versus the “open” approaches to human change. (p. xi).

“...when he witnessed his first struggle (against another prisoner) - during which the cell chief urged everyone to "help" the man under fire - he thought to himself: "So this is the way of the Communists - using good words to do bad things: to help means to [maltreat] people.” (p. 40).

They did so because confession is as much a part of re-education as re-education is of confession. The officials demanded that their accusations become the prisoner’s self-accusations, and that the confession be made with inner conviction. They required that he present himself in the evil image they had constructed for him—and their reasons for requiring this, as we shall later discuss, are by no means completely rational. (p. 81).

*

In all cases of apparent conversion (the two I studied in detail, the two I met briefly, and two others I heard of) similar emotional factors seemed to be at play: a strong and readily accessible negative identity fed by an unusually great susceptibility to guilt, a tendency toward identity confusion (especially that of the cultural outsider), a profound involvement in a situation productive of historical and racial guilt, and finally, a sizable element of totalism. (p. 131).

*
“He summed up his admiration-tinged condemnation of the Communists in the simple statement: "They lie so truly.” (p. 141).
*
A consistent feature of all the cases discussed so far has been the isolation of the Western prisoner. Even when physically part of a cell group, he was completely removed from it—emotionally, culturally, and ideologically—until he “changed” and adopted its standards. Never did the group support him as an individual, or help him to resist the onslaughts of thought reform; rather, the group was the agent of thought reform, the conveyor of its message. (p. 152).
*

And this brings up the nonideological residua present in all Westerners, whose effects were also mixed. Four years after the experience, my subjects still bore marks of both fear and relief…
Nonetheless, thought reform can also produce a genuinely therapeutic effect. Western subjects consistently reported a sense of having been benefited and emotionally strengthened, of having become more sensitive to their own and others’ inner feelings, and more flexible and confident in human relationships…
When the stress is brief, the well-being may be limited to a rebound euphoria. But after an experience as totally disintegrating as prison thought reform, the relief at being put together again is more basic and more enduring. In the experience itself, and in the process of recovery and renewal which followed it, these men and women gained access to parts of themselves they had never known existed. (p. 238).

*

“We must be engineers of the human soul.”
V. I. Lenin

“The cultivation of the person depends upon rectifying the mind.”
Confucius (p. 241).

*

Indeed, their thought reform program has gone far beyond anything either their dynastic predecessors or their Russian Communist mentors ever attempted. They called for a personal conversion (or for something very closely resembling one) from every Chinese intellectual, surely an excessively ambitious program. Yet during the period immediately after they assumed power, many circumstances favored their efforts. (p. 245).

*

Combining personal anecdote, philosophical sophistication, and stereotyped jargon, the confessions followed a consistent pattern: first, the denunciation of one’s past—of personal immorality and erroneous views; then a description of the way in which one was changing all of this under Communist guidance; and finally, a humble expression of remaining defects and a pledge to work hard at overcoming them with the help of progressive colleagues and Party members. (p. 246).

*
“My intention was to help the students to study about Communism, but I soon began to realize that the Communists were more interested in my helping them to study the students.” (p. 258).
*

I believe the explanation lies in what I have called the bond of betrayal between reformers and reformed. With so strong a sense of having betrayed his own filial heritage (a heritage of immense emotional power, whatever its inconsistencies, and however long his defiance of it), he was all the more involved with those who had brought about the betrayal, and there was no turning back. (p. 293).

*
“There is no way out but reforming. Hate your past, and you will find your way for the future.” (p. 345).
*

Certainly, many of the pressures used to extract confessions in penal thought reform closely resemble techniques used by the Russians during the great Soviet purge trials of the late 1930’s: the irresistible demand for an admission of criminal guilt, however distorted or false, and the prolonged interrogations, physical pressures, and incriminating suggestions used to obtain it. (p. 389).

*

Russian Communist influences are also responsible for thought reform’s immense stress upon sin and evil, and for its continual manipulation of feelings of guilt within all who take part in the program. Such a focus upon sin and guilt has never been prominent in traditional Chinese culture. These Soviet Russian contributions are in turn derived from the many cultural influences which fed modern Communism: the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, the utopian secular ideologies of the eighteenth century, mystical elements of German romanticism, and the authoritarian excesses of traditional Russian and Byzantine culture, including the heritage of the Russian Orthodox church. (p. 389).

*

Nowhere else has there been such a mass output of energy directed toward changing people. In Russia confessions have generally been associated with the purge—the “ritual of liquidation”; in China, confession has been the vehicle for individual re-education. What is the source of this special reform emphasis? (p. 390).

*

For in breaking out of its traditional cult of restraint, while retaining its old penchant for the reordering of human emotions, China has created a cult of enthusiasm of such proportions that it must startle even the most immoderate Christian or Communist visionary. (p. 398).

*

For I believe that change during adult life is real and perpetual; significant change may be extremely difficult to consolidate, but the capacity to change significantly during adult life has become in this historical epoch increasingly necessary for emotional survival. (p. 463).

