Brain washing, how? why ?

[WALKYRIA]

What are the basis/ origins/ mechanisms of brainwashing/ mind control, is there any specialist in here?

I'm interested at how society gets people to do the shits they want and how they somehow force us to obey, go to school, to date in our own socio-cultural layer, to find a job, to live this way rather than that way... I'm seriously wondering if I'm an anomaly knowing exactly what I want and what I don't.. because people my age seem ( to be so deep in bullshit beliefs) to not know a thing about themselves or where they are going.. How do they do that? Are we as people just naturally programmed to follow the crowd? seriously...


My idea:
- peer pressure
- social pressure
- tradition
- extraversion
- shame
- capitalism( the more money you make the better... and they associate money with the jobs they want.)
- ..Etc

 

[TimeAsylums]

propaganda/majority(social/culture) by way of repetition by way of repetition by way of repetition by way of repetition by way of repetition, maybe if I say if enough times you'll believe it's true

simply hoping one day you wake up and believe it's true because your brain done did fucked up


extremely simplistic: How the fuck could a majority of people be wrong?! -> self doubt, perhaps...I'm wrong? My cognition my perception is...wrong? + social pressure (Asch conformity experiment)

is something wrong/right (incorrect/correct) because someone(authority) tells you it is so? or because it *is* so independent of whether an authority tells you so



even better if you can break them while they're young, making them slaves early on to ensure that they will forevermore be slaves


even so, if one won't accept that the majority couldn't possibly be wrong there is always repetition

there is always repetition

Also, I understand the way you're using "extraversion" in this sense, but I don't think that's a common way it's used...well except perhaps here on INTPf



do you remember in kindergarten/preschool/first grade ( I don't remember the exact grade),

when you would learn the alphabet? Do you remember how many times you were forced to sing along a-z? It's how it was learned and how it was taught, so that it's drilled into your fucking brain. You know the process of memorizing things by simply repeating them repetition ad infinitum?

Except that in this^ (alphabet) case, it WASN'T a "bad" use of brain washing, it was necessary to acquire the language (somewhat)

Same thing, except used in baaaaad ways



one of my favorite "metaphors" for language is that how "words are viruses that infect your brain"


or "a forced acquisition"

 

[Perfectly Normal Beast]

how: we are kept in a perpetual state of childhood by the 'system'

why: control, maintenance of power status quo

elaboration: too drunk/busy subverting this bullshit

vaguely relevant quote: 'give me the child until he is 7 and i will give you the man' - some guy that got it

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Fear
Contentment
Simplicity of taking instead of thinking, following a trend instead of branching off

 

[Trebuchet]

There is way too much even in my layman's understanding to summarize properly in a post. But basically, the books I have read on the subject all say that the brain is naturally prone to certain behaviors and biases, and that these can be exploited. I've read a lot about the subject, and put two of my favorite books about it below.

It is also clear that not everyone is equally susceptible. Kahneman talks about how some people have more resilient abilities to resist the easy answers, and Zimbardo shows how that very ability is the key to being heroic. And it can be developed.

Both of these psychology professors are also really entertaining writers

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It is long but fascinating, and has a lot of good information about how the brain works: which parts are automatic, how priming works, recency bias, and stuff like that.

The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo. He has dedicated his career to the study of evil, and more lately turned his attention to what makes people able to avoid it. This is another large, dense book and also very dark, since it goes into some detail about atrocities. It ends on a happier note, though.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It is long but fascinating, and has a lot of good information about how the brain works: which parts are automatic, how priming works, recency bias, and stuff like that.

Absolutely brilliant book. I read it last year.

 

[The Introvert]

lol.

 

[The Gopher]

Absolutely brilliant book. I read it last year.

Yeah? I was told to read it, where did you get it?

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Yeah? I was told to read it, where did you get it?

Strangely enough, I bought it on itunes.

 

[wadlez]

I'm interested at how society gets people to do the shits they want and how they somehow force us to obey, go to school, to date in our own socio-cultural layer, to find a job, to live this way rather than that way...

I think you need to define what you mean by brain washed.
I really don't think that people go to school, date in there own socio-cultural layer or work because they are brain washed.

Sounds like some crazy conspiracy theory

 

[StevenM]

First, get people comfortable and relaxed. You want them content and feel at ease. This alone boosts suggestibility by a lot.

Make a good rapport with the person. Be open and inviting. Get to know them, and ask questions, and follow along with their answers. Acknowledge them, and try to casually share your own judgements, but don't conflict their own. You want them agreeing with you.

Make sure your words are not fast, blunt, or direct. Make them fluid and natural. Put a slightly warm emphasis on the words. Express yourself with calmness and welcoming warmth.

Once they are smiling and happy, and calm, then you can get tricky

Television is actually quite a good media to influence people with. While people are watching, they are naturally lying down, or sitting comfortably, in a calm and semi-hypnotic state.

Repetition is good. Command in a confident manner; a manner that assumes that the commands are going to be followed.

Put emphasis on how you express your commands. If you want someone to go deep, then lower the pitch of your voice and drag out the word deeep. If you want someone to be happy, then express joy and lightness when you say "happY". Are you smiling?

Some other things that can work:
-Ask tricky questions that make the person admit to what you want to influence.
-Bombard with generally accepted judgements(more for a rapport), before hitting them with your brainwashing statement.
- Anything that isn't understood clearly by the 'influencee', such as the complex workings of something, attempt to explain it to them so that it supports your goal.



Stay away from negating words. The words "Pop tarts are not disgusting" is a bad statement to influence someone to eat poptarts. The person collects and stores "Poptarts", and "are disgusting", and leaves out the negating "not". "Don't be sad", can make you sad. "You're not a freak" lowers self-esteem.

And the work of psychological conditioning really finishes it off. Prime and anchor your suggestion with acceptance and positivity. Anything you don't want, anchor it with something negative.




Now, I feel like a con-artist :/

 

[gilliatt]

The key to not being brainwashed is to use reason, do not submit to some authority. Meaning the preacher, politician, teacher/professor, etc. Do not drink the cool-aid. Their method is mind training, eliminating the capacity for philosophical thought-it is a course in brain-destruction, a system to turn a rational animal into an animal unable to reason. Purpose...they want to rule you, power over you, so you will obey them. Note the preacher, he is up above you in the pulpit, and he wants you on your knees, kissing the ground, bowing your head. That is the old authority thing, its belittling you, you are zero, nothing!! So the authority stands above you, it is the 'old god on the mountaintop concept.' Never kneel down to an authority, you are making them feel superior & you small. I want you to stand tall above the authority, put yourself on the mountaintop, look down on them that is attempting power over you. 'Doth sense is made.'

 

[Turniphead]

related:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTwCMX5sUQU

 

[Sinny91]

Methods include abuse, programming, direct external stimulus, and cultural/social conditioning.
On top of a base of economic slavery.

Works on the micro and macro scale quite adaptably.

Examples of abuse would be, on an individual basis; sexual abuse and degradation; on a collective basis, the killing of JKF, which leaves trauma on a whole nation.

Programming, by all sensory means, verbal que's, image imprinting, sublimal symbols and sounds.

External stimulus, e.g, psychotronics, micro-waves, think Woodpecker etc.

Cultural conditioning, which we could discuss endlessly; although my favorites include Globalisation, the Externalisation of the Heirachy, the New Age movement and so called UFOlogy.

In regards to why, I can only presume Control.