What is brainwashing and what is anti-brainwashing?

Brainwashing is to make you believe information that even the brainwasher himself doesn't believe by reducing your thinking and judgment ability. Use external influence to instill special ideas different from general values into others to meet the wishes of the manipulator.

Anti-brainwashing: Anti-brainwashing is not to resist the psychological influence of the outside world at all times in life, but to resist aggressive brainwashing that is harmful to oneself. For example, instilling bad information against each other, such as crime. This involves how we can mobilize our defense mechanism to resist malignant brainwashing at an appropriate time. First, judge whether the situation is dangerous (for example, the environment that reduces the self-protection mechanism), judge the possible motivation of facing the object, and finally judge whether you have entered the brainwashing trap of others. Of course, these don't need active thinking, but reflect such information into your brain and let your subconscious mind brainwash you. As for the professional physics exercises against brainwashing, you need to train yourself.

Under this definition, there are two main differences between brainwashing and education:

1, method: improve thinking ability or reduce thinking ability?

Although all affect your point of view, education is achieved by improving your thinking and judgment ability and making you more discerning; Brainwashing is achieved through a series of psychological and behavioral means, which reduces your judgment and turns you into an idiot.

2. Purpose: Do you believe what you passively believe?

Brainwashing people generally don't believe what he tells you; What an educator tells you, whether it is correct or not, is generally what he believes.

In order to let everyone know more about and distinguish "brainwashing" and improve their immunity to brainwashing, I will introduce three common ways of brainwashing in detail, namely:

First, mild brainwashing: information control

Second, moderate brainwashing: behavioral intervention

Third, severe brainwashing: drugs+personality destruction

According to the layered brainwashing method:

First, mild brainwashing: information control

By controlling the information and events you receive, you can change your cognition and behavior for a long time.

1, single source of information

Only provide you with a single kind and source of information, and do not provide information contrary to its views, so that you can believe that XX is always right, XX is a universal truth, and XX is the best company.

Why is this brainwashing?

People subconsciously believe that "what you see is the world" and think that "the information you get about an event" is "all the information related to the event". If all the horses you have seen are black, you won't doubt "Is there a white horse?"

Similarly, when someone tells you that "all societies are like this", it is actually just "all the societies he contacts are like this".

Common brainwashing behavior:

Clarify the source of information-for example, the work summary must use the content of XX leaders' speech;

Control the presentation of information-constantly play content and company videos that are conducive to promoting your views on the big screen;

Restrict access to information-directly force you not to read certain information and restrict your access to information (requiring power).

On the contrary, many professors will improve the research conclusions of other scholars and opponents and the limitations of their own theories when spreading knowledge, so as to increase students' information sources, improve students' thinking ability and reduce blind obedience.

Immunization tips:

Ask yourself: Does anyone object to this view? What do people who oppose it usually say?

2. Doping information

In order to convince you of a wrong point of view, first say something absolutely correct.

For example: "1+ 1=2, apples are fruits, rape is vegetables, getting up early is good for your health, protecting forests is important, diligent study is helpful for the future, trampling on the lawn is not good, and the sun is green."

In order to make people blindly believe that "the sun is green", the brainwasher needs to make some absolutely correct judgments to convince you that he is a "trustworthy person", and then when this trustworthy person says something else, will you be so suspicious? Because his first 99 sentences are reasonable.

Similar methods are often used to deceive the elderly in various health lectures. The speaker first tells a lot of absolutely correct health common sense, such as "the real cause of diabetes is XX", which makes the old people feel that he is reasonable and a "trustworthy person", then "XX's medicine is very effective" naturally becomes credible information.

Immunization tips:

Tell yourself: people who tell the truth are not necessarily trustworthy.

3. The manufacturing industry is scarce

Artificially create some "sense of scarcity" so that you can participate in the competition.

The most classic case is Diamond Bachelor De Beers. Before it, there was no difference between diamonds and sapphire jadeite, but De Beers made diamonds more scarce by reducing the global diamond production, and successfully brainwashed people all over the world through the advertisement of "Diamonds last forever, one will last forever", making people feel that "Diamonds are a symbol of love" in just a few decades.

How to make others obey you?

The key is to master the strange resources that others need.

What if I don't?

This "scarce resource" has been artificially created.

I think the most "successful" users in China are all kinds of primary school teachers. TA people artificially created "Little Red Flower", successfully made it a scarce resource in the eyes of students, and made others obey by mastering this scarce resource and its evaluation criteria.

Common behaviors:

Set a benchmark and the competition is fierce;

Use subjective evaluation criteria to evaluate the results of this competition (such as "obedience", such as "vague implementation rules"-the rules are clear and everyone violates them, but I have the right to decide who to look for. )

Immunization tips:

What's the good of what I'm robbing with others now?

4. Capture the impact

Imagine this scene:

During the holiday, you were drinking coffee and watching TV. Suddenly, your colleague (classmate) whispered to you, "The manager (teacher) wants you to meet him in his office at nine o'clock on Monday!"

