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Brainwashing is altering someone’s perception, often for personal gain, but not always. In its mildest form, it is used to enforce good behavior. At its worst, it turns people into suicide bombers. The agenda of the perpetrator affects whether the brainwashing is positive or negative. It is used effectively by kidnappers, abusers, and cults. It is also used, some might posit, for “good” causes such as governments, religions, and the military. We use it when we are teaching children right from wrong. The depth and breadth of the brainwashing, the content, and the purpose are widely variable.

An authority works best if he or she wears a lab coat, a uniform, or holy robes. It has been posited in studies that 62% of the population will follow an authority figure’s orders even if it means harms to others. Unless the authority figure isn’t around to find out about it. Then the normal morality chip kicks in and they refuse to do harm. Unless they are sociopaths who lack the morality chip to begin with.

The first tactic of brainwashing is repetition. A meme (or idea) is repeated ad nauseum. If you say something to Dick long enough, often enough, and with enough authority, he starts to believe it. He accepts the veracity. Then he propogates the meme by sharing it with others. A meme is a mental virus that can be spread on contact and with familiarization.

The second tactic is isolation. By keeping Dick away from people who think differently or contradict what he is being told, the meme is reinforced. By telling Dick up front that other people will doubt him, contradict him, and tear down his thematic argument, they are shoring up the meme in Dick’s mind. He expects attack, so he repels attack. The authority figure convinces Dick that everyone around him has a malevolent agenda. Only those who embrace the meme can be trusted. Only those who embrace the meme are worthy. In this way, others' attacks on the logic or practices actually reinforce the meme in Dick’s mind instead of breaking it down. In cults, the members are kept isolated until the meme has taken firm, uncontrovertible hold. The members are taught to shun anyone who does not agree with the meme. They are told to cut off friends, family, lovers, jobs, clubs. Anything that works to discredit the meme.

The third tactic is tearing down Dick’s self-image. Dick is nothing if he does not believe the meme. He will be punished for not believing. He will be rewarded for believing and propagating the meme. In extreme hostage situations, Dick may be starved, sleep deprived, even drugged to make him malleable. The purpose is to muddy Dick’s thinking so the meme stays clear and in the forefront.

When Dick is forced to rely on the authority figure for his survival, he may develop the irrational desire to please the authority figure. Especially when praise by that figure produces reward. The authority figure will tell Dick that he is essentially flawed, sinful, in error and only by embracing the meme can he be redeemed or saved. The transgressions are behaviors Dick engaged in while outside the authority figure’s control. It could be something as simple as going to work or having a beer on a Saturday. Dick begins to feel guilty for having the beer. He feels overwhelmed by his own worthlessness when he goes to his job. This is where the authority figure steps in and helpfully offers the way to salvation: the meme.

Brainwashing is used by gang leaders and drug dealers. As teenage Jane slides down the rabbit hole of addiction, she may have self-esteem issues to begin with. She is told that by doing drugs, she is looked down on by society and discriminated against. The world just doesn’t understand them and everyone is against them having a good time. Instead of the drugs being the faulty thinking, everyone else on the planet is just a giant buzz kill. T

Kathleen Taylor is a research scientist and writer affiliated to Oxford University’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, where she specialises in the human brain. In the video below (filmed by the wonderful Meet the Author) she talks about her book Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control. She is also the author of Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain, which publishes in the UK early next year.

Click here to view the embedded video.