Brainwashing

Melissa Gonzalez August 9, 2010 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm / Introduction to Psychology Ms. Sharnell Stocks Brainwashing Before 1950, the term brainwashing didn’t exist in America; this is something new in the English language. And since it is a fairly new term, one may ask what the term brainwashing is? Where does it come from, or how is it applied? Following I will explain the different definitions of brainwashing, its origins and how Americans were brainwashed during the Korean War. Brain washing is described as an intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a person's basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs. It is also known as the application of a concentrated means of persuasion, such as an advertising campaign or repeated suggestion, in order to develop a specific belief or motivation. Brain washing was used as a form of coercive persuasion during the Inquisition, the show trials against "enemies of the state" in the Soviet Union. No specific term emerged until the methodologies of these earlier movements were systematized during the early decades of China for use in their struggles against internal enemies and foreign invaders. Until that time, descriptions were limited to concrete descriptions of specific techniques. The American Soldiers were victims during the Korean War in the 1950’s. The American prisoners were given several demands by their captors that included sleep deprivation and other intense psychological manipulations designed to break down the autonomy of individuals. The captors would start with a smaller request and gradually worked up to bigger demands. They would also have to write statements about self- criticism, do public confessions, and group discussions. But yet when granted permission to return to America, the American prisoners did not return and instead they switched their allegiance to the enemy and retained allegiance to the anti-American doctrines that had been inculcated during their incarcerations. The ones that returned to America thought that communism didn’t work in America; it was a good thing in Asia. Brainwashing is also used in religious cults, sects, and government. In conclusion brainwashing is used through different methods such as isolation, monopolization of perception, induced debility , threads, occasional indulges. Brainwashing is a weapon commonly seen by dictators, abusive husbands, ect.. against those who are vulnerable.

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