In the next holiday, you may be afraid that you have done something suspicious, or that the boss is not satisfied with my performance.

As a result, when you went to the office on Monday, you were lucky to find that he said, "Xiao Li, it's actually nothing." Please help me receive an email this afternoon. "

At this time, what you are thinking should not be "Shit, you have to run errands again", but you are greatly relieved and subconsciously increase your affection for the manager (teacher).

This is "prisoner shock", when you are startled by a prisoner (huh? Why did the boss suddenly come to see me during the holiday? ), your heart is the most vulnerable time, at this time you are more likely to produce obedience, blind obedience and love for authority.

In fact, the police often use this method-they always arrest suspects in the early hours of the morning, when the suspects are most relaxed and shocked by the arrest, and it is easier to obey and explain the crime.

Immune trick: "A straight body is not afraid of crooked shadows. Find his theory on Monday! " "

Second, moderate brainwashing: behavioral intervention

Many brainwashers like to use more in-depth behavioral interventions to make people unconsciously fall into the trap and become blind followers:

1, depersonalize and create a sense of role

Why do good people who love their families and are helpful at ordinary times become villains who make massacres on the battlefield?

Why can an ordinary person become fearless and take suicide attacks?

This is often because they have lost their "sense of individuality" in the long-term brainwashing, and they completely regard themselves as a collective role and only do what this role "should do".

Robin Reid, Father of "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid

Psychology professor Philip? Zimbardo's famous "Stanford Prison Experiment" confirmed this phenomenon (which was later made into a movie):

In 197 1, Professor zimbardo called dozens of mentally healthy college students from famous American universities and asked them to act as prison guards for several days in the experiment. In order to enhance the role sense of these experimenters, Professor zimbardo also gave them uniforms, sunglasses, batons and so on.

It turns out that in just a few days, these usually polite college students began to abuse, howl and abuse prisoners, so that after the experiment, these experimenters couldn't believe their behavior these days.

Why is this happening?

Usually, each of us has our own personality and code of conduct, but once we are forced to enter a role, we will not naturally show the expected behavior of the role rather than the behavior reflected by our own personality-our personality has disappeared and been characterized. (proposed by Festinger)

Through such a high degree of depiction-high slogan, neat pace and uniformity, we can not only forget our fears and dare to risk our lives, but also become unscrupulous and unscrupulous, without morality and principles; Because we are no longer ourselves, but "roles".

So, when someone asks: Does such a big company have no conscience to do evil together? (For example, the Enron incident in that year)

My answer is: they are still ordinary people with conscience, just brainwashed by their own "role" and did what this "role" should do.

Common behaviors &; Means:

People are in high spirits, affected by emotions, and lose their rational thinking ability.

For example: singing loudly, shouting slogans, saying vows, "Let's drink together" and so on.

Eliminate personality characteristics and strengthen role characteristics.

For example, uniform uniforms, consistent hairstyles, and even code names instead of names (when they call you "employee number 20 142 18" instead of "Li Ming", they actually define you. )

Use totems.

From the ancient dragon totem to various contemporary LOGO, you can constantly remind "you are a person in this collective role".

Immunization tips:

Ask yourself: What am I doing now is the embodiment of my personality or the embodiment of this group?

2. Cognitive commitment

Behavior can change your attitude, so you can change your behavior to finally achieve the effect of "brainwashing".

Why does an enterprise or community have to set up layers of obstacles to make you "difficult" to pass, even if it wants you?

This is to improve your sense of identity with this organization-if you don't like this organization after joining, you can't explain your previous "hard work" in this organization.

So in this process, your behavior (hard interview) changed your attitude (preference for organization).

Numerous studies have proved this point. For example, a professor did this experiment:

Let the experimenters nod their heads (telling them that this is a cervical vertebra moving), let them watch advertisements and find that their preference for advertisements has increased-this is because the behavior (nodding) has changed their attitude (advertising).

Why do behaviors change attitudes?

One explanation is cognitive dissonance theory-when our behaviors and attitudes are inconsistent, we will be "tortured" and need to seek agreement. We are more inclined to change our attitude to adapt to the behavior than the behavior that is difficult to change.

For example, it is much easier for smokers to convince themselves that "smoking is actually not that harmful" than "quitting smoking with action". )

If you want to brainwash a person, the most common way is to let him do something that goes against his "will" or "attitude", and then finally change his attitude through these things (that is, brainwashing is successful).

Common behaviors &; Means:

Force you to shout "I love XX", or let you write an analysis report "Why XX is good".

Then your behavior (such as saying "I love XX" against your will) will eventually change your attitude-so that you will finally like XX.

Force you to do meaningless behavior.

When you are arranged by the company to do what you like, your explanation to yourself may be "I did it because I like it"; And when they keep asking you to do meaningless behavior, you can only boil down to "I did it because I obeyed orders", so that in the long run, you will become more and more obedient.

