Brainwashing – The science of thought control
| PDF | 337 pages |
Description
The term ‘brainwashing’ was first recorded in 1950, but it is an expression of a much older concept: the forcible and full-scale alteration of a person’s beliefs. Over the past 50 years the term has crept into popular culture, served as a topic for jokes, frightened the public in media headlines, and slandered innumerable people and institutions. It has also been the subject of learned discussion from many angles: history, sociology, psychology, psychotherapy, and marketing. Despite this variety, to date there has been one angle missing: any serious reference to real brains. Descriptions of how opinions can be changed, whether by persuasion, deceit, or force, have been almost entirely psychological.
Features
* The first study of brainwashing to combine the science of the human brain with psychology and sociology
* Short-listed for the MIND Book of the Year Award 2005
* Topical, covering real-life events and issues such as terrorism, September 11th, and the trial of Patty Hearst, as well as famous fictional cases of brainwashing, including Orwell’s 1984 and The Manchurian Candidate
Reviews
“…a fascinating book whose content tends to linger long after you have put it down. Definitely a must-read for those in the social psychology field and all other psychologists interested in this area.†–Doody’s
