Coercive Mind Control Tactics
Terminology note:
Today Mind control or brainwashing in
academia is commonly referred to as coercive persuasion, coercive
psychological systems or coercive influence. The short description below
comes from Dr. Margaret Singer professor emeritus at the
University of California at Berkeley the acknowledged leading authority
in the world on mind control and cults.
a short overview
Coercion is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as:
1. To force to act or think in a certain manner
2. To dominate, restrain, or control by force
3. To bring about by force.
Coercive psychological systems are behavioral change programs which use
psychological force in a coercive way to cause the learning and adoption
of an ideology or designated set of beliefs, ideas, attitudes, or
behaviors. The essential strategy used by the operators of these
programs is to systematically select, sequence and coordinate many
different types of coercive influence, anxiety and stress-producing
tactics over continuous periods of time. In such a program the subject
is forced to adapt in a series of tiny "invisible" steps. Each tiny step
is designed to be sufficiently small so the subjects will not notice the
changes in themselves or identify the coercive nature of the processes
being used. The subjects of these tactics do not become aware of the
hidden organizational purpose of the coercive psychological program
until much later, if ever. These tactics are usually applied in a group
setting by well intentioned but deceived "friends and allies" of the
victim. This keeps the victim from putting up the ego defenses we
normally maintain in known adversarial situations. The coercive
psychological influence of these programs aim to overcome the
individual's critical thinking abilities and free will - apart from any
appeal to informed judgment. Victims gradually lose their ability to
make independent decisions and exercise informed consent. Their critical
thinking, defenses, cognitive processes, values, ideas, attitudes,
conduct and ability to reason are undermined by a technological process
rather than by meaningful free choice, rationality, or the inherent
merit or value of the ideas or propositions being presented. How Do They
Work?
The tactics used to create undue psychological and social influence,
often by means involving anxiety and stress, fall into seven main
categories.
TACTIC 1
Increase suggestibility and "soften up" the individual through
specific hypnotic or other suggestibility-increasing techniques such as:
Extended audio, visual, verbal, or tactile fixation drills, Excessive
exact repetition of routine activities, Sleep restriction and/or
Nutritional restriction.
TACTIC 2
Establish control over the person's social environment, time and
sources of social support by a system of often-excessive rewards and
punishments. Social isolation is promoted. Contact with family and
friends is abridged, as is contact with persons who do not share
group-approved attitudes. Economic and other dependence on the group is
fostered.
TACTIC 3
Prohibit disconfirming information and non supporting opinions in
group communication. Rules exist about permissible topics to discuss
with outsiders. Communication is highly controlled. An "in-group"
language is usually constructed.
TACTIC 4
Make the person re-evaluate the most central aspects of his or her
experience of self and prior conduct in negative ways. Efforts are
designed to destabilize and undermine the subject's basic consciousness,
reality awareness, world view, emotional control and defense mechanisms.
The subject is guided to reinterpret his or her life's history and adopt
a new version of causality.
TACTIC 5
Create a sense of powerlessness by subjecting the person to
intense and frequent actions and situations which undermine the person's
confidence in himself and his judgment.
TACTIC 6
Create strong aversive emotional
arousals in the subject by use of nonphysical punishments such as
intense humiliation, loss of privilege, social isolation, social status
changes, intense guilt, anxiety, manipulation and other techniques.
TACTIC 7
Intimidate the person with the
force of group-sanctioned secular psychological threats. For example, it
may be suggested or implied that failure to adopt the approved attitude,
belief or consequent behavior will lead to severe punishment or dire
consequences such as physical or mental illness, the reappearance of a
prior physical illness, drug dependence, economic collapse, social
failure, divorce, disintegration, failure to find a mate, etc.
These tactics of psychological force are applied to such a severe degree
that the individual's capacity to make informed or free choices becomes
inhibited. The victims become unable to make the normal, wise or
balanced decisions which they most likely or normally would have made,
had they not been unknowingly manipulated by these coordinated technical
processes. The cumulative effect of these processes can be an even more
effective form of undue influence than pain, torture, drugs or the use
of physical force and physical and legal threats.
How does Coercive Psychological
Persuasion Differ from Other Kinds of Influence?
Coercive psychological systems are
distinguished from benign social learning or peaceful persuasion by the
specific conditions under which they are conducted. These conditions
include the type and number of coercive psychological tactics used, the
severity of environmental and interpersonal manipulation, and the amount
of psychological force employed to suppress particular unwanted
behaviors and to train desired behaviors.
Coercive force is traditionally visualized in physical terms. In this
form it is easily definable, clear-cut and unambiguous. Coercive
psychological force unfortunately has not been so easy to see and
define. The law has been ahead of the physical sciences in that it has
allowed that coercion need not involve physical force. It has recognized
that an individual can be threatened and coerced psychologically by what
he or she perceives to be dangerous, not necessarily by that which is
dangerous.
Law has recognized that even the
threatened action need not be physical. Threats of economic loss, social
ostracism and ridicule, among other things, are all recognized by law,
in varying contexts, as coercive psychological forces.
Why are Coercive Psychological Systems
Harmful?
Coercive psychological systems violate our
most fundamental concepts of basic human rights. They violate rights of
individuals that are guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United
States Constitution and affirmed by many declarations of principle
worldwide.
By confusing, intimidating and silencing
their victims, those who profit from these systems evade exposure and
prosecution for actions recognized as harmful and which are illegal in
most countries such as: fraud, false imprisonment, undue influence,
involuntary servitude, intentional infliction of emotional distress,
outrageous conduct and other tortuous acts.
factnet.org/Margaret_Thaler_Singer/Margaret_Singer.html
factnet.org - Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D
F.A.C.T.net
Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D. Biography