*

In studying patterns of historical change, we should divest ourselves of the psychological illusion that a strong filial tradition is a bulwark against modern ideological totalism (or most specifically, Communism). The opposite seems to be true. It is precisely the desperate urge to sweep away decaying yet still powerful filial emotions and institutions that can call forth political totalism. (p. 470).

*

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly great book on brainwashing and totalitarianism psychology.

A very interesting read on China - particularly timely read as well.

I recommend reading this book alongside this - We Have Been Harmonized: Life in China's Surveillance State

Would recommend.

4.5/5

[Matthew Zhu]

note from Liu hailong <宣傳>：
「通过对个案的研究，立夫顿从心理学的角度，把思想改造的步骤归结为以下12个环节：（1）对过去身份的攻击，剥夺其职业或身份的自信；（2）产生罪恶感；（3）自我背叛，接受已经改造成功的同伴的帮助或帮助“落后者”；（4）整体冲突和心底对完全毁灭的恐惧导致精神防线崩溃；（5）在经过一段痛苦煎熬之后突然得到宽大和改过的机会；（6）产生忏悔的冲动，只有忏悔才能生存；（7）罪恶感得到宣泄排解，从“人民的立场”进一步认识到自己的“罪行”；（8）再教育：通过理论的学习，在理性上再次受到攻击和否定；（9）进步与和谐：不再被管理人员看作罪犯，而是当作平等的人看待；（10）最后的忏悔：总结与完成；（11）重生：再次回到原来的职业或岗位；（12）释放：重新回到原来环境，表面上恢复到思想改造以前的状态，但内心深入接受了共产主义观念，对过去的思想产生怀疑，在相当长的时期里处于矛盾与痛苦之中。」

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic. Excellent study of thought reform or "brainwashing."

[Expose Austin Texas Duty To Care For Others · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on how behavior modification techniques can be abused in any country, state, and city.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long and large sections can easily be skimmed. Much interesting material on the psychology of totalizing philosophies, movements, cults. The key chapter is ch. 22

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly interesting man
who tackled a lot of subjects

and a strange history

wikispooks

Robert Jay Lifton is a psychologist who has been particularly interested in the relationship between individual psychology and historical change, and in problems surrounding the extreme historical situations of our era. He has taken an active part in the formation of the new field of psychohistory.

Lifton - like other academics researching mind control and (manipulative) influence tactics 1960-1975 - had a high CIA security clearance.

He helped popularize the term "brainwashing", attributed solely to the enemy du jour, i.e. communist countries at the time.

......

Criticism of the War on Terror

In his 2000 book, Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism, Lifton applied his original ideas about thought reform to Aum Shinrikyo and the War on Terror, concluding that in this context thought reform was possible without violence or physical coercion. He also pointed out that governments were also using mind control techniques including thought-terminating clichés to promote the "war on terror".

[Salvador · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though mildly academic, which might make it feel a bit sluggish at times, this is an amazing, hugely-encompassing and objective read on the tactics (and effects thereof) used the CCP during the ‘50s to indoctrinate the Chinese people, and how they can (and will) be used by totalitarian forces to make their people feel guilty over not being submissive enough to the regime’s doctrines. The ghastly “confession” of professor Chin Yüeh-lin is just a cherry on top of all the stories of survivors of thought reform also spoken of.

I’m recommending this book to anyone who wants to understand better how high-control groups, authoritarian leaders and abusive couples work.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. I found the first 70% of the book not nearly as interesting as the last 30% of the book. But I understand why the author wanted to do detailed case studies, and it’s good that he did and adds a great deal of substance to his theories. However, I found part 4 of the book the most interesting (which starts on page 417). His theories are clearly organized and logical. Having read this book has forever changed how I will think about social psychology and how it relates to people fundamentally changing their mind about politics, religion, or even any kind of self improvement or change in their lives.

[Ethan Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuanced and eye-opening.

This book is indispensable in its revelations about thought reform, re-education, and Marxist doctrine. The book can sometimes get bogged down in psychoanalytic analysis of its subjects, which led me to gloss over some pages - but its value far exceeds my boredom at times. The last part of the book is so incredibly enlightening in laying out ideological totalism and distinguishing totalistic thought reform from education, religion, the political process, and psychiatry more broadly.

Highly recommended.

[James Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes 300 pages of case studies to get there, at which point I would have rated this a three, but I let the man lay out the evidence first and the payoff was worth it. Even beyond its historic importance, this book is still relevant today. As long as men have minds, other men will try to figure out how to control them.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thorough and detailed case study. I genuinly learned a whole lot about chinese culture and how the thought reform campaigns affected the people living in china.

I noticed a few parallels to the Jehovah's Witnesses practises and theology which is quite helpful considering the fact that I freshly woke up from that organisation.

[Meghan MURPHDADDY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lifton's book compiles years of interviews with both eastern & western victims of communist thought reform into case studies. He outlines thought reform techniques in a clear, eloquent, & thorough way

[Misti Nite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable research and highly intelligent researcher, I loved it. But, is it totalism or liberation? Is it lost freedom or gained economical independence? I'm trying to see it from the perspective of the people. 😊