(small problem: it has nothing to do with fighting capacity. Why do soldiers still have to play goose steps? Why do hotel waiters practice together? )

Ritualization.

For example, seemingly meaningless company morning meetings and various religious ceremonies all change your attitude through ritual behavior. I think the most classic thing is that our primary school teachers stipulate that "raise your right hand to ask questions and stand up straight …", and they achieve the purpose of brainwashing through such ritualized behavior.

Immunization tips:

Understand-anything you don't want will eventually make you change your attitude.

3. Group pressure

The brainwasher makes people around him say the same thing and do the same thing, and you have to behave the same in order to integrate into the group. Finally, you are brainwashed.

Psychologists have done an experiment in which four people (three of them are Joe) are asked to give a picture similar to the one below and ask which two rectangles are the same length. At present, when all three stents say AB is as long, the fourth real experimenter also says AB is as long, even though he intuitively thinks BD is as long.

Therefore, we have a strong demand for conformity, and brainwashers take advantage of this to eliminate "minorities" through group agreement.

In order to achieve this consistency, brainwashers always emphasize that "there is only one correct answer and there is no doubt".

They don't allow different opinions (even if they are necessary for creativity). In order to eliminate different opinions, they will raise the "opposition of opinions" to "opposition of people with different opinions". When you make constructive suggestions, he will not think that you are "to make the team perform better", but "take it to heart! Don't give me face! " Wait a minute.

Third, severe brainwashing: drugs+personality destruction

All of the above are normal "brainwashing methods" using psychology under legal conditions.

The following are some severe brainwashing methods that have been used many times in history.

1, drug action

Many drugs can interfere with people's behavior, such as the famous "thiopental sodium" (used as a clinical anesthetic in medicine) in the history of interrogation. After injecting this drug, you will become involuntarily want to tell the truth, and it is very easy to be persuaded. Of course, many countries have banned the use of barbiturates such as thiopental sodium in any judicial link.

It must be mentioned that another magical combination with "thiopental effect" is often used in society: alcohol+caffeine (found in tea, coffee, etc. )

Under the simultaneous action of alcohol and caffeine, people will become very easily persuaded to tell the truth. So if there is a "tea before drinking" dinner, please be careful.

2, learned helplessness-behavior out of control.

I think people who have watched the American TV series Game of Thrones must be deeply impressed by the following character:

He is theon greyjoy, the prince of the Iron Family. After being caught by the skinner and going through a series of tortures, he completely lost himself and even took the initiative to attack his family for the skinner.

At that time, the methods used by skinners included but were not limited to:

Solitary confinement, cutting off information sources;

Forcing him to call himself stupid x, destroying the self-esteem system; It suddenly occurred to me that my primary school teacher did the same, forcing students to admit that they were stupid.

Forcing him to admit a crime he didn't commit (undermining the honest system);

You can win "goodwill" through certain obedience (such as being rewarded with a hot bath after attacking your family).

Through these behaviors, Theon finally entered the state of "learned helplessness"-a state of being at the mercy of others due to repeated failures or punishments, and completely hopeless and helpless in the face of reality. Even if Theon's own sister came to save him, he didn't want to go with her, but listened to his torturers.

Learned helplessness was put forward by American psychologist seligman 1967 through animal experiments. He kept the dog in a cage, and whenever the dog touched the cage door, he would electrocute the dog; After repeating it for a few days, even if he opens the cage, the dog will not run away again, but will just curl up in the cage.

The most serious situation of brainwashing is that it not only reduces a person's cognitive ability, but also directly destroys his whole self-confidence system, so that he dare not try anything and can only obey.

3. Extreme fear

Create extreme fear events to quickly change your personality-this may be the fastest way to brainwash.

The earliest discoverer of this theory is Pavlov, the father of behavioral psychology. Through various behavioral interventions, he made dogs develop various habits, such as "wagging their tails as soon as the bell rings".

However, during the 1924 Leningrad flood, his dog was trapped in the laboratory and almost drowned slowly. After such a fear experience, he found that the dog's conditioned reflex disappeared completely.

In reality, there is a mental illness related to this, called post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Many American soldiers who experienced the Vietnam War fell ill.

Description:

1, "Brainwashing is also positive!"

I'm not talking about the meaning of brainwashing, but describing the methods and consequences of brainwashing and what you should do if you don't want to be brainwashed. Just because I say "how to advertise" doesn't mean that I think advertising is meaningless.

2. "You have said so many ways to brainwash. Do you advocate brainwashing?"

I'm just describing it, not praising it. Just because virologists describe the attack mechanism of HIV does not mean that they admire AIDS.

3. "Is it just brainwashing with methods such as' making scarcity'?"

No, the above methods are brainwashing, which does not mean that 1 is brainwashed. Kidnappers often use ropes, but it doesn't mean that people who use ropes are kidnappers.