Brainwashing And Thought Reform
Types of Influence and Persuasion | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Education | Advertising | Propaganda | Indoctrination | Thought Reform | |
Focus of body of knowledge | Many bodies of knowledge, based on scientific findings in various fields | Body of knowledge concerns product, competitors, how to sell and influence via legal persuasion | Body of knowledge centers on political persuasion of masses of people. | Body of knowledge is explicitly designed to inculcate organizational values. | Body of knowledge centers on changing people without their knowledge. |
Direction & degree of exchange | Two-way pupil-teacher exchange encouraged. | Exchange can occur, but communication generally one-sided. | Some exchange occurs, but communication generally one-sided. | Limited exchange occurs, communication is one-sided. | No exchange occurs; communication is one-sided. |
Ability to change | Change occurs as science advances; as students & other scholars offer criticism; as students & citizens evaluate programs. | Change made by those who pay for it, based upon the success of ad programs; by consumer law; & in response to consumer complaints. | Change based on changing tides in world politics and on political need to promote the group, nation, or international organization | Change made through formal channels, via written suggestions to higher-ups. | Change occurs rarely; organization remains fairly rigid; change occurs primarily to improve thought-reform effectiveness. |
Structure of persuasion | Uses teacher-pupil structure; logical thinking encouraged. | Uses an instructional mode to persuade consumer/buyer. | Takes authoritarian stance to persuade masses. | Takes authoritarian & hierarchical stance. | Takes authoritarian & hierarchical stance; no full awareness on part of learner. |
Type of relationship | Instruction is time-limited; consensual. | Consumer/buyer can accept or ignore communication. | Learner support & engrossment expected. | Instruction is contractual; consensual. | Group attempts to retain people forever. |
Deceptiveness | Is not deceptive. | Can be deceptive, selecting only positive views. | Can be deceptive; often exaggerates. | Is not deceptive. | Is deceptive. |
Breadth of learning | Focuses on learning to learn & learning about reality; broad goal is rounded knowledge for development of the individual. | Has a narrow goal of swaying opinion to promote and sell an idea, object, or program; another goalis to enhance seller & possibly buyer. | Targets large political masses to make them believe a specific view or circumstance is good. | Stresses narrow learning for a specific goal: to become something or to train for performance of duties. | Individualized target; hidden agenda (you will be changed one step at a time to become deployable to serve leaders). |
Tolerance | Respects differences. | Puts down competition. | Wants to lessen opposition. | Aware of differences. | No respect for differences. |
Methods | Instructional techniques. | Mild to heavy persuasion. | Overt persuasion; sometimes unethical. | Disciplinary techniques. | Improper and unethical techniques. |
Cults In Our Midst fragments
page revision: 8, last edited: 30 Jan 2008 05:55